Back to Running

As a collegiate cross-country runner, Jay Joiner was used to small aches and pains of the rigorous sport. But after experiencing stabbing pains in his hip during his long runs, Jay knew he needed to seek specialized orthopedic care.

Jay sought the expert opinion of sports medicine doctor Theodore Gregorius, MD, with Hoag Orthopedic Institute, who he had previous experience with.

“My mother saw Dr. Gregorius and I also saw him when I got shin splints from running, so when I first started having hip pain, I went back to see what we could do,” he said.

X-rays showed that Jay had a cam deformity on the top of his femur and a torn labrum on his hip.

“We discussed the pros and cons of surgery and when I heard that if left untreated I would eventually have arthritis in my hip, I decided to go ahead with it,” Jay shared.

Jay underwent hip arthroscopy surgery for both hips, one in July 2020 and the second in September 2020, at Hoag Orthopedic Institute Surgery Center – Newport Beach.

“The staff I dealt with were fantastic, they put me at ease, made me feel comfortable and oddly enough I actually feel more flexible than before surgery,” Jay shared.

After going through physical therapy, Jay gradually increased his running and five months after his second surgery was back to running at what he calls a “decent pace.”

“I feel like the surgery fixed my gait, which the cam deformity was affecting, and now I feel like I’m running with good form,” he said.

Jay recently married and honeymooned in Zion National Park where he said he was able to hike without any issues and now has his sights set on his next goal.

“I want to drop my mile time down to 5 minutes to see if I’m back but I know it will take some training,” Jay shared. “I’m at 5:30 now so I’m close.”