The Beginning

In retrospect, I knew something was wrong with my left hip more than five years ago.

I'd been on a running kick for a few years, running somewhere between 15 and 25 miles a week, mostly on treadmills. But lately I'd been noticing that my left hip was getting sore as my runs went on, and would be pretty stiff for a day or so after a longer run. I was in my late twenties at the time, and chalked it up to not stretching properly.

Since you're reading a hip replacement blog, you can see where this is going.

Fast forward to three years ago. I was at a professional conference in a windowless conference room at some nondescript hotel -- I don't even remember what city I was in now -- minding my own business. When I stood up at the end of the last session to make my way home, I felt an incredible, sharp pain in my left hip and then the entire leg went numb. I could put almost no weight on my left leg. I literally hobbled home.

The pain became worse over the next 24 hours and I ended up going to an emergency clinic, where they took x-rays and a CAT scan. The facility didn't have an MRI machine, unfortunately. The x-rays showed that I had developed a bone spur that had likely torn some of my labrum. I was given some painkillers and a referral to an orthopaedic surgeon.

The orthopaedic surgeon ordered an MRI with contrast. This involves injecting dye directly into the affected hip joint (not pleasant) using an x-ray machine and then using the MRI to see what's going on inside and around the hip joint. The whole process lasted about an hour.

The MRI showed labral tears and my surgeon recommended arthroscopic surgery to repair them. I wasn't keen on a surgical outcome at this point and therefore sought alternative solutions. These included physical therapy, transitioning to aerobic exercise that caused less stress on my hip, like elliptical machines, and, most notably, ignoring the problem for a couple more years.

And that brings me to this summer.