Back on the Road After Hip Replacement Surgery

For more than 17 years — 6,420 consecutive days — Long Beach resident and veteran aircraft carrier pilot Ron Rand cycled every single day, rain or shine, without missing a single one. Rand’s daily rides began as a fitness goal and turned into a lifestyle that carried him through career milestones, and even the pandemic. He even rode his bike the same day he had his appendix removed so as not to break his string of continuous saddle time. On the occasions when he traveled, he would ask local residents to borrow a bike to keep his streak alive. One time, Ron went door to door until a local resident allowed him to use a bicycle to keep his record going. On another trip, he saw a bicycle on a porch and gave the owner $20 for a short ride up the block.

Unfortunately, Ron started experiencing leg pain on his daily rides around Long Beach, which he initially thought to be sciatica. A trip to his doctor and x-rays revealed he suffered from bone-on-bone hip pain And that his cartilage was completely worn away. His doctors referred him to HOI, which performs the most joint replacement surgeries in the western U.S., and he subsequently saw Michael Hunter, MD, a joint replacement orthopedic surgeon. After a comprehensive exam and imaging, Dr. Hunter confirmed that Ron would need a left hip replacement.

“It was an instant bonding with Dr. Hunter,” says Ron. “I trusted his judgement and experience, plus he had the same name as my dog Hunter, and I took that as a good sign.”

On the morning of Ron’s surgery, he told Dr. Hunter that he actually cycled that morning. “I shook my head in amazement at that dedication to his daily cycle routine,” said Dr. Hunter. “I’ve never had a patient who did that.”

Dr. Hunter performed successful anterior hip replacement surgery on Ron, and he went home to recover the same day. The anterior approach to hip replacement surgery is a modern technique that preserves the muscles and tendons and often leads to quicker recovery and less pain for patients.

Ron was back in the saddle less than one week after his surgery. He stated that he felt like he could have cycled the day after surgery, but he took Dr. Hunter’s advice and rested and began PT for a few days before resuming his cycling passion.

And so, a new daily cycle streak begins for Ron. At 80 years old and with a new left hip, Ron is back on his 10-mile daily route around Long Beach and is looking to break his previous daily riding record of 17 years. “I am so thankful for HOI and Dr. Hunter,” said Ron. “They got me back on the road.”

Watch the full video of Ron’s cycling adventure, his surgery and recovery above or on HOI's YouTube channel.