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THR Constanze's recovery diary

Another thing: I will probably not be in the bilateral hippy club in the next few years/decades. My right hip feels like the left, i.e. normal. I also don't have arthritis/osteoarthritis in the knees, wrists, fingers.

I still don't know why my left hip deteriorated so much - that was between 2012 and 2015. Is dysplasia on just one side possible? Even my GP couldn't understand why one hip was so fit ("young") and the other one was like the hip of a 90-year-old. A trainer/physiotherapist at the gym where I used to go had a "theory" - maybe it happens in one's childhood. Like: Many children have a fall, e.g. off a tree and that damages the cartilage - a hair-line crack maybe. At first one does not notice anything, but over time it gets worse and worse. Can anyone of the experts among those in BoneSmart confirm this?
 
:wave:No clue about origins of the one bad hip, but wish you all the best June 3.:yahoo:
 
Nice updates, thanks for stopping by! @Constanze
I'm glad you've recovered from the fall. Taking it all at a healthy pace.

Let's see if @Josephine has a theory on the questions you've posed through her years of experience.

Best wishes on June 3rd. Please let us know how it all goes. Prayers for your safety :prayer:
 
@Constanze My hip story is much the same as yours, one hip that's been replaced, but no other OA. I do have a family history, as my mother had severe OA in many joints that developed in her 40's and my father had 3 joints replaced, although in his 70's. I had been a recreational runner and soccer player for many years prior to my hip deteriorating. In my case I think I did injure my hip in some way playing soccer, and that subsequently started the OA development. I thought I had a chronic groin muscle pull since that is where I felt the pain.

My surgeon gave me the ok to return to running if I wanted, as well as soccer. I've been doing strength training to get back in shape since my surgery, and I'm ready to give the running a go in the next few weeks. I plan to work on changing my foot strike to a midfoot strike to lessen the hip impact. I don't think any marathons are in my future - I'll be happy making some laps of my neighborhood and doing the occasional 5K. And no more soccer for me. The running would be ok, but the occasional falls on the pitch I can do without.

I see you live near Frankfurt - I had the opportunity to visit last November for a business trip, just the week prior to my surgery! Unfortunately the weather was quite dismal with rain, and I didn't have much of an opportunity to explore the city. I was with a German citizen who knew the city well, so we enjoyed a traditional dinner at a restaurant with lots of apfelwein! I also brought a bembel home for my kitchen.

Your return to such a high level of physical activity is inspiring - good luck on June 3rd!
 
Hi @jaydub63 - thank you. I enjoyed reading your post. Yes, indeed, midfoot strike is better than heal strike - this is the recommendation when running with a hip replacement. I try to practice that when I can - I only forget during a long distance run when I get more tired.

I also found your report on your visit to Germany fun - the bembel, the restaurants, the apfelwein. German are said to have an identity problem and it's nice to get feedback from "outside". I think it's not actually justified. Germany has many characteristics. There is also the proverbial German "angst" (anxiety). They are anxious and want to play safe - take out insurances, save money, don't spend - but my "angst" was unjustified. For a while I thought I would never run again, but I can run now.

Unfortunately, Frankfurt weather in winter can be gloomy and dismal. If you want a winter wonderland, it's beautiful in the south. I grew up in Munich and we enjoyed the mountains, forests, and the lakes, and went hill-walking, canoeing, and in winter - skiing. But the Rhine-Main area where I live also has its beauty. It has great jogging and cycling tracks, for example along the Main and the Rhine rivers. Enjoy your running/jogging - Constanze
 
Constanze said:
I still don't know why my left hip deteriorated so much - that was between 2012 and 2015. Is dysplasia on just one side possible?
Click to expand...
Most unlikely because it's a in-utero developmental issue and most of them come in bilateral form.
Constanze said:
A trainer/physiotherapist at the gym where I used to go had a "theory" - maybe it happens in one's childhood. Like: Many children have a fall, e.g. off a tree and that damages the cartilage - a hair-line crack maybe.
Click to expand...
However, this is not a way out theory but not in the way she said. If you were born with dysplasic hips they might well not have been diagnosed for many months or even years after birth. And the upshot would be that your hips were increasingly developing with skewed anatomy which also failed to be noticed for years or eve decades! But this development could well not be equal in both hips.
 
Constanze said:
But the Rhine-Main area where I live also has its beauty. It has great jogging and cycling tracks, for example along the Main and the Rhine rivers.
Click to expand...
My father was stationed at Ramstein AFB for five years when I was growing up, and I remember how Beautiful that region is as we visited several times.
Very fond memories of beautiful country and wonderful food!
 
@Josephine - Many thanks for your information. This would mean: Either I have dysplasia, and it was never diagnosed until my left hip deteriorated meaning my right one is "yet to come" and will need replacing one day, or I haven't got dysplasia. Then I still wouldn't have an answer as to why my left hip deteriorated so early. But, as I mentioned, my right hip feels good and when I had it x-rayed in 2014, it showed zero osteoarthritis and the cartilage was perfectly intact.
@Mojo333 That's lovely. I'm happy to read that many American people posting here are familiar with some parts of Germany.
 
It's good to hear about your recovery. I also have (or had) arthritis only in the one hip. I think, although I could be wrong, that this was due to taking a bad fall a few years previously, putting my back out of alignment for a while and putting all of my weight on one hip.

Let us know how your triathlon goes.
 
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Hi @RSC, I wish you good luck and successful climbing up Mount Shasta (that bit got chopped off here in the forum, I only got this news in the "news feed" by email in my mailbox. You'll be using an ice axe and crampons - wow! I never did proper climbing - but I did hill walking in the Austrian and Bavarian Alpes as a teenager with my family. Best wishes - Constanze
 
Constanze said:
This would mean: Either I have dysplasia, and it was never diagnosed until my left hip deteriorated meaning my right one is "yet to come" and will need replacing one day, or I haven't got dysplasia.
Click to expand...
Actually what it means is that
  1. you have had dysplasic hips since before you were born
  2. it would be most unlikely that both hips weren't affected
  3. neither were diagnosed until later in life as they invariably aren't
  4. your left hip deteriorated first (obviously)
  5. your right hip may or may not deteriorate to that point, only time will tell
 
Really interesting reading about all you active people doing running and climbing. I'm on a bit of a downer about the whole running thing at the moment and having started gentle run/ jog, have sort of put it on hold. I contacted my surgeon for some basic advice about life from now on, despite pre op him telling me I'd be able to run after, he now says running and jumping not recommended. Can perhaps see why no jumping, but not the running.
 
Hello Constanze, I hope you are doing well. For some reason I can't PM you so I will post a question here if I may. You mentioned in one of your posts you went to Atos clinic. I actually did my arthroscopy in Heidelberg Atos clinic and unfortunately it was not successful and now after 2.5 years I need hip replacement.
I leave in Cyprus and have to decide where to do the surgery. There is an option to do it locally but I would like to do it with surgeon making few hundreds surgeries a year. Atos Heidelberg is one of the options I consider but turns to be too expensive. Can you please share the name of clinic/doctor you did your surgery with?

Did you go for a short stem option? Ceramic-on-ceramic?

Thank you,

Sergios.
 
Yahoo - I'm so pleased I finished my triathlon. It was very warm and sunny (about 30°C, 86°F) so extra demanding. The cycle route is very hilly. I tried my best. However, I had little power left for running after that and did it extra slowly but finished in time - 8:30 hours. I'm happy to say that both my hips did it - the artificial one and the real one.
 
@gillycat11. Did your surgeon justify specifically why you shouldn't run - is it the general warning like too much impact on the joints or does it refer to your personal situation. When you started light jogging/running, did anything hurt. My motto and that of many other is, if it doesn't hurt, you can run. If an activity does hurt or feel uncomfortable, leave it for 24 hours and let it get better, then try again, as soon as it doesn't hurt any longer.
 
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