JD's story

[jd]

Went for a (very easy) "hike" yesterday. Maybe 2.5 miles, a little up and down and rough but nothing too crazy. The very steep portions were really challenging so I avoided those (this area has lots of criss-crossing trails), but overall I felt great!

[blinky]

Another milestone.

[PMac]

Great stuff, you must be really pleased!

[Ljpviper]

How is your recovery going? I am trying to shedule my surgery/s with Dr.Gross this week.
Thanks,
Larry

[jd]

Still going well. Psoas is still my major problem and I don't do too well standing for more than a couple of hours (and sometimes get some pain ~1 hour of static standing).

Big walks are more sporadic now but longer. I did 3 miles yesterday including some minor hills.

Mostly I'm focusing on trying to get stability throughout range of motion. An example would be that my operated-side quads get super shaky in extension (knee flexion) so I struggle to do a lunch with that leg in front. This doesn't sound super important but it does relate to things like tying shoelaces without somewhere to sit. Gluteus Medius is doing pretty well now. Still some work to do but I'm getting better at going up stairs smoothly without a rail.

Things are *enormously* easier than in the first month and I have to remind myself to be careful. As an example I was walking recently and went to cross the street at a traffic light. I read the light wrong (stupid) and realized the car coming had right of way so sortof half-jogged the rest of the way. I wasn't actually in danger of getting hit as the car had space to slow down but my natural instinct is just to get out of the way and I momentarily forgot not to impact the hip. Thankfully it went OK!

[Ljpviper]

 Can you sit with no pain for extended periods? I guess working the muscles back to full strength symmetrically is a challenging, now that the joint is new.
Thanks,
Larry

[jd]

Yup, sitting is no big deal.

[blinky]

Ha! I hear ya. There are times I forget to be careful, too, I feel so good. And then I overdo it...


Remind me, no PT? I am curious about your particular weaknesses and how you found them out. You decided on your own to focus on one leg stability? And decided after discovering it was a problem?

[jd]

I did remote follow-up for 6 weeks so I had to see a PT for part of the eval and send it to Dr Gross. I'll say upfront that it was pretty difficult to get the PT to actually fill in Dr Gross' eval form. It took me quite awhile to drag it out of them, which was frustrating.

On the other hand, I did listen to some of the things the PT pointed out, and that's where I got part of this focus on stability. It makes intuitive sense to me and I see the clear connection between day-to-day plus (light) sporting activities and the ability to lower body to stabilize. Since I was past the 6-week "take it easy, really only do these things" cutoff, I incorporated some of the PT's suggestions.

So, I sortof saw PT briefly (a few sessions)? I think I have a lot to work on now, so happy to go back off on my own.

[Ljpviper]

Thanks for all the info Joe, Dr.Gross is calling me tomorrow to discuss. I want to set a date alleady.
Thanks,
Larry

[jd]

It's been a while since I checked in so I figured I owed a quick update. Things are still going very well as far as I'm concerned, although I've been a little lazy about exercise and definitely gained weight during the recovery. Time to fix that!

I just got back from a week in Mexico City on vacation walking a lot. I did far more walking and standing in museums and the like than I would have been able to tolerate before surgery so that felt fantastic. We also went to Teotihuacan (pre-hispanic pyramid site) and I climbed an awful lot of steps, including many very tall ones. Interestingly, I think I actually improved a ton in that day as I'm now essentially perfect on stairs whereas I felt a little weak still beforehand. I'm going to ramp up my stair activity even further now.

So, all good at the moment and no complaints to report!

[Ljpviper]

 Joe,

Glad to hear your recovery is going smooth. Its definitely relieves a little anxiety about my up coming surgery with Dr. Gross, as our cases are so similar.

Regards,

Larry

[blinky]

Hey JD!


So you recommend vacation therapy? Especially in a warm locale?


I hear ya on the weight gain. I was doing so well until just recently. Now I feel good, appetite is back 110%, but ability to exercise long and vigorously is not quite there yet.

[PMac]

Ahh yes the weight gain, comes to us all I think. I'm really fed up with myself and now its time to get back on it. I am ok to go back to my pre-surgery routine in the gym now but for some reason my brain keeps telling me to skip the gym and eat more yummy unhealthy food!

[jd]

Another update.

I hate "cardio" in the gym. Even listening to an audiobook or music it's utterly boring. I've been walking at a medium speed on a treadmill with max inclination (these go to 15 degrees) which starts to get challenging, but still bores me to death. I enjoy the outdoor walks a lot more but they just don't have the sustained challenge of the incline. I should probably just go hiking more often :)

Basically, I'm salivating at the idea of being allowed to lift weights again in two months (although I will obviously start very slowly!), it just feels so much more rewarding.

I've also been considering working back into kettlebell swings. Dr Gross' 3 rules aren't violated by them (>50lbs, extreme flexion, impact) but I vaguely recalled something else about explosive exercises (which they definitely are) so I contacted the office and got a bit of a confusing response. First off they said it was A-OK as long as I didn't violate the 3 rules so sounded fine to them (with a <50lb kettlebell), even after I'd mentioned it was definitely "a bit explosive". When I responded to their A-OK saying that's what I thought but was just being cautious, they wrote back a second time saying "avoid anything 'too explosive' until the 6-month point" so not sure what the story really is. I should probably follow-up for clarification.

Good news is I've recently gotten my diet back under control and starting to lose some of these excess pounds.

[blinky]

Well darn.


I feel your frustration. Feeling good, wanting to do more.

[jd]

Yup, to be clear, everything is good! Now I'm just getting impatient :)

But I'll be good. 4 months down, 2 to go.

[chuckm]

Hi JD, we all had to go through it. We all had to take it easy and be patient despite feeling really good. Even AFTER the six month mark you have to be focused.
My memory tells me that the greatest number of soft tissue injuries I have read about from posts on this website were from athletes who went too fast too soon in the weight room or with kettlebells once they were cleared for those activities. And many they did not completely realize the injury extent of the injury while exercising.
Most were also set back weeks or months. Luckily, no one I can recall (at least in the last few years) has reported fracturing their femoral neck from the weight room or the kettlebells.
As with any of the "restricted" activities, my advice is to choose a level of exertion (50% or 70% for example) and stick to that for a long period - whether it be running, weights, or kettlebells. That way you will keep clear of the level that could cause an injury. Usually it was those who tried to match their level of exertion with how good they felt during the activity that ended up overdoing it.
Steady calculated incremental increases will provide the fastest injury free recovery in my opinion. That also requires the most discipline as well.

Chuckm

[jd]

That absolutely makes sense to me Chuck. I'd hate to add an injury and definitely understand that even once our surgeons clear us to do "anything", it's understood that it requires a gradual ramp-up to avoid injury. I know that today I am still not particularly strong on the operated leg -- I can't yet do a lunge with that leg forward and without some additional support (it's OK for maybe 75% of the range down, but the bottom part is really hard) so I have lots to work on with bodyweight anyway in the meantime.

Thanks for your support!

[chuckm]

JD, I have another important thing I can advise.
Once you are clear at 6 months to partake in impact activities, also limit the time you perform the activities.
It is important to select a level below full exertion as I mentioned before, but then also limit how long you do the activity.
Certain muscles will reach full exhaustion well before others and if you are swinging kettlebells or lifting weights your large muscles might feel great. But there are many internal muscles that were traumatized by the surgery that will fatigue, go into spasm, and then suddenly you have that mysterious injury that you cannot figure out.

Chuckm