[Bob Burnell]

@allison wrote:

Ouch, I did sound like a pretentious lil’ windbag .

I say lets’s Ban the “PLW” 😆

[Bob Burnell]

@Kathy wrote:

Tryin’ to stir up trouble I see!!! 😆

Keith is obviously a rabble rouser…. I say we ban him!!

Guess I shouldn’t say that because you’d probably need to ban me too… 😀

[Bob Burnell]

Dick

It’s unfortunate that you have hip degeneration and pain. I do have some good news for you however. I had to have my hip rebuilt a couple years back and now have unrestricted, pain free mobility with the new hip .

Many have very good results with total hip replacement (THR) and I was about to have that done. I spent a fair amount of time researching to find out how well people recovered from their procedures. After extensive research (there are forums dedicated to this topic) I discovered there was another / newer process that made more sense for me. The procedure I had is called hip resurfacing. It replaces the ball and socket but does not sacrifice your femur (THR does) and preserves your natural geometry. Hip resurfacing is still major surgery but the recovery is relatively quick standing / walking same day. Stairs by day 2. This procedure is still not mainstream in the states but has become much more widely accepted recently. Most insurance companies are now considering it a reimbursable treatment (not the case just a few years ago). Hip resurfacing has been used with significant success in Europe and India for the last 15 – 20 years. We are very fortunate to have a pioneer of this process in the NW (Dr. James Pritchett). Many have travelled abroad at their own expense to have hip resurfacing done rather than THR.

The link below is to a site that specializes in this procedure and has great a x-ray that shows a patient with one THR and one resurfaced hip. The difference is clear and this site discusses the pros and cons of both.

http://www.surfacehippy.info/

Some specifics regarding recovery and limitations:
I started walking in days, hiking within weeks and was pretty much free to resume normal activity including strenuous / off trail hiking/back packing within 90 days. I chose to skip one season of snow skiing after surgery. I have skied for 2 seasons including a significant amount of off trail and the hip presents no problems at all. The reason I’m going on about the skiing is it that it is harder on the hip than even the most difficult of backpacking (at least for me).

I will send you an e-mail also but wanted to post this in case anyone else is faced with this decision.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me for more info.

Good luck and I truly hope this helps

Bob

[Bob Burnell]

Brian

This forum is great! Many thanks for your efforts.

Bob

[Bob Burnell]

Cliff

I have wide feet, need a large toe box and am on my 3rd pair of Salomon boots. Needless to say I have had very good luck with them. They are pretty light compared to my old Raichle’s but still provide good support and are waterproof. I can’t find the exact model I have (GT 6 or something like that) but the boots linked below seem close. Quality, fit and comfort are superior in my opinion. Mine seem most similar to the Explorer. I managed to find my last pair at the REI scratch N Dent sale last year (very good deal).

I hope this helps!
Bob

Explorer GTX
http://www.rei.com/product/763465

Quest 4D GTX (a bit heavier)
http://www.rei.com/product/780681

http://www.salomonsports.com/us/#/footwear/footwear/trekking

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