Birmingham Hip Resurfacing at 38 .... any shared experiences welcomed...

[Svcsvc]

Hi,

I stumbled across this forum last week and have found reading about other peoples experiences particularly useful. Although there is LOADS of advice and shared experiences on situations similar to mine, I thought I'd start a new post to see if it highlights any new information / experiences that would support me in my decision making.

I'm 38, male, and back in July 22 I started to notice bad pain in my hip / groin area that just wouldn't go away. I went for physio, and due to the pain radiating into my groin suggested I go to my GP to have it investigated .... long story short I quickly found out that I have advance OA in my right hip, and the only 'solution' is for me to BHR. I was first given this opinion by Callum McBride, but then also got a second opinion from Prof. Damian Griffin, who I am still under.

As is always the way in these cases, the decision of when to have the operation is down to me - and I have an option to have this on the 29 January 2024, by Prof. Griffin. The challenge for me is making the decision whether to go through with it or not.

For info I remain active, do CrossFit c.5 times per week and walk the dog daily, but I do suffer with the pain in my groin and lower back, I can also see I'm adjusting my posture to accommodate the pain e.g. not standing up straight, holding me right heal off the floor when standing or putting all my weight through one of my legs. A recent trip to London for the day gave me an uncomfortable train journey, a day limping round the centre, then another uncomfortable 2.5 hours in the theatre trying to accommodate the lack of mobility in my right hip whilst sitting. 

I flit between thinking I should have it done, and not!

The 'fors' for me are:- Doing it now whilst it's in my control, not in debilitating pain and having nothing in the year ahead that would mean I can't focus on my recovery (for info I have no children and but will be hopefully having our first early in 2025, and I'll be the primary carer taking time off work) and being as active as possible in my 40s rather than delay and see limitations on what I can do

The 'againsts' for me are:- The risk of not being able to go back to the activities I'm doing now due to complications or the operation not being as successful as planned (I have been told that I should have no limitations after the initial period), also the risks of the joint lasting less than 20 years and the metollosis risks etc.

Any thoughts / shared experiences welcomed!

[catfriend]

Do it. If you have advanced OA it will not get better on its own. You may have good days or weeks, but the trajectory is always downwards.

You should certainly be able to go back to all the activities you're doing now. If Andy Murray can go back to pro tennis after resurfacing, you can go back to crossfit. There are many people on this forum who return to running (not everyone), skiing, hiking, etc.

You mention planning to have a kid next year. Wouldn't it be better to be out of pain and active again to play with your future child?

Having had both hips done I would do it all over again, but sooner.

[Svcsvc]

Morning.

Thanks Catfriend, I think you’re right - there is only one way the pain is going, which is to get worse. I’m probably better to do the op whilst I’m in control of the pain rather it being un control of me. It’s just scary!

[Bob Loblaw]

I'm 53, and at this point just over 4 weeks post-op. So I can't say anything about the eventual results yet. I'll say that in the summer of 2021 I had to start winding back on my running and ball sports, then got the arthritis dx that fall. Between then and the surgery, I spent a lot of time on my bicycle and hiking, and doing *most* of the things I wanted to do, just not running or other sports. I delayed for a few reasons, including just that I found the prospect of having the top of my femur sawed off disturbing and I needed some time to adjust to that.
At this point, I don't have any strong regrets about the delay, but neither do I recommend it. I am glad that I was able to schedule the surgery for a time when it posed the least inconvenience to me and my family.

[jimbone]

As mentioned upthread, the  removal of the top of the femur is a disturbing idea for a lot of us.  It certainly was for me.  My surgeon made the comment in a pre-surgical consult, "A lot of people view it as an amputation when in fact it is a reconstruction".  Viewed from this perspective it clarified my thinking and settled some emotional resistance. 

Had my left done in June and the right done in Sept. 2018.  By Nov I was back in the gym and the pool and had completed 4 weeks of PT [very helpful] was walking hills 1 1/2 miles a day and more and was solidly on the road to recovering.  I was 65 at the time and free of pain for the 1st time in a decade.  The surgeon also mentioned HR is akin to cataract surgery in that it is not only becoming more widely available but is also one of the most common means of relieving a medical/health barrier afflicting a large part of the population.  With a good surgeon this procedure is a life saver. There are always risks in life but OA is a certainty of worsening pain and diminished quality of life.

[Svcsvc]

Thanks Bob and Jimbone, some great insight.

I like the perspective of thinking about it as a reconstruction not and amputation - it makes sense.

I think all of this is cementing my decision to have the operation and then start my recovery / rehab - it’ll be good to feel on an upward trajectory rather than downward, and I think the longer I leave it the more the muscle in my right leg I’ll deplete vs the left

[jimbone]

It's you're best option.  Worse case scenario- 20 years from now you need a revision, 1st I was older than that when I had my surgeries so your 2nd window would still be well within age limitations. 2nd- who now how far orthopedic surgery will advance in those 20 years.  They can already do revisions, in 20 years who knows what they'll be able to do. Lastly- those next 20 years of a healthy hip allowing you to continue pursuing an active life will mean if a revision was ever needed you'd have stayed in shape, maintaining muscle and fitness and your recovery, if ever needed would be so much more assured than if you let yourself lose strength, fitness and health.  Not to mention, chronic pain has its own debilitating effects beyond physical health, emotionally, socially and psychically.  Your hesitation and nerves  is natural and what everyone experiences. Waking up with the hip OA gone forever makes the decision one you won't regret.  Best wishes and keep us updated.

[Svcsvc]

Thanks Jimbone.

It’s booked in for the 11 March 2024 - next available with this consultant.

[jimbone]

That's good news and good timing- it gives you Spring and Summer for getting recovered, the good weather will let you do all the walking you'll be wanting and without the OA pain.  You'll also have some time to prepare your living space to make the initial few weeks of recovery easier.  There's lots of good advice on the forum for that but a few essentials would be the Hip Surgery Recovery kit [or something like that] available on Amazon, I preferred crutches, some prefer a walker for the first week-10 days, a cane for the next couple of weeks after that, ice bags/cold wraps for swelling the first week, a pair of slip on shoes- you won't be tying laces for a little while [it's a milestone event], if there are stairs you'll want to be prepared for that and lastly, for myself at least, I found a power recliner immensely beneficial both for sleeping in the first week [getting in and out of bed becomes a new experience the first week] and the many naps I indulged in regaining my strength.  Pro tip: get your toenails trimmed right before surgery- you most likely won't be doing that for yourself for a little while.  Lots of good advice in the archives here and others might chime in on tips as well.  Congratulations ad best wishes.  Keep us updated.