Donna and Marathnr,
I had SH with Dr. Joesting a couple of years ago. It began with a mysterious series of running injuries and worsened within a couple of weeks to the point where it hurt to cough, walk or lift a laptop. No other doctor could figure it out. Joesting stuck his fingers up there (if youve had this exam you know what I mean) and instantly diagnosed it as a tear in the transversalis fascia.
I had surgery a couple of weeks later. Joesting said he found exactly what he expected and stitched me up with two pieces of mesh. Joesting used an open incision instead of the scope. He told me the open method gets better results because he can repair the tear with two pieces of mesh instead of one with the scope.
Interesting aside: I had read alot about the scope method touted by Dr Cattey and others and I asked Joesting about his prognosis of about the future of scope repairs for sports hernias. "Not good," he replied. Similarly, I asked about adductor release, which some surgeons do as part of SH repair. Joesting said it was bunk. Like a lot of surgeons, Dr. J has strong opinons and no shortage of confidence!
All in all, I found Dr. Joesting to be a gentleman and very courteous about answering questions. He invited me to call him as I considered whether to have surgery. He phoned me back and once again took time to answer questions. That really earned him high marks in my book because, frankly, alot of other docs wont talk to you unless you make an appontment, don't give complete answers and always seem in a rush to move to the next patient.
I got back to light running 3 weeks after surgery. My adductors on the surgical side remained tight for weeks. There was some discomfort when starting up but it gradually disappeared over a few weeks. I had hernia surgery on the other side about 10 years before and it seemed like I recovered more quickly the second time around even though I was older. Why? I think the technique had just gotten more advanced.
Within five months I was running 70mpw. M I still have some tightness in the surgery area. I've also had some other problems in the knee, quad and hip on the same side that I suspect might be related (maybe a secondary injury? maybe a separate issue caused by whatever biomechanical flaw caused hernia? who knows?) I wasn't prescribed any PT or exercises after surgery. In retrospect, I think a runner really needs them. After all, for years we've been hearing about the crucial role of core muscles and this injury cuts a hole right through them.
Bottom line: Dr Joesting is the go-to guy in the Twin Cities for sports hernias and did right by me.
FYI...Dr. J wrote an article in a medical journal a few years ago called "Diagnosis and Treatment of the Sportsman's Hernia.". You can find it online.
Hope some of that helps. Good luck. I don't check this board too often anymore but I will try to respond if you have more questions.