Hi Sean – find out about Hip Resurfacing before committing to a THR, it would give you two chances as bone is preserved. Resurfacing surgeons are few and far between, and THR surgeons will say there are problems with resurfacing and they won’t do the operation because of this, but there are very successful resurfacing advocates in the US – and Andy Murray seems to be doing OK with his.
I have a resurfaced hip and a THR hip, my bone was not good enough for the second hip to be resurfaced (I was 66 at the time) and both hips work well for running, biking and hiking. In some respects (range of movement, normality of feeling) the ceramic THR is better, but I still harbour worries about the long spike stuck in my femur being an unnatural solution to the problem of ball and socket wear.
Cheers,
Pete