31 and bilateral hip resurfacing

[Joshadam]

Hi all,

I would like some advice support about my current situation and peoples views moving forward.

At 29 I had to stop playing semi professional football due to OA in both hips, I am a very active individual who also teaches PE at a secondary school and have done so for 10 years. In the last 2/3 seasons of playing football by hips and groins would ache after matches but I put it down to playing 3/4 times a week and leading an active lifestyle.

In January on 2020 I went to see a consultant who diagnosed me with OA as a result of FAI syndrome and a CAM impingement.

I immediately stopped playing football and tried to manage my symptoms. However in the past year I have struggled and a walk of any considerable distance is no fun. Since then I have seen two further consultants, the latest being Prof Cobb in London. The appointment went well and he agreed that a hip resurfacing was needed and much to my surprise said that he would perform a bilateral resurfacing.

Since then I have froze, I get by day to day but I am not the same as I was before. My back has begun to ache more recently and the hip pain comes and goes. As I am getting by I am putting off surgery. The surgery really scares me especially have both sides done at once and only being 31 years of age.

My wife is very supportive and wants me to have the surgery so that I can return to doing more things but I am reluctant as the thought of the procedure and recovery is a big concern.

I suppose what I am looking for is any reassurance or advice from those in a similar position or who have had surgery.

Thanks

Josh

[petemeads]

Hi Josh, glad you have found Professor Cobb and he is prepared to treat you - do you know which implant he was offering? I met with his team just before the H1 ceramic device trials started, a couple of chaps on here have had them implanted and are doing well but the trials are paused to assess the data so far and it might be a while before they recommence. For you, as a youngster, the new ceramic device sounds ideal and Professor Cobb is an expert. A brief wait for analysis might suit you as well, as your hips worsen you will be less concerned about the surgery maybe - anything to stop the pain. If it was the original Birmingham resurfacing, still no problem as plenty of them are getting to be 25 years old soon...
Yes, recovery from bilateral will be a pain, but only for a fortnight or so - better than having the second op hanging over you for a couple of years, like I had. The operation itself is easy for the patient!
I had back problems when my hips were worn out, I am so much better now, 5 years since my second hip, and running as well (in age-graded terms) as I ever did.

Good luck in making the decision,

Pete

[Joshadam]

Hi Pete,

Thanks for the reply.
Yes we spoke about the H1 implant but as you stated it is currently paused. Prof Cobb said it wouldn’t resume until next year at the earliest. The question is can I wait that long.
The BHR has puts further doubts in my head, I know that many are going well but as it’s bilateral  I’m concerned more about any complications.

Thanks for the reassurance of surgery and recovery. Glad to here that you are doing well.

Josh

[stevel]

Hi Josh, I stopped playing racquetball and jogging in 1997 at age 43 due to pain in my left hip.  11 years later I got a LBHR in 2008 at age 55.  I played racquetball again from 2010 to 2019 when I got a RBHR at age 66.  If I'd known about the BHRs, I'd consider getting a LBHR sooner, if I qualified.  Ironically I didn't miss a downhill ski season except from 2008-2009 when I was rehabbing from my LBHR surgery.

[Joshadam]

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the reply.
Good to hear your positive experience with BHRs.
Is your LBHR still going strong?
I’ve stopped pretty much all sport at the moment but would love to get back to doing something, not necessarily football if I choose to have surgery but some form of exercise would be brilliant.
Thanks
Josh

[stevel]

Hi Josh, Yes, my LBHR is still going strong after 13+ years!  I have been very active, playing racquetball several days a week, downhill skiing several days week during the winter and hunting in steep, mountainous terrain on occasion.  The earliest BHRs were installed 25 years ago starting in 1997 and I'm looking forward to reading the 25 year report as the 20 year report was great!

[blinky]

I'll chime in as a bilat, six years out.
I was so bad off I could barely walk, too, and hardly carry anything. I could do pulling exercises in the pool and that was really about all I could do pain free. It was hard to sleep, to sit, to do anything.

Choosing a resurfacing and doing two hips in three days was transformative. The pain was gone and I could slowly and steadily work back towards doing everything I wanted to do. I know it sounds scary to think about surgery, especially on both hips, and especially at a young age, but you can feel better.

I was 53 yo, so much older than you, but like you I was feeling it in other body parts: my knees, my back.

Your youth is a factor in when to do this and what kind of prosthesis and surgery to choose for sure, but consider as well that life is uncertain and you do not know what tomorrow holds. A swim friend whose folks lived to be in their nineties put off a hip replacement until his early seventies. He knew he might need a revision and so wanted to wait until he was the "perfect" age. He figured he'd live at least another twenty years. He got a new hip, then a year later was diagnosed with a brain cancer and died.

Take your time, make the best choice for you, but know there are good options.

[hipmedicine]

Hi Josh,

I can relate. I had my left hip resurfaced at 30 and my right at 31 years old. Still not even a year out from either. So far its been a great decision. I wrestled and played American football in university. Had transitioned to jiu-jitsu other random sports in my early adult hood. At around age 28 I had a nagging groin pain in my left hip. By 30 I couldn't walk a mile without taking 800 mg of ibuprofen three times a day for a 2 weeks to get relief. Same as you cam impingement leading to OA. Its not way to live, and it starts with limiting the activity you love to do. I stopped jiu-jitsu, stopped weight lifting, stopped playing Frisbee on the weekend, stopped playing badminton, stopped walking my dog. Now I'm starting do increase my activity slowly with no achy pain, and that has been great. Who knows what the future holds with getting a hip resurfacing so early but its a lot better than siting on couch in pain waiting for it to get worse.

[Joshadam]

Thanks Blinky and hipmedicine,

Both seem to have positive experiences or be in a better place now.
Thanks for the advice, it is really appreciated and helpful.

It makes me less concerned about the procedure. I just now need to get myself booked in.

Thanks
Josh

[Alex]

Hi Josh,

I'm in a super similar situation. I am 34 and have CAM impingement and OA. By now, I stopped doing pretty much anything I like but have not yet found the courage to book the surgery :) I am getting close though. Other than you maybe (if I did not misunderstand), I actually prefer the metal solution because we can see pretty good long-term results.

Anyway, just wanted to wish you good luck! I think in both our cases, it can only really get better :)

All the best,
Alex

[Joshadam]

Hi Alex,

Thanks for posting, its good to hear from someone in at similar position at a similar age. Although clearly we’d much rather not be in this position.
Good to hear you prefer the metal implant, my only concerns are the issues with the ions although I know this is rare.
I am away this weekend and the long car journey and daily walks have made the trip far less enjoyable than it should be due to my hips.
Please let me know how you get on should you have surgery. I will keep you updated on my situation, all the best.

Josh

[Minniemuis]

Josh,

You should also check out Jannes Vercaemst. (Do you have Instagram?)
I think he was in his early twenties when he got bilateral MoM resurfacing by Koen De Smet in Belgium.
He is a competitive martial arts athlete.  He seems to be very happe with his 2 hips.

Good luck!

[Joshadam]

Hi Minniemuis,

I have been following him for over a year now. He is someone that encourages me to look further into surgery. He seems to be doing incredibly well, and is of a similar age.
Thanks for the advise.

Josh

[Alex]

Hi Josh,

I wanted to keep you in the loop. I finally pulled the trigger and will have metal-on-metal resurfacing next week.

As I said before, I was hesitant for a while and also got used to doing less. The decisive moment was when two friends came to visit me over the weekend and after showing them around town for a day my hip and lower back was completely destroyed... It made me realize that waiting any longer makes no sense.

I'll keep you updated on how surgery & recovery go.

Hope you are doing alright and all the best,
Alex

[Joshadam]

Hi Alex,

Thanks for letting me know. Really good that you are in so quick as well.
Yes please keep me posted on your recovery. I am getting closer and your positive experience will hopefully persuade me to move things forward quicker.
Good luck

Josh

[imgetinold]

Best of luck to you.  At that age I completely understand your hesitancy.  I was 44 for my first, and 53 for my 2nd.  That being said, basically 100% of people who held off for years (myself included) say that they would have done it immediately if they knew then what they know now.  You don't realized how much pain you're in until it's gone.  You think you do, but you don't.

For me, my rationalization was that if I HAD to choose between being sedentary at age 44, or at 64 (assuming an implant life span of 20 years), I would choose to be active for the next 20 years.  I now truly believe that these implants will last my lifetime.

It's a tough choice at your age.  I am certain you won't regret it if you decide to move forward.