Anyone return to playing basketball?

[wesinator]

Hello all,
Wanted to let anyone who’s interested know that I posted a 2 minute YouTube video of some Y-league highlights (highlights is a stretch) of a surface hippy balling.  Web address is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFBDdn8l7IQ

Sweet.

Later,
Wes

[medgerton]

Played today for the first time in about 11 months. Two full (small) court games was enough for me. No pain but I am stiff tonight. I was sucking wind though. It is going to take some time to get back into shape. The hip felt strong and I had full confidence in it.  I am 6 months post op.

[wesinator]

Just in time for March Madness....  Congratulations!

[roosevelt heights]

MHedgerton,

Huge update...that is my REALISTIC goal...Congrats...How did it feel to set that pick, or block out on your hip...could u stick the pivot foot ?

[duck4three]

Very Nice MHedgerton!

Congrats on your progress getting back on the court.  Did you do any shooting around in the weeks prior to getting back on the court?  That is the one thing I haven't heard much of, it seems as though many hoopers have gone directly back to competition.  Again congrats!

All the best to you!

[medgerton]

I did shoot around some for a month or so before playing. I did the usual exercises that the hospital PT gives you for the first month or so after the operation. I also did 6 weeks of physical therapy that included some good strenghtening exercises and range of motion improvement therapy.  I also hiked in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve starting in month 3 after surgery. I started with just short level trails and worked up to add distance and elevation. I overdid it and screwed up my quads and thankfully I was in PT at the time so they fixed the problem. But it took a week to recover from that experience. I also worked out three times a week for about an hour each time doing 20 minurtes on either the stationary bike, elliptical, or rowing machine. Then lifted weights for 20 - 30 minutes and stretched a little.

To sum it up I did a good amount of physical activity before playing but I never did run hard or try to cut hard before playing.

When I played I was able to rebound , set picks, shoot and play D OK. I was not able to pivot and change direction quickly. For instance if the defense suddenly intercepted a pass and I needed to turn around quickly and sprint back to play D. This isn't a hip joint issue. Just need to get the muscles back into shape. 

I am excited to be able to play again. I fully expected to be able to based on the stories I read here before my operation.  My expectations have been met. 

[duck4three]

This is great Medgerton,

Thank you for sharing!  I recently have moved slowly to one crutch, I am feeling stronger, something about me wants to move seamlessly to work without the crutches.  I have a feeling that my PT will move me off of them all together once they see me.  It's like I am using them as a crutch more figuratively than literally, my legs feel strong I can't yet tell just how much strength I lost.  My quads feel strong, but the weekness really feels in the flex at the hip.  Raising the knee in front and things surrounding that are my largest challenge, however even that is improving significantly. 

I appreciate your B-ball experiences they help a great deal, keep us posted on your progress out on the court.  Maybe one day we can organize a Surface Hippy All-Star game!  LOL!

Thanks again!

[tmaroo56]

I am 16+ months Post Op. I play basketball 2 times a week (sometimes three) and work out two times a week. There is always a little groin pain and a little quad pain afterwards, but my surgeon says its normal. I keep up on strength exercises and weights for my quads, hamstrings, abductors/aductors and calves. Need to do more core work. I am 42 and hope to play basketball to age 55+ if possible.

By the way, in addition to my workouts, I shot around and did some "drills" on the court to get ready for playing actual games. I was still out of breath my first time out, but I felt a little more in control that way.

[wesinator]

What up fellow surface hippies,

Make sure you thoroughly stretch out your calves and Achilles before any running activities.

Wanted to share good news as well as bad, to keep the knowledge sharing alive and help others learn.  This time I have bad news.  At about 11 months post op, ruptured my Achilles tendon last week playing basketball.  This is the same leg with the new hip.  Have been playing at a very high level since about 8 months, pretty much full speed with no problems.  We even won the Y rec league.  Then three weeks ago while cutting I had a twinge in my Achilles.  Was able to finish that game, then quit for the night.  It hurt pretty bad so I took a week off, then played once again a week later with a little pain, not too bad.  Then last week, it was feeling better, so sort of went back to full speed playing.  Towards the end of the 1st game, I planted and went to sprint, and BAM!  Felt like somebody kicked the crap out of my ankle.  But nobody did.  Had surgery Saturday morning to repair it, local doc said it was completely torn.  Crutches for 6 weeks followed by rehab.  I understand the rehab will suck compared to the easy rehab I experienced with the hip. 

Hip resurfacing rehab = Immediately walk on your own without pain.  Progress from crutches to cane to nothing relatively fast as you build your muscles back.  Rehab sort of takes care of itself by just walking.   At 8 months have complete confidence.

versus

Achilles rehab = Wear a M-Fing non-weight-bearing cast for 6 weeks while your leg muscles atrophy away. Go to a PT many times a week.  Stretch all the time.  Hurt.  Suffer.  Have slow progress.  Perpetually wonder if it or the other will blow out again.

Can you tell I am sort of bummed at the moment?

Want to emphasize that I believe this has nothing to do with my new hip.  It is still good. The fact that it so good allowed me to push the rest of my aging body farther than it needed to go at the time.  Once I felt that first twinge I should have rested it for a longer while (sure wish I would have now).  Also my stretching had been minimal.  I have only been stretching before exercising and it is only for 3-5 minutes max.  I now believe 3-4 minutes on the Achilles alone is appropriate and maybe 10 minutes as a minimum is appropriate, 15 would be better.  From what I have been reading, “weekend warriors” (non-pro basketball players), especially those over 30, are particularly susceptible to Achilles injury.

If Dr Gross did Achilles, I would have gone to him for this.  Heck I would go to him for a cold if he did that.  He is a hero of mine and the gold standard against which I will forever measure all other docs.  However, in contrast to hip replacement, where you have time to research and choose a doctor, a busted Achilles is something you don’t want to let set while you mull over your options for weeks or months.  It is trauma that needs fixed.

In my case, the doc that did the Achilles repair is the same first doc that I first visited with hip trouble.  He is the doc that wanted to and would have done a total hip replacement.  At this visit he was still advising, “don’t play basketball on an artificial hip, even resurfacing, they’re not made for it.  They will wear out faster.  You want 20-25 years, not 6”.  I am certain that he means well and wants the best for his patients.  But we do not see eye to eye.  But I needed a fixed Achilles and he was once again well recommended. 

Dr Gross does not have such restrictions on “impact activities”.  We will see who is right.  Time will tell how long our resurfaced hips will last under the acknowledged additional wear and tear of bball.  Life is short and I have been and will continue to be a willing test subject.  Just want this damn cast off.

Best of luck to all!

[The Kid]

I haven't been on the boards in a while but I remember watching Wesinator's video and being pumped because I too love to play ball.  I'm real sorry to hear about your recent injury and I hope it heals and you can get back out on the court.  I remember back in college I was done playing ball for the night and was just sitting on the sidelines taking my shoes off when I got asked to play, I knew that I shouldn't have played because I was already spent but they convinced me to play and sure enough I blew out my left ankle.  I didn't play ball again for almost 2 years and never really played the same again.  Moral of the story, listen to your body and don't go against it, especially as we get older.

I'm now at my 5 month point and next month I go to Dr. Rogerson for my 6 month follow up and hopefully get the clearance for impact activities.  I've been riding a lot of miles, walking and lifting weights in preperation for the upcoming b-ball season and I hope it goes well. 

Take care Wes and best of luck to you and everyone else. 

[wesinator]

What up Surface Hippy-hoopsters,

Time has past and my Achilles is healing up nicely.  It’s been 4 months.  Feel like I could go back now, but am going to stay conservative.  Plus it’s not bball season yet  :). 

Hip is still golden, was telling someone recently that at 1 year and 3 months, I rarely, if at all, think much about it anymore.  It simply is fixed. 

Something I have been thinking about is how much extra wear and tear is this extra running and jumping going to cost our new hips. My own common sense and belief tells me that an artificial device is not the same as the much of the rest of your body in the way that the more you use it, the better off it becomes, like your skills and your muscles.  It is a mechanical thing that will wear out.   I have heard several opinions, but the one I trust most is Dr Gross.  He has plainly stated, “no limits on impact activites”.   

If he says it, it’s good enough for me.  Play on.

later,
Wes

[The Kid]

Wes...I bet you are pumped to get back out on the court, I hope it goes well for you.  I played my first ball last week and it felt great while playing, sore the next day but that is to be expected.  Tomorrow I'm back at it and can't wait.   ;D

Take it easy...Tom

[duck4three]

 :) Hello Hoopers, it's been several months since the last time I checked in with all of you.  First and foremost to Wes, man I hope your recover from the injury goes well.  You have been a great inspiration for me and I am sure I speak for others as well. 

Ok, so first of all this new hip has been amazing.  I am still navigating through what I can or should I say am willing to do with it.  I learned a lot about myself during my recovery, mostly that I am very conservative.  I have been back on the court for about a month and a half now and I started very slow, Very Very slow...I have picked up the pace recently but still I have a hard time accepting that I can jump and run and shoot with great comfort.  No pain, other than my hamstring being tight and a little glute fatigue, other than that the hip has been great.  The other night I had a pretty strong all-star performance in my rec league.  My biggest issue is driving by defense, I am trying to recall all the moves I had prior to my hip deteriorating and they are slowly coming back.  I noticed that bending my knees when making a move is the problem, when I get low I am good, right now I am still so tight that my body fights me and I don't even notice until my defender cuts me off.  When I think about it I can get by them with relative ease, so that is awesome.  I was always known as a shooter in my day, but I can put it on the floor fairly well and I really want that back so I am working hard at it.   :o 

I do have a question for the runners and hoopers, my hamstring is so tight, that my fast twitch isn't quite where it should be and neither is the hamstring strength, right where the glute and Hammy meet.  So when I try to sprint full stride I get this failure like pain that says slow down.  It feel like i need to do lunges or leg curls, but I want to be sure.  Has anyone experienced anything like this when returning.  I know I am a little slow in my recovery but I am fine taking my time, but I am 9 months and want to get to full sprint sooner than later so I can teach these young guys a few things.  Anyone have any thoughts in this area?


All the best,

Big "O"

[jjmclain]

I am not a Hooper and I am only one month post-op. However, I am a personal trainer and fitness instructor. Hamstring curls on a stability ball or bosu ball would be great to strengthen the hamstring, glute, and core muscles. Single leg at a time is preferrable. Using the machines, it is easy to cheat, so I prefer my clients and students use one of the balls. Let me know if you need an explanation how to perform them.

Glad to hear you are doing so well!

[roosevelt heights]

Hello Hoopers,

It is great to be back on the court officiating the game I have played (Go CSU Dominguez Hills !) and coached since 8 years old.  I sat out the entire '09-'10 season to have both hips resurfaced by Dr. Pritchett in February and April 2010. Post op was tough, I developed an infection after the second procedure which required an additional 3 days in the hospital. Like a neanderthal, I went from a walker, to crutches, a cane, and finally to the "waddle." After my 6 month check up, Dr Pritchett said, "your good, you can't hurt these devices." I set my intentions to get even healthier. Basketball, like laughter is good medicine. It brings me joy. Anyone else understand that feeling ? It feeds my ego.

I found the best rehab to be deep water exercises and Bikram Yoga. I actually dropped 15 pounds, and found some spring in my step, but could not "change gears" as of yet. In October of this year, I started working the little guys, and basically got up and down the floor lightly jogging and with a slight "waddle."

For support of both hips, I met with a podiatrist who fitted me with orthotics. He used the analogy that my legs are like tires on a car, and orthotics and hip resurfacing are like having your tires retreaded. He went on to say that with retreads you can drive further, but you cannot drive recklessly like a teenager.  Needless to say, I am doing the speed limits !

In late November, and in December my community college and high school seasons kicked off. I still have some "waddle", but no joint pain in either hip. I still use the sock "puter oner", and my shoe laces are double tied to the inside (I was never very flexible). Thus far, I am working 3-4 games per week, and have had two great OT games.

Moral of the story is, if you are researching your options for hip resurfacing vs total, Pros vs cons, this vs that. Or, if you are newly post op, swelling and/ or clunking, with time and listening to your body, all these issues will pass.  Like many other hippies, I drank the "kool-aid", I love my bilats. The next scream you hear from me is when I announce that I can put on my socks unassisted !

[duck4three]

Hello Hoopers and Non hoopers,

Thanks for the responses to the last post.  jjmclain I am very interested in the hamstring exercises you mentioned using the ball and any others you may recommend.  I haven't done any weight training since the first few months of recovery.  I am not and never really have been very flexible, so I decided to take a vacation from the weights and try a more natural approach with Pilates.  So far it has been outstanding, however, due to the explosive nature of certain areas of hoops I am going to try the hamstring excercises as well.

One additional question, has anyone tried lunges at all.  Including side, 45 degree and normal?  I did a small set with no weights at home and was pretty sore a couple of days later which I expected.

All the best,

:D

[eb7]

Hello basketball players

It was inspiring to read all the stories of players returning to basketball and I thought I should share my own.  I had my right hip resurfaced in January 2010 and left one done in May 2010.  Now, 8 months after my second surgery, I am back playing, at a slow pace in some local leagues.  I feel way better than I did for the few years before surgery, at least in terms of my hips.  Even though the running and moving pain is gone, I slow myself down to protect against injury, particularly because my calves feel really tight and vulnerable.  I can really feel for you Wesinator and wish you the best in your recovery. 

Getting back to sport in general, and basketball in particular, has been such a great thing for me.  I never even realized how much I missed not being able to go out and compete on the court.

As I was dealing with pain during the initial healing stages, I told myself I would be happy getting out on the basketball court once or twice a month.  However, now that the pain is gone and my taste for sports is coming back, I am finding myself pushed towards doing a lot more activities.  I have played street hockey, tennis a number of times and even had my first hockey game last week (a lot of muscle soreness after that but my hip felt fine).

I have done lots of physiotherapy and feel confident that I will have hips as strong as ever by the time I am fully recovered.  With all the core, glute and stabilizer training I have been doing, I think there is a decent chance I could even have a better functioning mid section than pre-surgery. 

However, I still don't know quite what to believe about the impact of these sports on the longevity of my Smith and Nephew hips and would love some opinions from any doctors or fellow patients on this subject.  Although I understand there isn't a ton of data on the longevity of the prosthesis because it is a relatively new surgery, I am sure there must have been some studies done, as well as some autopsies on both relatively sedentary and active people to compare wear patterns. 

I have heard conflicting reports about what is actually happening inside the hip.  I read something saying that there is constant metal on metal wear that will eventually lead to failure of the hip, obviously much sooner for an active athlete.  However I have also read the ball and socket are machined so finely that a thin layer of liquid is trapped between the opposing surfaces, thus eliminating all friction, and don't know what to make of the conflicting reports.

I would love to hear from anyone reading this what they understand to be the long term consequences of returning to a moderately high level of sports.  Are you really holding yourself back from the sports you love or are you doing whatever you feel like?  Thanks.

[Riboflavin]

Hello Hoopers and Non hoopers,

Thanks for the responses to the last post.  jjmclain I am very interested in the hamstring exercises you mentioned using the ball and any others you may recommend.  I haven't done any weight training since the first few months of recovery.  I am not and never really have been very flexible, so I decided to take a vacation from the weights and try a more natural approach with Pilates.  So far it has been outstanding, however, due to the explosive nature of certain areas of hoops I am going to try the hamstring excercises as well.

One additional question, has anyone tried lunges at all.  Including side, 45 degree and normal?  I did a small set with no weights at home and was pretty sore a couple of days later which I expected.

All the best,

:D

[wesinator]

EB7,
I have read a lot over the past 1.5 years about what is the wear and tear on our resurfaced hips, and from what I can tell the answer is very definite:  Nobody knows for sure.  And the reason is that there is no historical data on these new style resurfacings past 10 or so years ago (and even less for even newer like Gross's cementless).  And definitely none on people playing impact sports like basketball,  soccer, running marathons, etc.  There is no known formula for how much the increased impacts will lesson the life.  We are very literally test subjects.  If you want it to last the longest, take it easy.  On the other hand, if you want to be active and live your life - balls to the wall! 

All,
Update on my bball story.  I am back to playing 2-3 times a week after fully recovering from Achilles tendon surgery. Sweet.  It won’t be long before I am done, but it won’t be because of the hip.  I’m just getting old.  But for now…  lace ‘em up and play on friends!

Later,
Wes

[duck4three]

Hello Hoopers, it has been a while since my last post and it was good to read that Wes is back in action on the court!  I must say that since my resurfacing in March of 2010, that the progress has been so good that I have been a little slack.  I feel so good when I walk around and play hoops that I have taken a week off from working out here and there.  I don't recommend that as you get stiff and tight when you sit all day at work and don't get any excercise in.  Right now it's the NBA playoff's and I have been hooping at a very high level.  In fact I am competing against players ten years and more my younger and giving them all they can handle and more :).  I will put it this way, I am back to getting a double team in pick up ball with former NBA and College Players.  I think that speaks volumes about the long term benefits of resurfacing.  Ok, so it does cross my mind from time to time that I am pushing way too hard.  My pick up is a very organized game and usually lasts for a minimum of two hours.  I then follow that up with weight training, including, lunges for the hamstring, squats for the glutes focus and seated leg press.  WOW!  This really is amazing and I still feel like there is progress to be had.  I am still gaurded with some moves, as I played shooting gaurd in college and point professionally and I am more concerned about my defender making a wrong move than me doing something.  In fact I am great in one-on-one which tells me there are still a few mental hurdles to overcome.  I just don't see any harm in being somewhat cautious until i reach two years.  I tie my shoes, run, jump of one and two legs operated and non.  It has been wonderful! I guess I will just pray that I don't wear this thing out.  My doc told me that it will outlast me.  I guess we'll see!  Cheers my friends and happy hooping! ;D