Hip Talk at Surface Hippy

Hi there,

I'm new to Surface Hippy. A 45 year old male, with globally moderate and focally severe arthritis in my right hip. Bummed to have to deal with this at a fairly young age but grateful we live in a time where options are available and to the wealth of wisdom and the spirit of sharing on this website.

One thing I am wrestling with is "when" to get the surgery. Within the course of the year, I'll aim for January or February, simply because the weather is crumby and the holidays are behind us at that point. The more searching question, however, is 1) should I wait and get as much life out of my arthritic hip as possible and then get the surgery, or 2) go through with it now so I can pursue my activities pain free. I imagine others have wrestled with the same question and would love to hear how you reached a resolution.

I am currently able to play tennis at a reasonable level and manage my pain with rest and ibuprofen. I used to be an avid runner but no longer do that because of the pain. I've also lost a fair range of motion in my affected hip and rely on little tricks to get my right shoe on. I experience pain in my hip frequently, but not always, but am certainly always aware of the underlying dysfunction in the joint.

Given I can still do many things, I'm wondering if opting for hip resurfacing now, at age 45, is a bit greedy and whether I should wait to push this out, so that the hip has a better chance of lasting me the rest of my life, or, at least push out the age at which I would need a revision.

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

Hi there,

I'm new to Surface Hippy. A 45 year old male, with globally moderate and focally severe arthritis in my right hip. Bummed to have to deal with this at a fairly young age but grateful we live in a time where options are available and to the wealth of wisdom and the spirit of sharing on this website.

I'm in-network with both Dr. Su and Dr. Gross. Met with both and while they have different personalities I felt comfortable with their expertise and professionalism. Probably not a new question for this forum, but would love to get a fresh take on why you may have went with one over the other?

Both have a great reputations but Dr. Su seems to get more work from professional athletes who are presumably surrounded by a small army of medical professionals. Curious why this might be the case?

These days both are using the same MoM device.

Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts!

For those of us who run, what was your experience returning to running after surgery?

I just passed 1 year post-op and started running again (Dr. said no running for 1 year).  It's my left side, so assume the front of my leg is at 12:00, I'm finding the hip muscle that is at about 7:30 (right near my incision) is fragile and easy to pull.  It feels great during the run, but later that day feels pulled or bruised, then if I don't run again it will recover pretty quickly over the next couple of days, but if I keep running it just gets worse.  If I over-do pigeon pose or sitting criss-cross in Yoga it has the same effect.  I've only run 5 or 6 times so I'm hopeful this will resolve over time if I don't overdo it.  Has anyone else had this? 

Otherwise the hip has been great, tons of biking and pretty much anything I want, but I'm really hoping to get back to running!

Hi Steve.  Congratulations on your 17 year anniversary!  Thanks for stopping by to post your update.  I agree, resurfaced hips are so natural that we forget about them! Mine is the same at 19 years post op!  I wish you the very best and look forward to next years update!  Pat

17 year anniversary:

All is good.  I forgot about my anniversary on September 29 for my left hip resurfacing until today.
The resurfaced hips are feeling so natural that I don't even think about them anymore.
I had my right hip resurfaced almost 6 years ago on 11/1/19.
I downhill ski between 30 to 60 days per season, including backcountry skiing, hunt, fish, mountain climb, swim and jog with no issues with my resurfaced hips.

Congratulations and Thank You for sharing your story.  People like to read personal stories when they want to learn more about hip resurfacing.  I also shared your story on the main website.     Mathieu's Hip Resurfacing with Dr. Volker 2023 - Hip Resurfacing at Surface Hippy    I wish you the very best and hope to read an update sometime.     

Pat

Hello everyone,

I'm 43 years old and live in Ludwigshafen, Germany. I'm a very active person — volleyball (middle blocker), mountain biking, swimming, snowboarding — and a father of three young kids.

About ten years ago, I was diagnosed with FAI, hip dysplasia, and osteoarthritis. It all started after an ice hockey training session when I felt intense groin pain. After five months of physiotherapy, my orthopaedist ordered X-rays and an MRI. The diagnosis was clear, and the question became not if, but when I'd need a joint replacement.

Thanks to self-massage and staying active, I managed to live mostly pain-free for years. During that time, I discovered the Surface Hippy forum and learned about hip resurfacing — which gave me hope.

Eventually, the pain worsened (surprise!), and I booked surgery for April 14, 2023, with Dr. Raimund Völker at Klinik Dr. Decker in Munich.

Pre-op concerns:
I had many questions and fears, but Dr. Koen Desmet and Dr. Völker reassured me — especially about returning to sports. Dr. Völker even said I could be back playing volleyball after 3 months. I personally planned for 9–12 months before jumping again.

Post-op experience:
Surgery: Smooth and professional. I only remember about 5 minutes of intense pain right after.

Day 1: I stood up.

Day 3: I walked around the clinic courtyard.

Day 4: I went home.

6 weeks: Two crutches, calm recovery.

Afterwards: Stationary bike, rehab, steady progress.

2.5 months: Bought a gravel bike — something I couldn't ride before due to joint position.

3 months: Played beach volleyball (planned to go slow... didn't work 😄).

6 months: Back to indoor volleyball.

Now, 2.5 years later, I'm more active, more patient, and simply happier. Living with constant pain is hard to describe — and the relief after surgery is life-changing. With three small kids, being active again was essential. My expectations were exceeded.

I received a Birmingham Hip Resurfacing (BHR) from Dr. Völker and can recommend it without hesitation. It may sound cliché, but it truly gave me my life back.

Dr. Völker and his team were fantastic — from the first consultation to follow-ups. I'm also grateful for this forum, which helped me realize that resurfacing was the right choice.

Dr. Völker was also the first in Germany to introduce the ceramic resurfacing implant "ReCerf" — a great option for even more patients.

I look forward to a pain-free future and hope my story helps others, just as online stories helped me.

Best wishes, Mathieu

Congratulations!  Your whole body is out of balance at this point.  You had major surgery and everything is swollen and sore.  It takes time for the body to heal.  Many people think the leg is longer or shorter.  It is very difficult in hip resurfacing to change leg length, unlike THRs where they saw a part of the femur off.  You still have the same or about the same ball size and not much has physically changed except every muscle and ligament has been through major surgery.  You can always talk to your doctor.  He will remind you it takes about six months to mostly heal and a year to completely heal.  That is why most don't want high impact sports until a year out.  I wish you the best.  

Hi everyone...I am 2 days post op. Is leg length discrepancy normal after surgery?  Maybe due to swelling?

Operated leg is about 0.5-1 inch longer than the non operated side.  I am using 2 different shoe thicknesses to compensate. Otherwise hip/back begins to hurt..

Hi all. I am 2 days post op. Managing pain just fine but operated leg feels and is longer.
Any thoughts?