Playing after hip replacement.
A generation ago, hip-replacement surgery meant you had one foot in the . . . well, letâs just say it probably wasnât at the baseline. But thatâs changed. Jimmy Connors had a hip replaced in 2005 after being plagued by back, leg and hip pain and was reportedly back on court six weeks later. And the procedure isnât just for former pros. Frank Trulaske, 61, CEO of True Fitness Technology in St. Louis, was an avid runner and doubles player for 20 years, and at age 53 he began playing singles. Then his right hip started to bother him. He ignored his pain for a couple of yearsââIt pretty much went away after I warmed up,â he saysâ and had physical therapy and cortisone injections. But when an MRI showed bone rubbing on bone, his doctor told him that a joint replacement was on the horizon.
Trulaske had a total hip replacement in 2008. Though he wonât blame his high-impact activities, itâs likely they played a role. Even though the hips are among the bodyâs largest joints, theyâre still vulnerable to wear and tear. The most common cause of chronic hip pain is osteoarthritis, which is largely hereditary. âTennis players are at particular risk of hip problems because of the constant accelerating and decelerating,â explains Dr. Matthew L. Jimenez, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and a clinical associate professor of orthopaedic surgery at the University of Illinois, Chicago.
Hip-replacement surgery, which involves replacing both the ball and socket, used to be the last resort. But advances in technology have made it more common. Itâs less invasive, and the ball of the implant is larger and sturdier.
Recovery is also less intense. Depending on your fitness and dedication to rehab, you might be playing within a few months. Trulaske says he was âjust hittingâ three weeks after surgery. âThose first couple of times I felt OK moving side to side, but moving forward . . . my muscles werenât ready for that,â he says. It took nine months for him to feel ânormal.â Today he has no pain. âI can really bend and move and donât favor my bad hip anymore,â Trulaske says. âIâm competing against guys who are 15 years younger than I am.â
Originally published in the May 2010 issue of TENNIS.