One week ago I had my hip resurfaced by Dr Edwin Su at the Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC. I posted a day by day account of my experience here.
Hip resurfacing is a recent alternative to total hip replacement. Basically a total hip replacement involves amputating the femoral neck and inserting the stem of the device into the canal of the thigh bone, while in a resurfacing the femoral neck is preserved and capped with a ball. In both procedures the acetabulum (the spot on the hip where your femur finds its home) is prepared and a cup is placed there to match the ball on the device.
Hip resurfacing was tried briefly in the 70’s and was discontinued due to bad results, likely because of the quality of the implants. It was revived in England in 1997 and has been done in the US since 2006.
In doing my research prior to my surgery I came to the conclusion that the operation has been somewhat oversold but that for me, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. I say this because many recipients of this operation adopt an almost religious tone about it. I want to avoid that. So far (hell, I am only one week from surgery) I am having what I can only describe as a great experience. I am walking about the house with a cane and only occasional (and very tolerable) pain. If any interest is expressed in this thread I will keep it updated regarding my progress.
One issue that comes up in regard to hip resurfacing is the fact that all of the devices available are metal on metal. While some of the total hip devices are metal on metal, there are also plastic and ceramic alternatives. The problem with the metal devices is that metallic ions accumulate in the body and some small percentage of people react badly to them, causing premature failure. On the other side of the coin, dislocation is rare in resurfacing patients, but is not uncommon in total hip replacements. Dislocation does not necessarily mean failure, as the hip can be reinserted, but multiple dislocations can indicate a problem that may require intervention. They are also, I am given to understand, quite painful. There are other reasons for failure, but these are generally shared by all the devices (one device, the Durom cup, has been recalled and has its own issues).
I am a sixty year old man (200 lbs.) who has watched the scale and frequency of my activities (tennis, running, golf, hiking, gardening) diminish over the last 10 years. I felt this was a good way to recover at least some of those activities.
I have an interest in this, fwiw. I am very familiar with the mechanics of a ‘total’ as I am an X-ray Tech w/ lots of OR time helping out w/ the installation and follow-up of totals, but nothing in last few years. I rarely saw anyone that was up and walking semi-comfortably a week later (!), but not unheard of, of course. Congrats of being up and about.
One thing in particular is how much range-of-motion are you allowed on that joint at the present? Are you allowed to sit down regularly (or use a regular toilet, per se)? Or do you need to keep the hip from moving much right now? Any range-of-motion therapy happening (or needed?)?
Thanks for your thoughts - one of these days in the hopefully distant future, I will likely require some hardware on my weight-bearing surfaces, so the more learned…
Will go read your day-to-day link shortly to learn more, too. Sorry if my ?'s are answered there. Fwiw, can’t even begin to count how many post-op hips I have had to pop back into place when the Doc was not physically strong enough to pull hard enough; some Ortho docs (two in particular) just don’t give much effort with bare hands! Most of the time, the dislocation was from the patient thinking they were able to actually use a regular toilet before they physically could - oops. Rarely did the person freely admit what happened - we know the story though 
In these parts, most resurfacing is done with a zamboni. Were any zambonis used in your procedure?
Total hip replacement patients have what they call “precautions”. Those precautions do not apply to me. I don’t really know if that is true for all resurfacings or if it is just my surgeon’s choice. I have used a regular toilet, but not comfortably. I do have a physical therapist. The therapy is rather aggressive. The surgeon told me I could try to tie my shoes immediately. I haven’t been successful yet, but it won’t be long.
I was sedated during the procedure so I can’t answer this authoritatively, but the operating room was quite cold. They said it was to control infection, but who knows?
Thx for that info - tells me a lot. Its great that you are able to use the leg (more or less) so soon. It helps being in (assuming) good physical shape to begin with, but still…wow!
Here’s to continued and full ‘recovery’ for you! 
Rather than open a new thread about my experience, I thought I would just drag up this old zombie. The experience has been different (mostly better). I spent much less time in the hospital. Last time (in 2010) I was operated on early in the morning and spent three nights in the hospital. This time I was operated on at 3 pm and was out of the hospital within 24 hours (Same hospital, same surgeon, same hardware in my hip). I felt fine when I was discharged, but I crashed a bit on Saturday night. By Monday I could get up and make my way around the house on my own. I have changed homes and now live in a condo with no stairs which makes things easier. I am taking some oxycodone, but I am taking about half what I could take. I have not yet started physical therapy. I expect to get to that next week. I did not bother with the visiting physical therapist as I thought that was kind of pointless.
Always wanted to drive a Zamboni, hope there was one in the OR.
Big difference in pain post-op?
After my first operation, HSS used several different methods to control pain. First of all, they left the epidural attached (for this operation they do not use general anesthesia). They also gave you access to what was called Patient Controlled Analgesia (that is the button they give you to let you give yourself a dose of some opioid). They will also give you a dose by mouth if necessary. I had a spike of pain that was dealt with using the epidural (at least I think that was what happened). Beyond that I dealt with pain using oxycodone and it was not really an issue.
I did not have a spike in pain after the second operation. There was no PCA button and the only way pain relief was offered was by mouth (there may have been other methods available, but they were not necessary).
Except for the spike in the first operation, I would not say there was a big difference. I would say that recovery so far has been a bit easier and more comfortable.