Running a few yards after left THR last year is painful but cycling is fine?

Posted , 8 users are following.

Hello fellow hippies....

I am a 34 year old man who used to play footy and be very active until a few years ago when i developed left hip pain. It turned out my cartlidge had worn away which left me with bone on bone. Very painful. So i had a left THR in April 2015. I have put on 1 and a half stone since the op. 15st now. 😞 I have done a lot of biking this last year as it is good for strengthening the muscles, plus I love it 😃 I have no pain during or after riding. BUT..... when I run even a few yards it bl***y hurts. It feels like pelvis pain. Has anyone had similar problems? Any thoughts are appreciated.

Kind regards

Mike

2 likes, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • Posted

    Biking is great running not so much. The impact is hard on the joint. I have never been able to run after my first one 20 years ago or the second one just a few yrs ago. I do fast walking and ride horses.

    I also was told not to do wright bearing exercises. 

     

  • Posted

    hi michael, 

    good for you ... you have come a long way ...

    I agree with hope4cure - the extra weight and pounding on new joint might not be so great - and when it hurts: STOP 

    have you asked your surgeon about this? or Physical therapist?  

    I don't like running/jogging so i am not the right person to encourage you -

    I would check it with a professional , just to make sure that I won't damage anything....

    big warm hug

    renee

  • Posted

    My surgeon said no more running. ( He said just running for a bus is ok.) I'm only 7 weeks on, so haven't tried any running.

  • Posted

    Hi Michael

    I had a complicated thr and wasn't fully weight bearing for 3 months then another 3 months to walk without crutches. I'm 46 and its nine months since my op. I've been advised not to do weight bearing active sports such as running but I'm doing spin classes, body pump, Pilates and can walk further than I have in years. Im still having Physio and the more I build my glute muscles the better I'm becoming! It depends on how much muscle wastage you had previously and takes time to build them up again. Sounds like your determined so good luck, keep up the cycling!

  • Posted

    I would definitely advise against running or any high impact activity, especially since you are experiencing pain, not good.

    You could always try power walking and of course cycling is one of the best for muscle and calorie burning.

    You will eventually find your level and start to lose weight. Good luck.

  • Posted

    Thank you all for your tnoughts. I didnt get any physio whatsoever after i was discharged from hospital. Just a photocopied sheet of A4 with a few exercises on it. Luckily i found some good ones on you tube and built my srength up.

    I have already been to docs/specialist to check but they said its too early to tell and give it time. They make you ferl like you're wasting their time 😠 the problem is i have 2 young kids (3 and 5)who run rings around me, so i cant just give it time 😣

  • Posted

    As others have mentioned, I think the impact and the mechanics of cycling are much easier on the body than running.  Even just before my surgeries, I could bike (I don't consider what I do cycling!) but I couldn't really walk much and forget about running ...  After my 2nd surgery (anterior so no restrictions affected by cycling), I think I biked a week or two later (until a few people wisely pointed out that it probably wasn't a great idea in case I fell or something!).  Since then, I can't really walk long distances yet but I can bike no problem (my boys love Pokemon Go so we'll go around the neighborhood on our bikes which is great for all of us).  

    FWIW, I had my 2nd THR (anterior) around the same time as yours and, although I haven't really tried it, I suspect I probably could jog / run for a bit.  I expect I'd have some muscle pain but I don't think I'd have crushing pain in the hip like I would have experienced pre-surgery.

    Best of luck on your recovery,

    Mike

  • Posted

    Hey Micheal, sorry you're here at such a young age. I feel for your delima. I'm quite a bit older (53) but I've always been very active. I love running. I play ice hockey, bike, hike, and lift weights. Unlike you, I had really good physical therapy post surgery and have had a hankering to hit the road. My sugeon told me that he couldn't recomemd running becasue of the impact. I've recieved the same recomendations as you about running from all sorts of people. but I've been doing some research and it seems this advice in not based on a whole lot of data. So I've been doing a lot of online stuff. I found a really interesting book called How to Run with a Hip replacement. I can't vouch for it yet but it does get one thinkng. My surgeon seemed to unspokenly  acknowledge the lack of long term data and suggested that inspite of his recommemdations his more active patients will do what they want.

    Any chance you can get some PT scheduled. That might help a lot with the pain. It could be just from the muscular reaction from the surgery.

    P.S. Biking has been a joy again for me after surgery. I couldn't really do it anymore before.

     Also, my phyical therapist said power walking (ie race walking) would be the worst.

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