Distance Running after Bilateral Hip Replacement

15 years ago, Sunday, October 13th 1995 to be exact, I ran the Marine Corps Marathon with my personal record (PR) time of 3:41 (8:26 pace) and felt great, although I had terrible flexibility of my hips. The following Tuesday afternoon, two days after the marathon, I felt good enough to stick with my training program and ran 13 miles only now my left knee was bothering to the point that I needed to visit my family doctor.

I will never forget this moment, after the x-rays were taken of my knees and hips I was waiting in the examining room for the doctor to return when he came in with a cane and said that my knee was fine but I needed bilateral hip replacement and he wanted me to walk with a cane until the procedure was done. Of course I told him that he was wrong because my problem was my knee and not my hips. I knew that I had bad hip flexibility but that was because I did not stretch. And in pleading my disbelief I told him that I’ve run 39 miles in the last 3 days without pain in the hips and that I would get additional opinions. Which I did, and each orthopedic surgeon I visited echoed the same, with one telling me that if I was 50 he would have replaced my hips 10 years ago -- at the time I was only 32-years-old. After visiting 3 orthopedic surgeons, who are known for being the “best” in the Atlanta area for hip replacement, I decided to wait it out as long as I could before going thru this life changing event, after all I was not in pain -- I just didn’t any flexibility in my hips what so ever. In fact my hip flexibility was so poor that many mornings after a long run or playing basketball the night before, I was unable to put on my socks without the help of my wonderful and loving wife Lisa. So, I continued playing basketball and ran for another three years until my hips started to bother me to the point that they effected my sleeping.

I waited until late July of 1998 after running what I believe to be my last 10K, the Peachtree Road race on July 4th in Atlanta, GA; I had a total right hip replacement and three months later a total left hip replacement by Dr Jove, I was 35-years-old. I selected Dr Jove because he was the only orthopedic that said that since I had what he called “off-the-chart” threshold for pain and that if I would listen to my body and pay attention to the signs that I could be a little more active than most people. Although none of the orthopedics I visited knows how long the replacements would last they would never recommend patients to run after hip replacement much less bilateral hip replacement. Dr Jove said that running may cause loss of bone around the hip replacement, so I promised to get yearly checkups if I were able to run.

About 1-year post op I was back to playing in a competitive league basketball, only now with much more flexibility and pain free. And 2-years post op I ran the 2000 Peachtree 10K Road Race with a time of 51:01 about 8 1/2 minutes slower than my PR. Between 1999 and 2006 I remained active with basketball, tennis and running about 100 miles a year in training for my annual running of the Peachtree. During the fall of 2006, while playing ALTA tennis, I tore the meniscus in my left knee which required surgery to remove ~ 60% of it. So, back to Dr Jove, only this time when he went in he discovered that my left kneecap was dead so he drilled 4 small holes in the bone in hopes that it would stimulate bone growth, which it did not. He informed me that I needed total knee replacement and said I was ready for it NOW, which I elected to try physical therapy for a while first. 6-weeks later I had a blood clot from my ankle to my groining. During my 9-day stay in the hospital my Hematologist informed me that I have a Factor V (Leiden Thrombophilia) blood mutation (http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/factor-v-leiden-thrombophilia) I was told that Factor V was the cause of the wearing-a-way of bone in my hips and not arthritis. To play basketball and tennis I had to wear a Breg Post-Op knee brace, but I lost considerable lateral movement and eventually lost interest, but I did run the Peachtree in 2008 in 1:10:00. For my need of competition, I picked up the sport of table tennis which I played a lot of back in college and joined the Gwinnett Table Tennis Association. In December of 2008, after my annual physical I weighed 220, up from 183 at the time of my knee surgery – that’s 37 pounds gained in a little less than 2 years, and 60 pounds more than what I weighed back in 1995 when I ran my last marathon.

My 2009 resolution was to drop the weight, get back into shape, and reclaim my youthful body. In January of 2009, I started riding a stationary bike at the gym and went on a diet. By July 4th I was down to 172 pounds and ran the Peachtree Road Race, with very little training, in 1:03:30. [The before (Later Summer 2008) and after (March 2009) picture shows my weight loss.  It’s amazing how my hair regained it’s youthful color as well ;o)]  After the race, I continued to ride the stationary bike and completed the year riding over 4,000 miles. Now, I noticed that I felt great and my legs were as strong as I could recall, so in December of 2009 I decided to try distance running again so I signed up for the March 21, 2010 Atlanta ING ½ marathon.

The picture below is of me after running the 2000 and 2009 Peachtree Road Race.  My 2009 resolution was successful. 

2010, on January 2nd, I started training for the ½ marathon with a 4 mile run on the treadmill. For the month of January, I ran 21 times on a treadmill for 80 miles and biked another 242 miles.  February, I ran 12 times on a treadmill for 69 miles and biked another 190 miles.  March, I decided to take my runs outside and ran 17 times for 85 miles and biked another 273 miles.  Note outside running did take some time to get use to – I still ran pain free but I was much slower.  On March 21 2010, I ran the Atlanta ING ½ marathon in 2:26:18, which comes out to an 11:10 pace. 

Picture from the Atlanta ING ½ marathon

 

During April after taking a few weeks off from running, I was talking with some friends from church and we starting a running club to further God’s gift of walking/running through fellowship, community, and service with people that we share in the same faith journey. As well as research shows that people who train with a club are more likely to stay motivated. Our running club is called www.ChristianMilers.org.

April, I ran 12 times for 52 miles and biked another 57 miles. For May, I’m on pace to run 100 miles and bike another 100 miles for the month of May.  See running chart below

I’m going to run the Space Coast marathon on November 28th with some of the members of our running club, which is 15 years, two total hip replacements, and one knee surgery after my last marathon. One other major surgery I have not mentioned was I had my left ankle rebuilt back in the fall of 1998 due to an injury while playing on a tournament softball team. Although I do not expect to beat my PR of 3:41 but I do plan on completing it in less than 5 hours and PAIN FREE.

It’s now 12 years since my bilateral hip replacement surgery and I have not suffered any bone loss, yet gained my quality of life back that I’m determined to keep as long as possible. My guess is that at some time I WILL have to have my left knee replaced but until that time arrives I WILL run!

If you are interested in following my progress I will update this blog regularly.

Bruce Downs
5/20/2010

I believe that running teaches us to overcome preconceived physical personal limitations which transfer over to our walk with Jesus and what we can and cannot do for him. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” 

Updated:  Added May totals

2010 Training Chart

2010		Running					Biking
Month		Count	Time	Distance	Avg Pace		Count	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Yr to Date		75	63:26:48	363.84	0:10:31		65	49:48:55	823.30	0:03:35
January		21	13:29:05	80.00	0:10:07		19	14:26:50	242.30	0:03:35
February		12	11:58:00	69.25	0:10:22		14	11:09:05	190.00	0:03:31
March		17	15:42:20	85.25	0:11:03		20	16:31:00	273.00	0:03:38
April		12	9:16:11	52.70	0:10:33		5	3:36:45	57.00	0:03:48
May		20	21:07:40	123.68	0:10:15		7	4:05:15	61.00	0:04:01

Comments

[Milagros Lockhart]

Bruce,
Thank you so much for sharing your story. I have been very impressed with your tenacity but I didn't really know the true history behind it all.
Anything is possible through Christ, and you have proven this to all of us!

I personally have also found a new passion in my life after the birth of our daughter. For years, my wonderful and supportive husband tried to get me to run with him and I never would joined him. Truthfully, I never thought I could do it. I always felt somewhat inferior to active people. Until one day I've had enough. I needed to loose 60 pounds of baby weight, and decided to stop feeling sorry for myself.
So, I ran on my street .25 of a mile at a time. I walked a little, ran a little until I was able to run a whole half mile! Then another half, and then a whole mile! That day I knew I could do it, and one mile after another one added up to my first 5K and then a 10K, and a HM, and my 1st 26.2 after 3 years of giving birth to our daughter! The funny thing about it is, my husband always knew I could do it, but he waited patiently all these years until I realized how powerful the body, mind, and spirit are.
And now as we grow in our faith, the love of Christ, and fellowship of our Christian Milers group, I know anything is possible!
I have made it a personal goal to inspire as many people as I can to be healthy, and take care of the wonderful gift God has given us through our bodies.
Thank you again for sharing! I would like for others to share their stories as well!

Happy Running! :)
Milagros

[Bruce Downs]

Thanks Milagros. Running teaches us to overcome our preconceived physical/mental personal limitations which transfer over to our walk with Jesus and what we can and cannot do for him. As Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

[Diarmuid Brannick]

Hey Bruce,
I am planning on bi-lateral THR, and am wondering what your gait pattern, i.e. your walking was like after surgery??? Was it much different than before??
Thanks
DB

[Winnie K]

Hi Bruce,

I had a hip injury (luckily not requiring surgery), an a knee surgery. It had been hard to overcome both, and I do Pilates to train my walking motions for almost 10 months, but I still have hip and knee pain after walking 1 mile.

I was hoping to walk a 7K in October (6 weeks from now), but I don't think I have enough time to overcome the injuries properly. While the 7K was a good concrete goal, it is not the right time for me. However, I am having a hard time setting proper concrete goals to get to the 7 K. Do you have any good suggestions?

Thanks.

WK

[Bruce]

Hi Winnie,

I’m sorry to hear about your injury. I want to start off by saying I’m not a doctor, I’m just someone that wanted to be able to live the lifestyle that I was accustom to. To do this I give full credit to riding a stationary bike which made a huge difference for my knee and my hips benefited from the non-reactionary type of exercise.

This is what I did. I rode the bike Monday – Friday 2 times a day and sometimes on Saturdays. I would adjust the resistance level on the bike so I could maintained the RMP’s above 98. This will take time, so don’t be in a hurry. Keep a daily log of every workout, including time, distance, and level – Use this to motivate you. Where I work out there are 8-10 recumbent bikes and 5 upright bikes. Use both – Week one; Mon, Wed, Friday use upright. Tues & Thurs use the recumbent bike (these bikes uses or attacks different muscles in your legs and most importantly the quads that helps line and support your knees. Second week (rotate bikes) Mon, Wed, Friday use recumbent bike. Tues & Thurs use the upright bike. Rotate each week. One goal I set was to not let anyone out do me while on the bike – I wanted it to be oblivious to everyone that I was working the hardest on the bikes at all times.

Did I experience some pain? Heck yeah, but I believe I know the difference between different types of pain. I was sore and I limped a little more for a while, maybe a month or two, but the pain I was experiencing was not making my injuries worst I was experiencing muscle soreness because I was making them WORK!

Over time I was feeling much stronger and my endurance level was excellent, so I decided to give running a try and have not looked back since. I’ve run a little over 75 miles in the last three weeks (604.63 miles for the year) and training to run the Space Coast Marathon in November. A little disclaimer, I’m much slower (~3 minutes a mile) then when I ran my last marathon 15 years ago. I do walk with a limp and I run with that same limp, but I’m pain free!

I wish you the best of luck and please keep me posted on how you are doing on the website. Just curious, how did you find my story?

Bruce

Running teaches us to overcome preconceived physical personal limitations which transfer over to our walk with Jesus and what we can do for him. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

[Bruce]

Hi Diarmuid,

First I want to say I’m sorry you are in this position to be planning on this surgery, but you have advantage that I did not have – the internet for research. I went many years walking with a limp and constant discomfort, but it never stopped me from running or playing basketball even if I did not have the flexibility to put on my own socks the next morning. My thought process was I would much rather put up with this discomfort and sometimes pain to do things I loved -- my fear was that I would have to give it all up once I had surgery and I was in my early 30’s.

Today, 12-years post bilateral hip replacement, I still limp but nearly as bad as pre-op – I often say that limp because of habit NOT pain. When I concentrate on my gait I have little to no limp. When I run I have much less limp because I concentrate on my stride.

My advice is to work every day with your flexibility pre and post op and you will do great. Ride a bike as much as possible to strengthen your legs. Listen to your body and when it tells you to slow down, slow down. You will learn to tell the difference between soreness and joint pain.

This weekend, Saturday, I ran 15 miles in 2:46 (11:06 min pace) for my training for the Space Coast marathon, 11/28. This will be my first marathon in 15 years – yes I’m much slower compared to my last marathon (8:26 pace) but I’m not just running -- I’m ENJOYING running.

Best of luck and keep me up-to-date with your progress,

Bruce

[Winnie K]

Hi Bruce,

Thank you for your reply.

Also, thank you for the scripture. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” This is the question I asked during prayer time last night.

I did more research last night on the Internet, and realized there is more involved than I realized.

So my current plan:
I need to work on my gait, and strengthening my core and legs. Bike is a good idea. I will try that. And I will increase my distance 10%-20% increments each week. That will take me to the end of the year.

-W

[DePuy recall Ireland]

I need to have a hip replacement surgery as my doc said to me. How should i confirm that it is not one of faulty implants as there were from DePuy where harmful metals particles could get dispersed in your body?

[DePuy Compensation]

The recent recall of DePuy ASR hip replacement systems has left many people concerned and wondering what to do about compensation.

[Hip Injury]

A hip injury compensation claim can arise from a variety of reasons. You could injure your hip in a road traffic accident, slip and fall on an uneven road surface or be the victim of a negligent product such as in the recent DePuy Orthopaedics hip replacement technique recall. In all of these cases, where it can be proven that someone with an obligation of care had acted negligently, you are entitled to make a hip injury compensation claim.

[DePuy Asr Recall]

A very inspiring story. I like the way you incorporated your sport with your religion. As athletic as I am, I play soccer, I never had an interest in running, although I am not belittling those who are into it. For me, it takes will to run especially long distance runs or marathons and honestly, I can't motivate myself enough to do it. Whenever people asks me to run, I would say I'd rather play soccer all day long because I would have a purpose in doing it and that is running after the ball and scoring a goal. However, reading your story, I somehow now get the point. Your words "I believe that running teaches us to overcome preconceived physical personal limitations which transfer over to our walk with Jesus and what we can and cannot do for him. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”" got through me and somehow I finally understand why some people go into it. A close friend, who recently got into running, once said pretty much the same. She was never athletic in our younger days and we sometimes tease her that she's a late bloomer because most of us are over our athletic days and she's just beginning. Now, I fully understand her. Another thing amazing is how you are able to do this after your hip replacement surgeries. Perhaps you are so blessed that you were spared in being victimized by the DePuy ASR recall.

[DePuy Hip Replacement]

Congratulations for being able to surpass the running activity despite your hip replacement surgery. Be informed that DePuy hip replacement recall has already been processed by Johnson and Johnson. Other defective products should be recalled as well to stop the recurring health risks they may cause.

[Lawyers for hip implant]

Hi Bruce,
Your story is something worth sharing with everybody. It is amazing how much willpower you had and how you managed to overcome such a major change in your life. Running a marathon is not something most people can say they did, let alone doing it after a total hip replacement surgery. My mother had hip replacement surgery and I must say that recovery it is a total pain for her, especially PT. I will show her your story to keep her motivated. Maybe when she'll see that even running a marathon after a hip replacement is possible, she'll stay strong and finally realize that after recovery she will be able to live a full live.
Best,
Colin.

[Todd Penberthy]

Dear Bruce,

Thank you so much for your invaluable testimony. I am deciding on whether or not to get a left hip replacement. I am 45 years of age and otherwise in perfect health as far as I can tell. My injury mostly stems from my passion for movement only for me it involves playing soccer.

Your is Just such a fantastic story !
I super appreciate your sharing it !!

Best Wishes,
Todd