10 years on one, 2 months the other

[John C]

Last week was the 10 year anniversary on my left hip, and this week I hit the 2 month mark on the right.
All the old timers on here have heard my story too many times, so they can feel free to skip this, but for any newbies on the site, here is my story.
I am a sports instructor year round, teaching high level skiing all day every day all winter, and teaching windsurfing during the summers, with lots of surfing and tennis thrown in. Dr Gross said at the time that I would be a good case study to see how the new hip would hold up. My hip from 10 years ago has worked out great, though I was not the fastest healer over the first couple of months. After some trochanteric bursitis from playing tennis at the one year point, it has been pretty pain free. I was only able to get the strength back to about 85% of the other hip, but that difference only shows up in the gym, and was never noticed doing sports.
Two months ago, I had my right hip also done by Dr Gross, who had fun introducing me as reassurance to a new patient of his who was a skier. I guess the case study came out okay. At this point, it seems like the new hip is working out better and easier than the first, though that is partly from knowing what to expect. At this point I am walking one hour a day, stationary bike. lots of light weights and sports cords, balance work on a Bosu ball, and I am starting to increase my stretching routines. Straight leg lifts and flexion are my current challenges, but I have confidence that those will come. I am taking the summer off to dedicate 100% to rehab, and expect to be back to my regular schedule by next winter. I have a heli ski trip scheduled for December, so that is my goal focus.
I would recommend resurfacing using a top surgeon to anyone wanting a new hip that they can push hard and have faith in for the long term. Personally I do not think of it as an easy recovery, but when you are ready, it is worth it.
Best wishes to all.

[MattJersey]

Always a pleasure and reassuring to read these great anniversary stories. Good luck for the Heli ski trip!

[Pat Walter]

Hi John


Congratulations on both anniversaries.  Glad the old hip is doing well with all the skiing.  Sounds like the new hip will catch up in a few months.


Thanks for the post.  Great to hear from the old timers and great they share their stories with the newbies.


Take it easy with the new hip, as you know it will be great in a few months.


Keep us updated when you can.


Pat

[hernanu]

Congrats!

[karlos.bell]

  Cool stuff...…….

[Glenn Urban]

Thank you for a great post.  Of course, for purely selfish reasons...good indication that my new ones are going to last.

[John C]

Things have been going so well, that I thought it was time to post another update.
I just passed five months on my second hip, and I cannot believe how well it is going, and how much better it is progressing than my first hip 10 years ago.
Because my bone density was excellent when they checked it prior to surgery, and because I have been working this new hip at least a few hours every day, either hiking or in the gym, I decided to push Dr Gross' timeline just a little.
A week ago, I started doing some brief bits of running, but only under perfect conditions: uphill, on soft dirt trails, and usually only for a hundred yards at a time. The hip loves it, and has shown no discomfort. I will not run on level ground or pavement for another month as ordered.
Today I took my mountain bike off the stationary trainer that I have been using in the garage, put the front wheel on, and went for a great ride on paved bike trails. My hip was absolutely pain free, and felt very strong. It was the first time in twenty years that I have been able to ride a bike pain free, without one hip or the other kicking out to the side with every peddle stroke. The most exciting thing, was that this newest hip is better on the bike at five months than my first hip was at 12 months, when the first hip still felt some muscle twinges around the incision area.
My first hip still had some pains at six months if it got thrown around by sudden bumps while in the car. This hip has had none of that. My first hip would still get a little sore after a four hour steep hike at six months; this hip feels like new on some pretty extreme hikes at five months.
As a balanced report, I will say that this new hip still does not have a great range of motion, but that is improving slowly.
I am not sure it qualifies as a theory, but I thought I would share the one thing that I am doing differently this time that might be leading to the vastly better results. I started practicing Chinese Qigong (also spelled Chi Kung) a few years ago, and decided to spend about an hour every day during this healing time practicing Qigong, with some of that time specifically focused on healing my new hip. This is certainly not a scientific study, but it is the only variable that I can see that changed between my first hip and my second, other than that I am now 67 instead of 57 which would not seem like it should help the healing process. For anyone else out there who is interested in Chinese medicine or alternative medicine, my personal experience would say to at least give Qigong some thought during your healing process.
Best to all.
 

[Pat Walter]

Hi John


Thanks for your update.  Glad things are going well.  Interesting to read about the comparison of the 2 hip resurfacings.


I hope everything continues to improve for you.


Pat

[ArthriticHip]

Hi John - Great to hear your 2nd procedure is working out so well. Your activity level is an inspiration. I'm at around my 8 month mark from a left HR with Dr Brooks of the Cleveland Clinic. I couldn't be happier at this point. Zero pain. Flexibility is back to where it was 10 years ago before I was diagnosed with arthritis.

Best of luck with continued progress.

Donny

[John C]

Here is my six month update on the second hip.
It is doing great, and continues to improve better than the first one 10 years ago, which I thought went very well. Workouts continue to feel good, with strength and agility building very well, and flexibility coming back slowly but steadily.
The only thing new to add is getting out on the bike, which I cheated just a little at by starting at five months instead of waiting until 6 as directed. This has been very exciting. It is the first time that I have been able to ride a bike pain-free in 20 years, and feels great. It is exciting to have my legs tracking straight, instead of having my knee pop out to the side with every peddle stroke. I have been tackling lots of long steep mountain hills, with good strength in the new hip, and absolutely no pain. With the first hip ten years ago, I still felt some muscle soreness around the surgery site when biking at six months, but this new one feels like a perfectly healthy hip with no signs of surgery.
Since I officially pass the six month mark this coming week, we are leaving for Maui tomorrow for a month of intensive surfing and windsurfing, before starting the Sun Valley ski season at Thanksgiving, followed by a helicopter skiing week up in Canada in December before starting back to teaching. Can't wait to enjoy more pain-free activities after all the years of eating Tylenol to keep going.

[John C]

Latest update just past six months. Everything is going great. At exactly six months, I got back into tennis, windsurfing, stand up paddling, and surfing. The new hip continues to be perfect, and significantly better than the first one ten years ago.
With the first hip, I had some problems with trochanteric bursitis when I got back into tennis, and it took almost two years to completely go away. The recent hip is perfect already on the tennis courts playing singles. The first hip was slightly sore and cautious when I first got back into windsurfing in high winds and sizable surf; this new hip feels perfect, with no thoughts or worries.
I am not sure what Dr Gross did differently after 10 years, but I am loving it.