I'll start 2025 with Amanda's story
Her story helps inspire us all..

BUT it seems timely to look back on 2024.

My Top 3 articles of the year cover:

1. Our general health
2. What underlies hip pain
3. Joint replacement survival

1. General Health 💥

I caught this article by Alex Hutchinson back in Outdoor magazine based on research carried out by Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore..

I'm a fan of moving more (as you know)

That's from the evidence, from my personal experience..
..and from what my patients tell me in clinic.

When I see a 90+ year old in clinic I always ask what their 'secret' is?
Invariably, they all answer with some form of staying active:

• Using the stairs to avoid 'bungalow legs'
• 10 touch touches every morning
• Standing up to put on trousers
• Walking the dog
• Gardening 
• Dancing
• Bowls

So this article stood out.
It gets at the same question:

• What can we all do to live longer? 

The research studied 3,600 people aged 50 to 80 years.
Tracking them to see who died..

In addition to physical activity, each person was assessed for 14 best-known risk factors for death:

• Age
• Gender
• Body mass
• Race / ethnicity
• Education
• Alcohol
• Smoking
• Diabetes
• Heart failure
• Heart disease
• Stroke + Cancer
• Mobility problems
• Overall health.

And the best predictors for how to live longer?

1. **Physical activity
2. Age
3. Mobility problems
4. Self-assessed health
5. Diabetes, and smoking..

**That is remarkable.

In particular, measures of activity took the top 3 places. With a firm conculsion about..

'..the importance of Physical Activity as a risk marker of mortality'


2. Hip pain 💥

From a personal and academic point of view
I've most enjoyed writing about recent evolution..
..in this recent series of newsletters..

Summarised on my @LifetimeHip X (formerly Twitter) thread here..
(@LifetimeHip is where I post short summaries of academic papers)

During my training and career we've gone from:




That deep understanding has helped me to do more with my own hip pain.
And I hope it helps you..


3. Joint replacement 💥

3 papers here that better answer the 'how long' question.
That's 'how long' a hip or knee joint replacement will last.

And over the last few years collectively these papers..
Have changed the way I think + talk to people..
..about joint replacement.

My Knee Replacement post from March receeived 56,000 impressions..

It's become less about 'how long' it will last.
(that's like asking how long's a piece of string)

To more about the risk of needing a 2nd operation.


The take home..

Make to your 70s => for a LOW 1 in 20 chance of needing more surgery.


My @LifetimHip video of How long a hip replacement will last has gained 24,000 views. You can check it out here..

So, that's my 2 minute summary of 2024.

Thinknig and writing about general health, hip pain and joint replacement has really helped me this year.

And that deep understanding has helped me plan my 2025.
I hope it helps you..