Just found out I have moderate to severe osteoarthritis in my left hip. First seen on xrays, now confirmed on MRI. There is also a small to moderate joint effusion, and mild arthritis in the right hip.
Have never been a high mileage runner (too much hip pain), never overweight, 33 years old.
Is my running career over?? Anyone have any suggestions or advice on what to do now???
If it hurts to run, your running is probably over. If you've been running through pain for the past few years, that probably wasn't a good thing. Maybe you could try using a rowing machine or doing weight training. Gym climbing is also a fun thing to do.
Yeah, been painful to run at least the last 5+ years (maybe 10 really)and getting worse. Tried doing some biking and swimming and even did some of the (dreaded) triathlons because some running was better than none. But running is definitely my favorite by far and this is really discouraging.
Have you tried treadmill running?
I've had 2 knee surgeries for meniscus/cartilage related issues and the treadmill has allowed me to run again without much discomfort (so far).
I had 2 college teammates that had to get hip replacements in their 40s. Be careful.
Really?? I haven't even considered it! One of my favorite things about running is getting outside but I'd be willing to give it a try if it keeps me running - I can get outside other ways.
So long as I can keep running without needing a new hip in a year I'll try it. That's my big fear, keeping on running will totally #$%k it up (even more than it already is) so I won't even be able to walk/work.
As your C O A C H, I advise you to consider taking up biking. Lots of former runners go over to the dark side and take up the bike once running becomes impossible.
70s guy wrote:
I had 2 college teammates that had to get hip replacements in their 40s. Be careful.
Really? Aw crap, that's the kind of stuff I'm worried about. Were they able to run at all again after the replacements or was that totally it?
Even biking is getting painful now. Need to adjust my knee to get my hip through a full pedal stroke (noticable decline from last year). Maybe if the joint effusion goes down some this will come back?
C O A C H wrote:
As your C O A C H, I advise you to consider taking up biking. Lots of former runners go over to the dark side and take up the bike once running becomes impossible.
Just did 5km this am and it was much more painful today than it was last week. Anyone else have this happen and successfully train/compete without ending up with a hip replacement very young? Or am I just in denial and I am ruining my hip very quickly?
have you considered getting a hip resurfacing procedure done? My brother who is 34 is getting one done next week and his doctor said that people have continued to run after having the procedure done (though it does shorten the life of your hip and may result in having to do another procedure down the road)
I would think your doctor would have a much more qualified opinion regarding your hip than anyone on this forum. Have you asked him? What does he think?
I have spoken with him about it. His advice is not to run anymore as it is a major weight bearing joint and while he agrees that running definitely does not cause arthritis, it will accelerate the destruction of a big joint like this, leading to needing a hip replacement sooner.I have not asked him about the hip resurfacing as a possible option though, so thanks a lot for the idea. I'm going to see him at the end of the week and was looking for any suggestions runners with similar problems have used, so I'll see what he thinks about that.
orbitboy wrote:
I would think your doctor would have a much more qualified opinion regarding your hip than anyone on this forum. Have you asked him? What does he think?
If you have any sense at all you will not continue running.
Sadly, I may not have any sense; if I did, probably wouldn't be in this state.
orthopedia wrote:
If you have any sense at all you will not continue running.
Sore Leg wrote:
Just found out I have moderate to severe osteoarthritis in my left hip. First seen on xrays, now confirmed on MRI. There is also a small to moderate joint effusion, and mild arthritis in the right hip.
Have never been a high mileage runner (too much hip pain), never overweight, 33 years old.
Is my running career over?? Anyone have any suggestions or advice on what to do now???
I would get as many second opinions as you can afford. Try to locate a doctor who is actually a decent runner and place great weight on what he/she says. In the worst case, you might have to switch over to some non weight bearing exercise such as swimming. If you crave competition, I believe there are swim meets for adults and some swim clubs, depending of course on where you live.
When I was twelve I was diagnosed with arthritis in 36 joints, lupus and lung disease. I had been a dancer all my life and I had to quit by the time I turned 15. I was told that the only exercise I should be doing was some easy swimming.
I'm seventeen now and I'm going to run my first half marathon in 16 days.
I think you can let the diagnosis control you, or you can control it. My suggestions are to totally revamp your eating and sleeping habbits and reduce some stressers in your life. Then jump in the pool and try out some 'water running' in place of some runs until you feel better about running as much as you were before.
:] good luck
Was advised by a hip doctor that I needed a new hip 5 years ago. Stopped running and experienced my first pain in the hip area a couple of weeks after I stopped. Started back running and haven't experienced pain "to speak of" until recently. Now considering hip replacement but will probably hold off as long as I can as they only last 10 or 15 years for many. Have gradually cut back on distance and speed of running, and only run on a treadmill now. Added other aerobic activities like the ellip. cross trainer, bicycle, swimming, etc., to make up for the lost running time. Still have almost no pain, just stiffness which gradually has gotten worse. This is just 1 66 year old's experience. Good luck.
I had bilateral Hip Replacement back in 1998 at the age of 35, this year I ran the Atlanta ING ½ marathon in 2:26 and I’m currently training to run the Space Coast Marathon in November. You can read about my story and training here,
You can run but pay attention to your body, maybe i should at least I can run. It's a quility of life decission that only you can make.
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.”
Before you try surgery or drugs, try a change in diet to a plant based one while also eliminating dairy. Here are some books to read: