Stay focused and play the long game.Originally Posted by MarkR
Stay focused and play the long game.
Luke Appleyard (Wharfedale)- quick on the dissent
Best wishes for your recovery, and when you do get to running let us know how you get on.
Probably the best 7 words of advice you're likely to get.
I was told, by the excellent Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham, that it takes time for the bone to grow around the added parts to build the joints to full strength. (The risk in the early stages is rattling the parts loose.) In my case this was a year.
I didn't think I'd ever be able to run again, and now I am tentatively running 400m (on soft grass after it's rained) after having an excellent consultation with my surgeon.
Yes, we had a good discussion about my goals, as well as making the decision to replace both at the same time rather than in separate operations.
He said to treat the first 6 weeks like a fracture to let the bone grow around the implant. The xrays at the follow up appointment will hopefully confirm that this is on track.
Last edited by MarkR; 08-08-2023 at 12:50 PM. Reason: extra info
I had my 6 week check up today. The xrays showed that the bone has grown around the implants, that everything is secure, and the wounds are looking good. I've been limited to 1 mile per day walking (which I reached about two and a half weeks after the operation), but I'm now allowed to gradually increase my daily mileage. I asked specifically about fell running and was told that as long as I allow the muscles time to regain strength and rebuild fitness there are no limits (as far as the hips are concerned) on what I can do. I aim to learn to walk before I run again, but so far so good.
That sounds like very positive progress Mark.
Well done, keep with it
Visibility good except in Hill Fog
Good progress, Mark and Marco.
Nine weeks post op and walked today's Ambleside Parkrun. I was very pleased to finish last in 55:44. I'm been using a walking pole rather than crutches. The starter apologised that the course had been slightly altered to avoid a flooded section and as a result may not be exactly 5k, but about an hour for about 5k will do me well for the moment. I'm not about to try running, but will gradually increase my walking mileage and move on to terrain that's not completely flat.
Incidently the surgeon explained that above a slow walking pace there's less wear on the replacement joint components. This is because the fluid inside the joint better lubricates the surfaces when moving at speed, creating a sort of aquaplaning effect. A few people have expressed disbelief, but it seems to make sense to me.
Nice one.
Visibility good except in Hill Fog
In a video consultation with my very good physiotherapist (this was July 2020, so I didn't see anyone in person), he was adamant that I should get rid of the crutches - two and a half weeks after the operation. I was down to one already, and I ditched this 20 days after the operation. This was difficult, because I'd had a lot of muscle cut away so my leg was weaker (I had a medical condition rather than 'wear and tear').
When I had my last hospital check-up, five months ago, for the first time I saw the surgeon who had operated on me. Having a, er, direct manner I asked a lot of questions. I already knew that he was a really awesome surgeon, but I discovered he was a truly excellent consultant too, as he could answer all of my questions fully. On the subject of synovial fluid, I was told that the body still produces it, even though there is no cartilage, and this effectively oils the joint as it gets between the two surfaces. he said that for low impacts the fluid would be compressed and the two surfaces should be kept apart.
My understanding is that it is not so much the pace that you move at that determines how well the joint is lubricated, as the angle that the joint moves through. In practice the two tend to go together, as when walking faster you tend to have a longer stride. The two don't necessarily go together, however, as you could just move your legs faster and not extend your stride.
Whilst the previous consultants I had seen were against running, he said he'd recently reviewed 25 years of patient records and hadn't found a correlation between running and premature wear. That's the good bit. The not-so-good bit is that he believed that running at high speed and dropping height whilst landing with your foot not directly below you was not a good idea. His view, from the data, was that running was relatively low impact on the hip as long as your foot was below you (and not out to the side or in front) and you weren't dropping in height.
***
When it came to running I had a lot of trouble co-ordinating the leg that had been operated on, because it was in a new position in three different planes. You might not have that problem, but there is a chance that you will. I started running widths in chest high water in a swimming pool, and then moved on to running with a loaded shopping trolley. I then moved on to running up a short 1 in 7 hill in a park from a fast walk rolling start. Patience is definitely the key.
On the subject of what else I could do to preserve the joint, he said "keep your weight down, eat a really healthy and diverse diet, and drink plenty of fluid". All very sensible, all very logical and all very do-able.
Hope this helps; best of luck with your ongoing progress.
Last edited by Marco; 08-10-2023 at 06:19 PM.
Good progress - I've had a good winter's hill walking with quite a few big days and recently have judged it time to try running again. I'm using the local parkrun at Fellfoot as a measure and yesterday's result was under 30 minutes for the 5k. I'm managing the hip joint impact by wearing shoes that are as barefoot as possible. I was concerned that I'd lost my running mojo, so am really pleased to have got it back. If nothing else it means I can get reacquainted with my old running kit.
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