Hip Replacement Journey

The Hip Replacement Journey

Prehab - Surgery - Recovery - Rehabilitation - Return to Function

After years of progressive problems with my left hip, I am preparing for total hip replacement.

I created this series to document the entire process — why I reached this point, what my hip looks like before surgery, how I prepare physically, what surgery and recovery are actually like, and how I work my way back toward strength, mobility, function, and hopefully independence.

My intent is that by sharing the experience openly and practically, others who are considering hip replacement may better understand what the journey can involve and feel more prepared for the road ahead.

This series reflects my personal experience and is provided for educational purposes only. It is not individualized medical advice.

Why I'm Having a Hip Replacement

My problems with my left hip did not begin recently. In some ways, the story goes back almost my entire life.

As far back as early childhood, my left leg was approximately one inch shorter than my right. When I was about five years old, I was also struck by a car on that side. I appeared to recover completely and did not receive significant medical treatment at the time, so I cannot say whether that injury contributed to the problems that developed decades later.

By my late 30s, when I was considerably obese, I began noticing mild to moderate discomfort in the left hip during longer walks. The problem gradually progressed through my 40s.

In my early 50s, I slipped on wet concrete and developed significant hip pain. Walking became very uncomfortable for several weeks. I did not seek medical evaluation at the time because I assumed it would eventually improve. The acute pain settled down, but over the following years the hip became increasingly troublesome.

When I began my major weight-loss and fitness journey in 2019, walking became an important part of my life. At times I walked extraordinary distances — occasionally as much as 20 miles in a day. Those walks helped transform my health, but my left hip often hurt significantly afterward.

By approximately 2023, the problem had changed. Episodes of pain became more intense and, at times, almost unbearable. I began taking ibuprofen regularly because it helped me remain active, but eventually even that was not enough. I would occasionally develop attacks of severe pain that dramatically limited my ability to walk or stand comfortably.

Interestingly, I do not necessarily have pain all the time. At rest, or when I am not stressing the joint, I may have little or no discomfort. But prolonged walking, stretching, or certain movements that load the hip can trigger severe pain and temporarily leave me unable to function normally.

The Inspiration to Share This Journey

One of the people who helped shape the way I think about this project is my nutrition coach, Ryan Irwin of Impact Action Coaching.

After Ryan underwent his own surgical intervention, he regularly shared updates about his recovery. I found those posts surprisingly valuable. As a physician, I understood surgery from the medical side, but Ryan’s updates helped me understand something different — what the process actually feels like from the patient’s perspective.

His posts made the recovery process feel more real, more understandable, and less unknown.

That experience stayed with me.

If Ryan’s willingness to share his recovery helped me better understand what to expect, perhaps documenting my own journey can do the same for someone else — especially someone who may be living with severe pain, disability, or fear because they do not know what hip replacement and recovery might involve.

This series is, in part, my way of paying that forward.

My hope is that by sharing the practical realities — the preparation, the surgery, the difficult days, the progress, the setbacks, and the return to function — I can help make the unknown a little less intimidating for someone who is facing the same decision.

Getting the Hip Properly Evaluated

In 2025, I finally sought evaluation from a physiatrist.

A physiatrist is a physician who specializes in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, or PM&R. Rather than focusing primarily on surgery, physiatrists evaluate how musculoskeletal, neurological, and other medical problems affect movement, strength, mobility, function, and quality of life.

For someone with chronic hip pain, this can be a particularly useful place to start. A physiatrist can perform a detailed musculoskeletal and functional examination, help determine where the symptoms are coming from, order appropriate imaging, consider non-surgical treatment options, and coordinate rehabilitation before surgery is considered.

In my case, the workup included a detailed physical examination, X-rays of the pelvis, and an MRI of the left hip.

That evaluation finally gave me a much clearer picture of what was happening inside the joint.

What the X-ray Showed:

The pelvis X-ray showed severe osteoarthritis of the left hip. Mild osteoarthritis was also present in the right hip. There was no acute fracture or dislocation.

In simple terms, the X-ray confirmed that the left hip had advanced degenerative changes rather than a temporary soft-tissue problem.

That finding helped explain why the hip had become increasingly unreliable despite periods when I could still feel relatively comfortable.

What the MRI Showed:

The MRI provided a much more detailed view of the joint.

It showed:

Severe left hip chondrosis, meaning advanced cartilage degeneration
Areas of full-thickness cartilage loss in the central weight-bearing portion of the joint
Extensive subchondral cystic change in the acetabulum and the upper portion of the femoral head
A complex, macerated tear of the anterosuperior acetabular labrum
A small joint effusion with synovitis
Mild degenerative changes in the right hip
No fracture, stress fracture, or avascular necrosis of either femoral head

In plain English, the smooth cartilage that normally allows the hip joint to move with very little friction has been extensively damaged in the areas that carry much of the body’s weight. The labrum — the ring of tissue that helps stabilize and seal the hip socket — is also badly torn.

That helps explain something that can seem contradictory: I may feel relatively normal at rest, yet after sufficiently stressing the joint, the pain can become severe enough to dramatically limit walking and standing.

Preparing for Surgery

While waiting to meet with the orthopedic surgeon, my physiatrist referred me to physical therapy.

The goal is not simply to wait for surgery.

I am using this period to prepare for it.

This is often called prehabilitation, or “prehab” — improving physical capacity before an operation so that the body enters surgery with as much strength, mobility, balance, cardiovascular fitness, and functional reserve as reasonably possible.

For me, the focus is on:

Strength • Mobility • Balance • Gait • Cardiovascular Conditioning • Physical Reserve

The concept is simple: surgery will temporarily reduce my physical capacity. I would rather enter that period with more reserve than I need, not less.

That means building as much useful capacity as I safely can before surgery and then measuring how much of that function I regain during recovery and rehabilitation. During the journey I will be sharing details of my prehab

Where I Am Now

Current Phase: Prehabilitation
Next Major Milestone: Orthopedic surgery consultation later this month
Planned Surgery: January 2027
Current Focus: Building strength, mobility, balance, gait efficiency, and physical reserve before surgery

The Journey Ahead

This project will follow the entire course of the experience:

Baseline Functional Assessment
↓
Prehabilitation
↓
Preoperative Reassessment
↓
Hip Replacement Surgery
↓
Early Recovery
↓
Rehabilitation
↓
Return to Strength and Function
↓
Long-Term Outcome

At each stage, I plan to document not only how I feel, but how I actually function.

That means combining written journal entries, video updates, functional testing, rehabilitation milestones, and honest discussion of both progress and setbacks.

Follow the Journey

This journal will document each stage of my hip replacement journey — from prehabilitation and preparation, through surgery and early recovery, to rehabilitation and the return to normal function. I’ll share what I experience, what I learn, how my function changes, and the milestones and setbacks along the way.

Medical Disclaimer

This series documents my personal experience with hip replacement, prehabilitation, surgery, and rehabilitation. It is intended for educational purposes only and should not be interpreted as individualized medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Every patient’s condition, surgical plan, restrictions, and recovery are different. Decisions about your own care should be made with your healthcare professionals.