Most commonly, arthritis is a “wear and tear” process; once a joint shows signs of significant degeneration, the more stress it is subjected to, the more it degenerates. Let me use the analogy of a tire on a car. If the tread is thin and worn, it will not last very long driving the car back and forth daily on a long commute. On the other hand, putting the car up on blocks preserves the tires, but makes the car useless to you. As you can see, the appropriate amount of activity modification is a very individual decision based on common sense.

As a general guideline, low stress activities that are usually tolerated well are short distance walking, exercise bicycle, swimming and water aerobics. High stress activities (these are not advised) would include jumping, jogging, long distance walking (> 1 mile) or heavy lifting. However, I have operated on many patients who don’t meet the traditional requirements for activity limitation.

With the improvement of surgical techniques and implants, I now think it is reasonable to replace hips so active patients can return to high-level activity such as running. An individual must weigh the risks of surgery against his/her desire to participate in sports or heavy work.