femoroacetabular impingement and likely a labral tear, with arthritis.

[hannondavid]

Hi all.  I sent Dr.  Brooks my x-rays and he diagnosed me with femoroacetabular impingement and likely a labral tear, with arthritis.  I'm 63, 5'9 and 135 pounds.  I  have been very active all my life.  I've had groin pain for almost a year.  I had to stop running sprints and doing squats and deadlifts.  I now just do the Assault Bike and Battle Ropes for cardio, but I really miss running sprints and doing squats and deadlifts.  I'm unsure at this point about going ahead with the BHR.  Dr.  Brooks said I'm a candidate for the BHR.  Any thoughts appreciated.  Thanks.

[Svcsvc]

Hi.

If you didn’t do BHR, what do you see as your other options?

[petemeads]

Hi David,

I was your age, weight and a inch taller when I got my BHR 9 years ago. It gave me back running and climbing and, in conjunction with my THR a couple of years later on the other hip, the ability to race half-marathons and ultras, and 500 5k parkruns. I would highly recommend that you go for it!

Pete

[hannondavid]

Ok I keep going back and forth in my mind.  I'm wondering if I should go ahead and have the BHR done now so I can get back to an active lifestyle or do I wait until I'm basically unable to walk without severe pain.  In the past year I went from being able to do heavy leg exercises and running sprints to now just being able to ride a bike.  Are the benefits of BHR worth the risks?  Do we do what we can now to possibly give us our active lifestyle back or wait and wait until we are almost an invalid.  How long did you guys wait to have the BHR? Sorry if I'm being overly dramatic.

[Svcsvc]

Are there any specific risks you’re concerned about?

Sounds like from what you’ve said you’ve got a really opportunity to get back to doing some of the things you enjoyed doing, and that keep your body and mind healthy.

I only had my BHR 11th March this year, so a little early to comment, but no regrets yet. I started having trouble in 2022 and although the pain hadn’t stopped me from doing anything I wanted to take action whilst the pain was in my control and before I had to stop doing certain activities I enjoy.

[hannondavid]

So it seems that it is better not to wait till you can barely walk, as so many people wait and wait.

[stevel]

This is what happens when you wait until you can barely walk.
The left leg has atrophied and the pelvis is tilted.
The lower back aches due to the tilted pelvis.
I walked with an antalgic gait or a severe limp.
I could walk about a block with a cane.
I was literally grinding away the femoral head as there was no cartilage left.
I waited a year after receiving a diagnosis of severe osteoarthritis with complete loss of cartilage and bone-on-bone contact.
After hip resurfacing surgery, I needed 5 months of physical therapy to regain muscular function.
I didn't wait for my right hip after receiving a diagnosis of severe osteoarthritis with bone-on-bone contact.
After hip resurfacing surgery, I needed 2 months of physical therapy and I was downhill skiing at 3 months.
No need to wait as hip resurfacing surgery has longevity for younger patients, some still using theirs for over thirty years.

[Svcsvc]

So it seems that it is better not to wait till you can barely walk, as so many people wait and wait.

That was certainly my logic. When doing my research on here one of the most common themes was ‘I wish I’d had it done sooner’. Re Stevel’s comment on leg atrophy, even though I’d not stop any activity I’d noticed my right (now operated leg) was smaller than the left as the left was more dominant

[jimbone]

Besides the above good advice, your age should be a consideration.  I had my bilateral HR at 63, done by Dr. Pritchett.  At that age I was on the outside age he uses as criteria.  I was in otherwise good condition but basically crippled by the OA which will not get better.  The HR will return your life to what you want it to be, without it you're looking at a inevitable decline and possibly removing the opportunity making THR your only option.  It can be a daunting decision, was for me, absolutely the best medical decision I ever made.  Get it done and get on with enjoying your life again.  Best wishes.

[stevel]

I gave up racquetball and jogging 6 years before left hip resurfacing surgery as X-rays showed bone on bone contact.  My family practice doctor said it was not disabling but to avoid such impact activities.  I continued to downhill ski and hunt in the mountains through the Spring of the year of surgery.  That summer I gave up a work trip inspecting bridges as I was disabled enough that I couldn’t climb slopes under bridges or walk over bridges.  It was definitely time for surgery and after finding out about hip resurfacing, I booked the surgery in September 2008 at age 55.
Since I downhill ski even the steeps and back country, the stability of hip resurfacing over hip replacement is huge and I proceeded with hip resurfacing.

[MarvinB]

Welcome!

If you read through most of the posts on the forum, you’ll see that fear, apprehension, mis-information, and ignoring the pain play the major roles in putting off the inevitable.  When I meet someone who asks about my surgery, I ask them if they are squeamish watching surgery videos.  If they are not, I point them to Dr. Gross’s, Dr. Su’s, and Dr. Pritchett’s procedure videos on YouTube.  Actually WATCH it!  It’s a mechanically-sound, engineering marvel of a procedure that can truly give you your life back.  You have to do what is right for you, weigh ALL the options, consider recovery and rehab time, but after going through it in January 2021, i didn’t wait for the other hip to get as bad before signing up again.  At 58, I’ve got to many adventures ahead!   8)  All the best to you!

[imgetinold]

Hi Hannondavid.


Here is the equation I made in my head.  Do I want to be sedentary at age 44 for maybe 20 years and THEN do it?  Or do it now and be sedentary 20 or more years from now?  Of course, if I had to be sedentary I would prefer to do it when I was older and already less mobile. 

But.......I now think that's the wrong equation.  I'm pretty convinced that this hip (these hips) WILL last my lifetime.  If they don't, then I'll get THRs years from now, when the technology is even better.

I waited and researched a year before I pulled the trigger on my first hip.  I was miserable.  10 years later my other hip started aching and I scheduled surgery immediately.  Dr. Gross did my hips, but my brother had one done with Dr. Brooks.  You can't go wrong.

I've been paying attention to the resurfacing world for a long time, and I know of NOBODY who wishes they waited longer.  Almost 100% of people wish they did not sooner.


Good luck!