September 10, 2010 I had my left hip surgery on Tuesday of this week. I had many questions prior to the surgery. My advice is to find a good medical team and trust in them to do their job. I think that I tried to anticipate every thing that could possibly happen. In essence I suffered from analysis paralysis. This created more anxiety than was necessary. So much so that I was ready to cancel even in the waiting room on Tuesday morning. No question that this is a major surgery and everyone needs to find a comfort level, but so far I have found my fear of the unknown was much greater than the surgery itself. I am only three days post op but can say that I have experienced very little pain and discomfort. In fact I haven’t needed pain medication since coming home on Wednesday. I did a great deal of preparation in the form of conditioning prior to Tuesday. I have attacked this like I would have preparing for a long distance event. Today I walked, crutch assisted, almost a half a mile. I am going to listen to my body and take the good with the bad. Today was good, tomorrow will be it’s own day.

My problems were created from running. I am 57 years of age and run over 80,000 miles the past 32 years. Add on 30 marathons and low and behold hip problems. I stopped running a year and a half ago, but have maintained a high degree of conditioning by cycling and mountain biking. I am an avid skier, but was only able to ski once last season. I’m not sure if I will seriously run again. Why tempt the beast? I plan on continuing cycling, skiing, mountain biking and some mild running. Most important is having the ability to choose again what I want to do.

Just don’t over think this schedule the surgery, prepare like crazy, show up the day of surgery and enjoy the experience. Oh by the way, Versed does wonders for the anxiety. I asked for a six pack to take home, but it appears that I will need to go in for the other hip to get more.

September 13, 2010  Am almost one week. We live in Park City, Utah a small ski town. I have been able to beat the closed in feeling that you have mentioned by taking walks and seeing the beauty of fall in the mountains. My hope is to visit the slopes more intimately in a few months when there is bountiful fresh fluffy powder. The more I walk, the more I feel unrestricted. Careful though not to overdue.

September 14, 2010 I am post op one week today. I consider my self a logical, rational person who seeks reasonableness with most decisions. I say that only because I got carried away with my what-if game prior to the surgery. I threw out all of the rational thinking as the time of my surgery came closer. In fact, I experience pretty intense anxiety, to the point of panic attacks, all through the night before surgery. It doesn’t help that I am also somewhat of a control person. The kind that rather fly the plane than have an experienced pilot make the journey safe. Over the years I have learned to let go the control attitude and relax more with loss of control situations. The rational part of this story is that I found a remarkable team of doc’s and had conditioned the hell out of myself leading up to the surgery. I though that I had mentally prepared for a positive outcome. Old habits die hard, as indicated the night before surgery I threw all the planning out the window and found myself back to the what-if game.

Fortunately, my wife all the way to the hospital and the night before reminded me to trust the medical staff and all the pain that I had been in the past year and a half. She reminded me that through the past year and a half that I had lost enjoyment of life, as simple as being able to bend over and field ground balls with the little league kids. I could no longer run which had been a life passion, getting on a bike was even painful to watch let alone the true physical pain. I was only able to ski once last year and couldn’t walk for two weeks after that little adventure (skiing is a part of our community let alone a 40 year passion of mine). Last but not least, she reminded me that I walked like a 90 year old person, where only a few years ago I could still run 6 minute miles.

As I mentioned above, I am a rational minded person and I had just been given a large dose of rational thrown at me by my wife and still I would like to have run out of the hospital the morning of surgery. To me I had experienced a remarkable recover in the waiting room. Look I told my wife; I can walk with out pain, I could probably even go for a nice six mile run if I wanted to. Hell, I even stood up and showed her that I walked even with out a limp. A “second fortunately” is that my wife can be pretty persuasive and mildly told me to sit down and shut up. As she put it ” You could barely walk out of here let alone run, so relax and start the healing process now.” Still I worried up until the moment of VERSED.

One week later I can say that I am excited beyond belief about the possibilities to come. I am progressing much quicker than I had anticipated. Quite honestly, the pain before surgery was much more difficult than the surgery pain. I am up and walking as much as I can tolerate, taking almost no pain meds, and in a sense enjoying the experience. I have been told many times over in my life that our feelings and attitudes are shaped by the stories we tell ourselves.

September 18, 2010 I am 8 days post op and things are going extremely well. I haven’t need pain meds and remain quite active. A minimum of three walks per day of 15 to 20 minutes each walk. I have a home pt visit three times a week. The only issue at this point is that that my blood hasn’t reached the desired numbers. So, all in all I couldn’t be more thrilled, but I have been experiencing some pretty intense muscle cramps on my operated side quads and IT band. They come and go as I walk, mostly in the a.m. The pt has helped stretch the quads etc. and she really doesn’t think that I am overly aggressive with amount of my activity. She really doesn’t have an answer and I am not really concerned other than it slows me down.

September 22, 2010 Post op 13 days and rolling. So far all is good. I am really focusing on regaining a normal gait. I have to admit I developed some nasty compensation patterns the past few years. I have to concentrate keeping my hips, head and shoulders aligned when walking. When I do it properly it seems very foreign at this point. I am determined to get things right. I want to make sure that when I begin running again everything is in balance. The good news is that I have 5 months to figure it out. Other than that minor detail, I am gaining strength each day and have experienced very little pain along the way (so far no pain meds needed). The only time that I feel pain is during pt appointments when we work the operated leg side up and out to the side. The pt is suggesting that I take a pain med prior to our session in order to facilitate working my ROM. I may try that tomorrow. I have yet to gain strength in the groin area, but she tells me that will be the last to recover. I continue to walk, walk, walk by breaking my walks into three 30-40 minute walks each day (one crutch aided). I have found that keeps any swelling down and I don’t get too fatigued by days end. I also throw in a 15 minute stationary bike ride with no tension to warm things up. I am sleeping well through the night and can now sleep on my non operated side.

I am enjoying the challenges and goals of each day. There is something about reaching mile stones and setting new ones that is seductive. Right now goal one is to walk normally, goal #2 is to regain top conditioning, from there skiing this season, and lastly to be able to start running at 6 months. Very do able! But not without focus! Thanks again Pat for this web site. Without it I may well be recovering with a total hip replacement rather than my resurface. Of course, I would contemplating other goals, perhaps not as lofty.

September 26, 2010 Post op 13 days and rolling. So far all is good. I am really focusing on regaining a normal gait. I have to admit I developed some nasty compensation patterns the past few years. I have to concentrate keeping my hips, head and shoulders aligned when walking. When I do it properly it seems very foreign at this point. I am determined to get things right. I want to make sure that when I begin running again everything is in balance. The good news is that I have 5 months to figure it out. Other than that minor detail, I am gaining strength each day and have experienced very little pain along the way (so far no pain meds needed). The only time that I feel pain is during pt appointments when we work the operated leg side up and out to the side. The pt is suggesting that I take a pain med prior to our session in order to facilitate working my ROM. I may try that tomorrow. I have yet to gain strength in the groin area, but she tells me that will be the last to recover. I continue to walk, walk, walk by breaking my walks into three 30-40 minute walks each day (one crutch aided). I have found that keeps any swelling down and I don’t get too fatigued by days end. I also throw in a 15 minute stationary bike ride with no tension to warm things up. I am sleeping well through the night and can now sleep on my non operated side.

I am enjoying the challenges and goals of each day. There is something about reaching mile stones and setting new ones that is seductive. Right now goal one is to walk normally, goal #2 is to regain top conditioning, from there skiing this season, and lastly to be able to start running at 6 months. Very do able! But not without focus! Thanks again Pat for this web site. Without it I may well be recovering with a total hip replacement rather than my resurface. Of course, I would contemplating other goals, perhaps not as lofty.

September 29, 2010 I go in to see Dr. Hickman for my three week post op check-up. Mainly, I want to see the x rays. I am pretty excited to see his handy work. I have posted several times regarding, in my opinion, the excellent work he and his team did with the 10 inch scar. Three weeks at this point and still no need for pain meds, basically my ranch of motion is much improved from pre surgery status. I come of blood thinners this Saturday and am thankful I am reaching that milestone. No problems with the thinners, it just I am glad to move beyond a critical point. My stamina continues to improve daily! As indicated in previous posts, I can’t emphasize enough the need for presurgery conditioning. I am quite certain my speedy recovery and lack of pain is due in part to the conditioning. Today, I rode the stationary bike one hour at moderate resistance, did upper body weight training consisting of 2 sets of 10 reps per machine, and walked 5 miles crutch assisted in less than 2 hours. I am now at home resting after icing for 45 minutes. Virtually no swelling! Keep in mind that my work outs prior to surgery averaged 2 hours a day and on weekends I did bike rides of up to 5 hours. I write this for the main purpose of letting people who are on the fence to prepare for the surgery and not to be afraid of enjoying the recovery process. I remind myself to listen to my body for signs of over doing. For example, I am sleeping well, eating and hydrating well, and lastly checking on the fatigue factor. My blood pressure has been in the 116/75 range, my oxygen is at 97% and my resting pulse is 58. All of these indicate that the body is handling what I am doing well. Everyone recovers at different rates and I would not encourage people to compare, but I can tell you that with a good medical team, a positive attitude, and hard work prior to and after surgery, you can enjoy the recovery.

I use to hate walking, mainly because of lower back pain, but now I have no stiffness or pain when I walk. My prior hip life was to run (before I had to stop a year and a half ago) only because I could get the run in between an hour to two hours and then take anti inflammatory’s to get through the rest of the day. Now, I feel like I can walk for ever at this point and I am enjoying the opportunity to see the outdoors at a nice pace. The colors in the Utah mountains are spectacular right now!!! We are fortunate to live at the base of several trail heads that are in the mountains. I can walk for miles on trails and never see another human. I may walk more in the future and run less. Who knows?

I have always been pretty methodical when it come to training and conditioning. I am approaching my recovery much like preparing for and endurance event. That is take the body to a new level of resistance and then back off and let it rest. For example, today was a heavy day and tomorrow I will back off with active rest. It’s the same process I use to peak for marathons and etc. The trick is not to push beyond fatigue. Tomorrow, I will do 45 minutes on the bike and walk three miles, the next day 50 minutes bike and four mile walk, then on Saturday the same work out as today and Sunday a day to relax. I am having a blast working the program and as long as I am careful, I anticipate that there will be steady progress. This is stuff that gives me balance in life and I am so thankful surface hippy has been there for a lot of answers and to give me the courage to get r done.

September 30, 2010 The x rays came back with perfect placement. My angle is spot on at 42 degrees. Dr. Hickman was pleased with my activities and indicated to continue doing as much as I would like, but watch for inflammation and fatigue. We did a ceremonial disposal of the TEDS and can stop blood thinners on Saturday. He gave me the okay to start riding the bike outside, when I feel confident enough. He suggested that I could return to light jogging in 5 weeks. It appears every doctor has their protocol. I am not concerned about when I can start running , but it sure was nice to hear that things are progressing in that direction. Basically, his direction is not to be reckless however, don’t be afraid of using the new hip either. The crutch is optional, but we agreed to use it as an aid to walk without a limp. He had me walk unassisted and felt as though my limp is so slight that in a week or so all limping should subside. ROM was reviewed and I am much improved from pre surgery levels.

Dr. Hickman is very pro resurfacing and indicated that my experience to date is similar with other patients. Given the options, he feels that insurance companies should direct all patients who qualify to a resurface. Less pain, quicker recovery, and better overall quality of life. Once again, I can’t express how grateful I am to have found this web site and for all those who posted in the past. I was well on my way to a total hip replacement and I can’t imagine what I would have felt like if I would have gone that direction and then found out the alternative, hip resurface was a perfect solution.

For individuals seeking alternatives look very hard at resurfacing. My background is that of a 58 year old male who participated in endurance events the past 32 years. Primarily running, 80,000 miles and 30 marathons. My most active years I ran 100 mile weeks. One and a half years ago my life crashed when I was told that I needed a new hip and that my running days were over. I also have skied since I was 8 years old and was told that a lot of terrain that I enjoy skiing would be on the do not do list. Additionally, a hip replacement would have restricted a number of other activities that I enjoy. I came across surface hippy, studied my rear end off and sought out a Dr. who specialized in resurfacing. As you can read above, my outcome is quite different than the one I was originally signing on for (total hp). To think that I will soon be running and skiing in January is beyond my dreams. All I can say is find a surgeon who specializes in resurfacing, find out if you are a candidate and then don’t look back. Thanks Pat!

October 2, 2010 Less than 4 weeks out, I am basically doing everything as normal. I am working, and have the benefit to choose when and how long, but for the most part the past 2 days I did 5-6 hours. today was a heavy day with my workout and conditioning. so, I walked 8 mile this a.m in 2 hours and 45 minutes and did life cycle stationary bike for an hour in the afternoon (medium resistance). half of the time walking I used a walking stick and the other half without.(one mile assisted one mile unassisted) I always focusing keeping form and if I break form without the aid I immediately use the stick until I feel that I am back using a good gait. I am off of blood thinners today, the ted socks were discarded at the doctors office last Thursday. I keep a walking stick with me at all times to make sure that I am walking with good form. the walking stick is much easier than a crutch. basically, it is a ski pole without the basket. the only medication at this point is Celebrex for inflammation.

I keep saying pre op conditioning is a key to recovery. long walks like today may seem like an inordinate amount of time, but I have spent a life time of endurance activities which are always 2 hours plus training. my body is use to it and so far is handling things well even having the major surgery so recently. if you have time before your surgery make sure that you hit all aspects of conditioning that you are able. resistance train for strength at least 3 days a week and really push hard. try and put in an hour of aerobic condition. do what ever your body can do without pain. if it is elliptical do that, cycling do that, or swimming is perfect. if needed mix up each activity for 20 minutes in able to get in an hour. push hard! your body will be accustomed to hard work when you go into surgery and hopefully, will be able to endure more in recovery. dr. Hickman indicated to me at my check up that his patients that do the best are the ones who are accustom working out daily. it sure has worked for me.

October 7, 2010 I am now 4 weeks post op and can’t believe how quickly time has passed. I have gone back to work part time, somewhere between 5-6 hours per day. This means I am at a desk and sitting more than when I was home all day. I find, like others who have posted, sitting for long periods of time creates stiffness. It takes me a little while to get the “get up and go” working correctly. I use a walking stick in order to keep a good gait. My strength continues to improve and for the most part, other than the stiffness, life is pretty much the way that it was prior to the operation;that is with one major change no more hip pain!!! If I could make one change it would to have taken more time away from work. I really miss my free time. I could have taken as much time as I wanted, but for some odd reason I felt that my work needed me. I guess that I needed my work, as I really do enjoy my profession and am happy being back working with clients.

As far as progress. I continue to ride the stationary 30-60 minutes daily and walk anywhere from 1-3 hours. Some days I feel some soreness, but nothing more than normal muscle fatigue due to exercise. I am ecstatic with the results at this point and am looking forward to the upcoming ski season, which could come earlier than expected. The resort peaks are getting a little snow right now and that stokes up the adrenaline to keep the post op work outs consistent and with some purpose. No pain!!!!

Once again I am happy to be on the other side and an official hippy. As always, I pass on my gratitude to other hippy’s posts who steered me in the right direction and to Pat for having the wisdom, compassion, and empathy to sponsor surface hippy.

October 13, 2010 I am 5 weeks post op LBHR and enjoying the recovery process. Progress needs to be kept in perspective! As I was walking today (total of 6 miles in 1:45hr) my mind wondered to a time not too long ago (in the past decade) I would cover 14 miles running in the same amount of time. But wait a minute, not too long ago (within the past year) I could not even walk a mile, let alone 6 miles in any amount of time. All of a sudden the six miles seemed pretty impressive.

November 13, 2010 I had my hip resurfaced almost ten weeks ago using the tradition posterior approach. While I can’t compare one procedure over another, I can say that recovery results probably have more to do with conditioning both prior to the surgery, as well as activity level post. surgery. I was in top physical condition leading up to the surgery which gave me the strength, conditioning, and mental attitude to be aggressive after surgery. Post surgery, I took no pain medication and within a few weeks (4) I was walking up to 6 miles daily as well as cycling up to an hour a day on the stationary bike at a fairly intense resistance level.

Today I walked (10 miles) at pace which was close to a jog. In fact I could run if I was given the go ahead from the doctor. My range of motion is more than prior to the surgery. I can put on socks and lace shoes with no problems. Today I clipped my toenails with very mild tightness. I even touched my toes from a standing position. I can’t recall when the last time I was able to do that. I am riding my mountain bike and stationary bike without concern to resistance level. I haven’t attacked the mountain because I am somewhat nervous about taking a fall. I do ride full out on the rolling hills surrounding Park City. Around the incision (10 inches) I have full feeling and really don’t notice the area where I was cut. I will admit that I experienced more tightness in the beginning, but worked diligently on a daily basis stretching. Like you I have forgone any PT work. In fact, my doctor advised that most active people can do well by doing daily walks and stretches. It was my choice.

Like you many of us have lived a wonderful life of competitive activities. Mine was running and my hope is I will return to my love within the next few months. I appreciate your passion of your experience with your surgeon and his approach, but I think that people (at least I did) spend too much time looking for utopia regarding procedures and surgeons. In my mind I wasted a full year comparing this doctor vs. that doctor, do it in the states or abroad, this approach vs. that approach. Don’t get me wrong, I highly recommend taking the operation seriously and by all means become educated prior to making a decision.

I would recommend finding a surgeon with great experience, regardless of their operating procedure. Next make sure that you are at the top of your physical conditioning prior to surgery. Lastly, work hard rehabilitating. The result will come quickly!

January 1, 2011 Next Tuesday marks 4 months post op LHBR. I had a post op check up last Thursday and was given the green light to ski. Yesterday, the next day, I spent the day skiing with my family, something that I had to give up last season as a result of my left hip. The first few ski runs I was extremely cautious and monitoring myself for any issues related to the LHBR. I was delighted to only feel a slight tightness in my lower back, which at 58 years of age is to be expected. As the day progressed, I pushed a little more and even tried some mogul skiing in the early afternoon. What brought a smile to my face was the ease that I had rotating my turns from the left side. I now realize how far that I had deteriorated with my range of motion from my previous locked up left hip. I have skied since the age of eight and didn’t realize that my range of motion issues had progressed so far, until yesterday. I experienced a freedom in my turns as my mind imagined a finely tuned ball bearing on the left side. Compared to two years ago, my rotation and weighting and un-weighting was effortless. I expected more soreness after our day, but I was a more stiff than sore. I hobbled a little last night, but am ready to hit the slopes today. I haven’t been able to ski two days consecutively for several years. I plan on taking some time before I take on really steep terrain as it makes no sense to injure my self. BUT I AM SKIING AGAIN WITHOUT PAIN!!!

My doctor lifted all restrictions, but told me to proceed with caution. He asked about any aches and pain and I told him I that I experienced some soreness in the groin and tightness in the lower back. He said that those issues will resolve themselves during the first year. My recovery thus far has consisted mostly of daily walks ranging from 4 to 10 miles (depending on free time) and keeping my effort under 15 minute miles. And, stationary cycling any where from 45 to 60 minutes. I really have enjoyed my walks; experiencing the season changes. My dogs are in the best shape of their lives (do to our long walks) and nudge me to go for a walk even in blizzard conditions. We have taken a few slips and falls, but for the most part have enjoyed the elements.

January 20, 2011 I will be 5 months LBHR on Tuesday, Feb 1. My last update was a month ago after a check-up with Dr. Hickman. At that time things had progressed very well and he gave me a thumbs up to return to all activities. I was instructed to ease into more aggressive activities such as skiing and running. In essence proceed with caution, but return to the daily activities that I enjoyed. I am a 58 year old male who ran long distance, including 30 marathons, over a 31 year period. I logged over 80,000 miles during that time and up until my hip problem I ran pretty much injury free. After the hip was diagnosed, for either a replacement or resurface procedure, I took up cycling. I cycled for a year and a half and ultimately choose to go with a hip resurface, which was done the first week of September. As I have posted previously, I went into the operation well conditioned physically and started walking immediately after surgery (as strength would allow). The surgeon did a great job and accomplished a spot on angle with the resurface. My years of running and training provided the mental attitude to push hard with recovery and rest as needed. By my four month check-up I was walking briskly,from 4 to 10 miles daily, cycling a hour or so daily. I began increasing the resistance on the stationary bike as I could and by month four was back to my strength level prior to surgery.

The past month, since the sign off from my doctor, I have skied twice weekly (Saturday and Sundays), continued daily cycling and walking, and started some light jogging 3 times a week. I have kept the jogging on a treadmill at a 1 percent incline for 30-40 minutes at a 11-12 minute pace. I always warm up with 10 minutes of walking increasing the speed every two minutes until I reach a 5 minute per mile jog. The hip is performing perfectly. I do monitor for any soreness or fatigue as the doctor recommended. I know that there is a lot of discrepancy as to when to resume activities, but I do believe some of that schedule depends on prior and post-op conditioning levels. I am writing this as an example of what some patients can experience. My body has been used to two hour a day work outs for the past 30 plus years and so what may appear as someone trying to over achieve is fairly normal routine for my body. I am always monitoring my aches and pains to help insure that I stay within an injury free zone. But, I know that there are no guarantees. Everyone needs to experience their recovery at their own pace, but for anyone reading and trying to decide whether to move forward with the procedure hopefully, my recovery story offers a perspective that will move you forward to get it done and regain your mobility.

March 7, 2011 I am now 6 months LBHR. The recovery seems to have gone by quickly and I am enjoying participating in all of my previous activities with no pain. The recovery has gone smoothly with steady progress and at this point I would guess that I am 95% of full strength on the left side and with better range of motion than prior to the surgery. My doctor gave me the thumbs up on restrictions at four months but, told me to be cautious and listen to my body for over use symptoms. I was very persistent from the very beginning of post op by walking, cycling, and resistance training daily. Between the three I averaged 2 to 3 hours daily building strength and flexibility (generally I do to two 1 1/2 hour sessions a day). The past 3 weeks I have added running and am happy that I am able to run daily 3 to 4 miles. Typically, I warm up on a stationary bike for 30 minutes prior to running. My pace running average 10 minute miles, but I feel as though I could increase the pace at this point. I intend on keeping that pace for the remainder of the month and then will determine mileage length and pace for April. Keep in mind that I have always trained for 2 to 3 hours daily for the past 30 years so, I was physically and mentally prepared for intense rehabilitation. Everyone is different and need to follow what their body allows it to do.

I started back skiing the first part of January and am now skiing all terrain including moguls. The most stressful part of returning to the slopes was the fear of falling on the operated hip. This all came to an end this past weekend when a skier cut me off, which resulted in an epic fall directly on my left hip. When I came to rest, I stayed there for a few seconds before feeling my hip to see if all was in order. All was well, I got up and continued the day with new confidence. I really am glad that I took the fall to prove to me mentally that all is sound.

As I have posted previously, prior to surgery do all that you can to be as fit as possible, choose a doctor that you can have confidence in, work your ass off after surgery by walking, cycling, and pushing through new daily goals and before you know it the operation seems like a distant friend. Good luck to all considering hip resurfacing. I guess that this will be my last report until my one year mark. Thanks all to have hippies who have gone before me and posted in order to provide as much information as possible. Your courage and information was my inspiration.

September 10, 2011 one year ago i was checking out of the hospital with a lbhr, today a 4 mile run and 1 hour on the mountain bike. my surgeon’s advice, enjoy what you lost prior to the resurface. he reminded me that i went for this procedure so that i could get after life again, not to worry about the life expectancy of a metal implant. there are always risks from surgery and there may complications down the road. but, when it comes to an active life, today i am once again skier, runner, cyclist, swimmer, basketball player, baseball player (well, little league coach), golfer and anything else i choose to be. the only downside so far is the realization that i am just not as fast as i used to be, i guess we have to make some compromise.