Back on the ice post surgery

[DirkV]

Hi to all, but I especially want to let my goalie brethren know that I got on the ice tonight for the first time w/ resurfaced hips (approx 3 and 4 mo after 'staged' bilateral).
It went well. It was great to skate again. In comparison with last summer when I would take my kids to the skating session and watch / read a book, it was great to get out there again. There was a bit of muscle weakness, but after starting out slowly, I was able to cross over, skate backwards, etc. - even did a few criss-crosses in the crease for old-times sake.
Keep lookin' up,
-Dirk

[Pat Walter]

Way to go Dirk!

Wait until you are  6 to 9 months post op.  It will just get better and better for you.

How about some photos of you back on the ice?

Good Luck - don't let the Zamboni get you.

Pat

[bciam]

Atta Boy Keep !

I am jealous.  I skated a couple of days before my surgery knowing that it might be a while before I could lace 'em' up again. Can't wait to try though.  Let us know how it goes !

-Brian

[John in Mass]

Another fool from between the pipes here...

I've been living with this for 3.5 years, and am planning on resurfacing in December when it's slow at work. The thread has been terrific to read and encouraging.

I've gone to several doctors who do resurfacing, and they all say I'm a good candidate (48 y.o., in good shape). Went to one who does THR and resurfacing and he said he'd rather do THR so I'm not going to him (!)

Anyone heard of Dr. Dan Snyder at Newton Wellesley in MA? He's making quite a name for himself in these parts, doing the Birmingham work.

I just found this site so I'll keep reading and hoping for the best for every one of you.

[bciam]

Hi John,

Always nice to hear from other goalies.  Are you still trying to play ? 

I am now 6 weeks post op and was on the ice for the 1st time last night during my son's (7) practice.  Took it real slow and cautious but everything felt pretty good.

Dirk and John are further along than me although I have not heard from them in a while.  Hopefully they will respond also I have not heard of the dr. you had mentioned but I have noticed in reading other posts that there seem to be many more competent dr's here in the US performing resurfacing.  If you haven't already check out the "list of questions" that Pat has posted on this site and go over them with your prospective dr. which I think helps in either feeling confident with him or searching elsewhere.

Best of Luck and keep us posted

-Brian

[DirkV]

And another welcome, John, to the goalie subgroup.
I'm sorry to hear about your need for hip work, but you are in the right place to learn about getting your hips fixed.
I can't provide any info on the doc you asked about, but others might.
Tomorrow I go for my 4 month follow-up. If you want to get back to a high level of activity, it's not a slam dunk, but what I like about resurfacing is that is is possible.
When I underwent surgery, I had mentally written off hockey.
Up until a month or 2 ago, I still had not dared to think I might play hockey (goalie) again.
Now, I think I'm going to do it. Lateral ROM is the area I have to work on the most, but I'm thinking there's nothing other than stretching and working it out.
I'm planning to write an update to my hip story after the follow-up visit. You might be interested to read the hip story Pat posted (filed under Dr. Ball, my name: Dirk Van Dyke).
Good luck,
-Dirk

[Pat Walter]

Hi Hockey Lovers

Have you watched the video of Tom and Dr. Rubinstein on the ice?  It is here
http://www.surfacehippy.info/shvideos/videosathletes.php  Video #2

Thought you might find it interesting.  I hope when you are back on the ice, you will send me some videos for the website too.

Good Luck.

Pat

[bciam]

Dirk,

How did the 4 mo. follow up go ?  Are you still on pace for the Tour De Tucson ?  Also, FYI there is a pretty serious cyclist on the site (sroberts) who runs a tri clinic in Tucson.

Awesome to hear that you are seriously considering playing again.  Let us know !
You mentioned lateral rom, are you having more trouble extending outward or inward ?  For some reason I am OK with extending out but inward I stink.  Hopefully it will clear up in time.

Pat,

I did see the video and it was pretty cool.  Wish he was a goalie though, that would make me feel better.  Awesome that his dr. went out on the ice with him     

[Pat Walter]

I look forward to you making a video for the website when you are playing goalie!

Pat

[J B]

Hey guys,
glad to hear things are going well for everyone. Just had my 3 month check-up on Monday august 4th,and was given a clean bill of health. Dr. Weisstein said everything looks like it is supposed to except for the piece of the sheared pin but I wouldn't even know it happened if not for the x-ray.  Still have a slight favoring of the resurfaced side but know that when my strength is fully back, that will disappear. Went back to work that Tuesday and have made it through most of the day everyday through Saturday(I'm on my feet 8 Hours). Get a little sore toward the end of the day though. Played my first nine holes of golf and was relieved not to hear a snap when I swung the club, but boy did my game stink. Nice to get back into the grove however. My doctor told me again that he would prefer that I stay retired from hockey and any other activity which would shorten the life span of the new hip, although he said it was my decision in the end. Gotta weigh the pro's and con's I guess. Right now I am just happy to be out of the constant grinding pain we all know so well, just a little tenderness around the scar incision now. Well that's all for now on my end. Welcome to John another fellow keeper. Good luck to you on your journey to hippie land. Regards and best wishes to Dirk, Brian, Pat and everyone else. John

[DirkV]

Hello guys,
I've been away for a while, but good to hear recoveries are going well. John, great to hear that your tag-along piece is no problem and that you're back on the course. John, have you been skating any more? It seems like good therapy, in addition to a lot of fun. You asked about ROM, and my issues are to both sides. On the straight-ahead plane, I'm doing very well. I've been working more on the external side ROM (which was very poor) than internal (also poor) because I was concerned about that crossing the centerline restriction. But the surgeon said no more restrictions (other than avoid jarring actions/activities until 6 mo). The PT thinks the restriction is in the hip capsule, as opposed to specific muscles.
This was one of those roller-coaster mind issues; a couple months ago when I found out the extent of lateral ROM restriction, I almost convinced myself that my surgery was not entirely successful and took solace in the activities I would still be able to enjoy with minimal sideways ROM. But the PT was great and emphatically stated that there was no physical reason that ROM couldn't be regained. And it is getting significantly better. (If I think about it, the prosthetic can certainly move in those directions, so it's just a matter of getting muscles and tendons and whatnot to cooperate.) So it's just a matter of time and effort and patience -- hate those things . And the surgeon echoed the advice to be patient about ROM recovery. I posted a "4 month update" in the general section with specifics about the recovery issues, if you are interested in looking ahead in recovery process.
Good luck and good recovery,
-Dirk