Re: Celebration/data on resurfs

[Guest guest]

Hi ine

So glad to hear that getting the second side resurfaced resolved so

many of your pain problems. I hope that will work for some of the

others who have OA on both sides. It's great that you are making good

progress this time.

I just got back from 18 days walking around France and Spain,

toting my luggage up and down stairs in subways and train stations, by

myself! I was staying with various friends most of the time, but did

the walking and travelling mostly on my own. I was so thrilled! I

could never have done something like this alone at this time last

year. I don't think I look any younger, but I certainly FEEL a lot

younger than during the last four years. When people ask me how long

since my operation, I now have to stop and think about it (6.5

months). I still have a tendency to put more of my weight on the

unoperated side, which I'm working on. My physio suggests stretching

the front of the quads, to help with this problem.

I was at a party the other night where there was a big discussion

about the fact that there is not a lot of published evidence out there

about the long-term results of resurfs. Comments were made that a lot

of the evidence is anecdotal, and that some of the docs who operate

also have financial ties with or research grants from the various hip

resurfacing appliance providers. While I certainly support traditional

scientific research, I think that anecdotal evidence such as is

provided by this board is useful too. It was reports from people whose

dogs got more limber on glucosamine (so they started using it

themselves) that led to the discovery that glucosamine helps some

people (and it's easier on my stomach than NSAIDs), for example.

Also, there are so many doctors who have never even HEARD of

resurfacing, and I think that more articles in the newspapers and

doctors' magazines might help, as so little gets published in the

peer-reviewed journals. Also, more TV news stories. If more doctors

were aware of it, they might alert more young(ish) patients who would

then DEMAND this less invasive procedure, and that would lead to more

data being generated eventually.

By the way, I recently met a 76-year-old female tennis player who

is having both sides resurfed (one-month apart) by DeSmet soon. It

will be interesting to see how she's faring a year from now. I don't

know if she is the oldest female resurf patient on record or not.

Best regards,

n

rBHR McMinn Oct.03