That is a Birmingham Hip Resurfacing device I had installed in my left hip 3 weeks ago tomorrow by the inestimable Dr. James Pritchett in Seattle, WA.
For myself and for those who may be interested, I will try to use this blog to record my progress.
I currently walk with a slightly gimpy gait but I am not using crutches or a cane. I did use ski poles on a slightly-more-than 1 mile "hike" over the weekend.
I didn't have the BHR installed because of some kind of extreme body modifcation fetish but because, in my mid-40's, I started to develop osteoarthritis, presumably because of a condition called femoral acetabular hip impingement, or FAI. It all started with finding difficulty in sitting cross-legged. In the end, about three years later, when they opened me up, they found "severe arthritis and bone-on-bone contact".
I had consulted with a handful of knowledgeable surgeons, in Anchorage, where I live, and elsewhere, and no one recommended arthroscopy or a total hip replacement. Two offered that I should reduce my level of activity and perhaps start walking with a cane and then get back in touch in another 15 or so years when I would more properly fit the profile for a THR. But with two young kids, now 7 and 5, and the wild expanses of Alaska barely investigated by myself, I knew I would not be content with that prescription. Plus, as I lost range of motion in my hip, my lower back started to try to take up the slack and was not succeeding. Something needed to done and the various forms of therapy I had employed had run their courses.
Hip resurfacing was familiar to me because my brother, one year younger, had both of his hips resurfaced nearly four years ago. It was great that someone I trust had already done the research and come to the conclusion that the best option was HR. I didn't have do as much on my own and every time I second guessed myself, I just reminded myself of his decision. So, at 3 weeks, things feel great. I improve daily and have no concerns.
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