I’m so excited!  I had my four month checkup yesterday and everything looks great!  The x-rays showed the placement of the head and cup is perfect (still).  My recovery has been excellent with the exception of frequent knee pain when I do too much (usually steep uphill on snowshoes or stepping too high climbing).  Dr. Hickman did x-ray my knee and it is fine.  I still need to strengthen my left quad and hamstring which should ease the load on my knee, and continue to increase my flexibility.  I’m absolutely thrilled with Dr. Hickman and the results of my LBHR.

It really helped to read about everyone’s activities and progress.  Steve (sgoulet) and Spencer (sroberts) motivated me to keep increasing my time on the spin cycle and possibly ride more outside this summer (usually only do one to two rides outside a month but take three spin classes a week).  Eric (hawaiieric) has me thinking of tango lessons and I had a fleeting thought of trying to kiteski (too scary).

The ongoing message for me was that we all are different and heal at different speeds and in different ways.  A structured physical therapy program really helped me because I’m not a naturally muscular person so have to really work to increase my strength.  I’ve always enjoyed aerobic activities, and struggled with weights and stretching.  Fortunately, I’m back snowshoeing with my group and staying close to the front (and last week I was the first one to the ridge â€" picture attached).  Indoor climbing really helped because I zone and focus on the next move (and not falling!) instead of my hip.  The body is amazing how it compensates naturally for weak areas (i.e. my friends notice I'm often pushing down on a hold with my right arm in an effort to offload the weight on my left leg).

And, I got my official Surface Hippy t-shirts.  Yeah, I’m a very happy hippy.

Way to go  ;D    Glad to hear you are doing so well.

Keep up the good work.

Good luck.

Pat

Glad to hear you are doing so well!  By the looks of the pic, you seem to be in pretty good shape!  :)

I am glad you found spinning/cycling helpful in your recovery.  It really helped me get my flexibility, aerobic capacity and strength back in my legs...and with very little impact or risk to the joint.  Three spin classes a week will get you into shape in no time!

Keep up the good work and be careful on the slopes!

Steve

Way to go! I'm glad to hear your good news. I bet you feel fantastic!


spencer

Thank Pat and everyone for the support.  I have about a year before I get my other hip done so I'll be playing as hard as I can and increasing my strength.  And yes, I'll be spinning/cycling to get those gluts, hamstrings and quads ready.  This website has been a lifesaver.