How long will it take?

Katheryn of Houston, TX is a runner undergoing a hip replacement operation emailed and wants to know, "How long did it take between your surgery and the first steps you were able to run?"

I can answer your question Katheryn but because every case is so different it may have no bearing on another question, "How long will it take you to get back to running?"

To run or not to run

What the doctor said

Katheryn of Houston, TX emailed to ask, "Did your doctor(s) totally forbid running and you did so anyway?" Kathryn was an avid runner but a hip replacement is imminent. She says her orthopedist "is aware that I intend to return to running and has endorsed that goal, so long as I am patient and take it very slowly."

The zen of running with a THR

Let me digress

I know in past posts I have been focused on preparing for a hip replacement and recovery immediately after the operation but I would like to skip ahead in this post and talk about something that is on my mind. So humor me if you will.

Your initial crutch training schedule

You're in your running shoes, poised and ready for your first outside workout on crutches. Over the next few weeks and more your hip will respond well to walks of increasing duration.

When your six week checkup with the specialist rolls around aim to be walking up to one and a half kilometers at a time. That should be enough to trigger the green light for trekking poles.

Workouts on crutches

The wind on your face

Once you are on your crutches and mobile you’ll quickly feel strong enough to head outside. If the weather’s not too extreme grab those crutches and go for it - this is the start of your ‘running’ recuperation proper.

Major surgery is not a bothersome injury

Closing the layers

It might help you relax and be patient if you understand a bit of the process the surgeon has gone through to close you up once your new hip is in place. Surgeons call it 'closing in layers' - picture this:

1. Your first 4 layers are closed with heavy-duty dis-solvable stitches, these are:
   
   1. the hip joint capsule
   2. the deep layers of muscles
   3. the shallower muscle sheets
   4. the strong shell over the muscles called the tensor fascia lata
2. Then the surgeon picks up thinner dissolvable stitches to close:
   1. your fat layer
   2. a thin layer between the fat and the skin called the subcuticular
3. Then comes the staple gun to finish up or you might get away with steristrips to close your skin.

So yes, there is a lot of healing going on in the first months and there are no short cuts (if you’ll excuse the expression).

GETTING ON WITH IT

Resting when you’re tired is important but you won’t be tired all the time and there are exercises you can do immediately after surgery that will help. We'll look at some of these in the next post.