Awesome! This website is a godsend, you have no idea how much comfort I have gotten from this place. You feel kind of alone with your problems and a place like this kind of givers you a home.
Well Ive been doing mma since around 2005 and just recently 2 years ago got obsessed with the gi, I recently moved to Atlanta to pursue jiu jitsu at a higher level and am loving it here training at Alliance. Im training 6 days a week and harder than I ever have and getting better quick but this hip is my main roadblock. It has gotten pretty bad over the past year and there are some days i can barely walk. The severity comes and goes. I have been putting this off bc im making such good gains in my game and the thought of 6 months off depresses me.
Ha but this is how i know im ready, the pain is so bad i actually want to do it now...the thought of getting the constant pain and limp out of my life is pretty wild. Considering 100 years ago id be a cripple at 35 most likely.. ( im 31 now).
I guess im just trying to meet any fellow jiu jitsu guys or kickboxing and let me know anything you think i should know. Will i be able to still compete at jiu jitsu and what is the best possible time of recovery im looking at? From what i am reading it appears as i will not be able to do any serious training for at least 6 months. That is terrible to think about but it has to be done.
Also im wondering if i can focus on boxing while i heal up around the 3 month mark....seems like that would not be near as bad on my hips as something like jiu jitsu. As long as I can find something to dedicate myself to and throw up some goals in im fine.
Thanks in advance for any help guys!
Jeremy
Hey Jeremy - not a BJJ guy, but Olympic Tae Kwon Do. There's plenty of BJJ fighters here, I'm sure they'll check in.
I think you're going to be able to go back, but your timescale may be different than what you expect. My surgeon advised against going back to full speed impact workouts until a year had passed. Some here went back earlier, but probably not at six months. I'll let them tell you their stories. (Danny?)
The most important thing is to pick a really good surgeon. Their skill will let you get back to where you belong.
The thing though is that if you've got OA, then it will stop you at some point. I know it did me. It stopped me for six years - four of denial and coming to terms with the need for the surgery, two of recovery after the surgery. I'm working out at full speed now, boxing and kicking workouts on the bag, good motion and flexibility.
Like I said, others will drop in, but I can tell you for myself, I'm back to full power on kicks and punches.
Welcome, you're in the right place.
Thats awesome man....good to hear...although the one year timeline is not good at all considering im in my final years of my athletic prime. Im currently researching ways to push out the inevitable maybe a few years. Prolotherapy looks promising but we will have to see. Its so difficult for me to think that i cant do jiu jitsu for an entire year but like you said it will stop me at some point and the pain has gotten pretty bad. I physically cannot run anymore so in the next year im sure it will be terrible. 6 months recovery is bad enough as it is but damn a year i cant even imagine
Quote from: hernanu on July 06, 2013, 04:14:15 PM
Hey Jeremy - not a BJJ guy, but Olympic Tae Kwon Do. There's plenty of BJJ fighters here, I'm sure they'll check in.
I think you're going to be able to go back, but your timescale may be different than what you expect. My surgeon advised against going back to full speed impact workouts until a year had passed. Some here went back earlier, but probably not at six months. I'll let them tell you their stories. (Danny?)
The most important thing is to pick a really good surgeon. Their skill will let you get back to where you belong.
The thing though is that if you've got OA, then it will stop you at some point. I know it did me. It stopped me for six years - four of denial and coming to terms with the need for the surgery, two of recovery after the surgery. I'm working out at full speed now, boxing and kicking workouts on the bag, good motion and flexibility.
Like I said, others will drop in, but I can tell you for myself, I'm back to full power on kicks and punches.
Welcome, you're in the right place.
I had to stop kickboxing bc of the toll it took on my hips...man to think that i can get back into that is awesome.... let me know if any one has any experience with prolotherapy
Hay mate skip the prolothearpy it's not proven and once arthritis is set in as it sounds as though yours is then resurfacing is the only option to remain active.
Go see the best surgeon you can and use a proven device such as the bhr.
Recovery times vary greatly but you'll need 6 months off till you start rolling lightly and a year till you can start pushing it. Remember that if you push too hard too soon it can make your device fail either then or later on. Better to allow full healing and then enjoy for long term!
Damn...that is hard to hear...i had my heart set on 6 months, then slowly working my way back into training hard...a year off is heart breaking. Especially considering im 31 and im in better shape than ive ever been and on a roll competing and getting better. I was just hoping i could find something to give me some time. Even if its only one year of training before i have to get the surgery
Quote from: Dannywayoflife on July 06, 2013, 08:05:59 PM
Hay mate skip the prolothearpy it's not proven and once arthritis is set in as it sounds as though yours is then resurfacing is the only option to remain active.
Go see the best surgeon you can and use a proven device such as the bhr.
Recovery times vary greatly but you'll need 6 months off till you start rolling lightly and a year till you can start pushing it. Remember that if you push too hard too soon it can make your device fail either then or later on. Better to allow full healing and then enjoy for long term!
I know how you feel mate. I was 28 when I had mine done and was very active in mma along with other stuff.
I see you've sent your X-rays to Dr Gross? I think he says wait 6 months before pushing. Personally I'd wait a year as the healing is more complete although bone is still remodelling for far longer than that.
Honestly save your money on the prolothearpy. I've known mate have it for other things and its juts been an expensive waste. I can't see how it could help advanced arthritis either. If you want to delay surgery slightly get some steroid shots, but not many.
yeah its a weird thing..they basically inject sugar water in your joints and it is suppose to encourage healing and regrowth. There are tons of people that swear by it so i figured it might be worth a try. If i could put it off a year id be happy. I will talk to Dr. Gross about it when he calls me back and see what i can do to push it out. I also need to prepare financially to take off work for 6 weeks and the out of network expenses. It sucks bc i just moved to Alliance Atlanta and im training at a higher level than i ever have and this hip threatens to take it all away for a year
Im wondering how bad boxing would be on my hip after 3 months...if i could focus on that it wouldnt be so bad. Just light bag and mit work...maybe start doing jiu jitsu technique to keep my mind going
Boxing at 3 months would be a deffo no no mate. It's high impact and at 3 months that's the most likely time for a neck fracture.
I know it's hard but what's 12 months if it give you your life back?
I'm pretty sure Gross lifts restrictions at 6 months. I personally felt better waiting the full 12 as it means healing is nearly fully complete.
I started light boxing at 9 months, but by light I mean LIGHT. Just getting the right rotation on the hip, driving through the bag was a project to get into. I wasn't hitting the bag with authority with hands until about 12 months. Pad work I didn't do as much, but it's no problem now at almost three years.
You know your power for boxing comes from the hips, so they have to not only be strong, limber but also have to support the impact. If you're at that level, you'll be generating a respectable amount of power from your hips, you want not only the hip device but aso the smaller supporting muscles that are cut or moved to support the movement.
All of that needs to recoup. I wasn't hitting the bag with authority until fourteen months, basic kicks - front, round and eventually the side kicks.
That was me. Others may have different experiences, but the process is not really muscular at first (except for the smaller muscles), but structural. Your device has to set, get the bone grown into it, the bone grown strong and the lost blood flow to the femoral neck restored before you can push the muscles to get back.
You also will need to retrain the muscles to do actions that are now instinctual. Once they're trained they get back fast, but you'll find some unusual lack of coordination that needs to be overcome.
As ever an excellent reply from hern :)
wow thanks for the information guys...this is devastating to hear.... one years is a hell of a long time. From this information i will likely try to push this surgery off as long as humanly possible. Im so stubborn i refuse to stop training so im doing damage faster and faster. Id be surprised if i wasnt fully crippled after a year. Im going to talk to Dr. Gross after he looks at my xrays and see what the pros and cons are of waiting. I hait to take anti-inflammatories but id be willing to take them if it buys me a year before surgery. Maybe see if getting a few steroid or cortisone shots throughout the year will help.
If not I guess ill have to find some way mentally of dealing with this while watching all my friends pursue their jiu jitsu careers and traveling and competing and such. This is going to be terribly difficult when the time comes for sure.
Just want to be straight with you on what you're looking at.
Getting back to the kind of fitness you need for where you want to be is doable. We have people here who have gotten back to high achievement in many fields, just check some of the stories.
But they also went through the recuperation and dealt with the disappointment of waiting and the elation of returning to full fitness.
It doesn't mean an end to your career, but it does mean an interval. Here in the Boston area, our quarterback had a fairly serious ACL tear, put him out for a year, he worked hard and returned to full function.
Talk to Dr. Gross, or whoever you settle on and cover your goals. Ask them what a good schedule would be for return to training, see what their thoughts are and go from there. Use them, they are part of your team.
thank you so much for your straight foward advice. Im reading as much as i can on this sight and im sure ill become obsessed with it as time passes.
Do you think that my age will benefit the speed of my recovery. I am 31 years old and in peak physical condition. Eat very clean and have excercised all my life. Im am reading some people saying they are back to running at 3 months which sounds early and others waiting longer. The best i could hope for is at the 3 month mark to be able to get back to drilling technique in the gym and maybe light sparring at the 6 month mark, start going full bore at 9. Ha im just venting ill just have to wait to talk to Dr. Gross im just need to know so i can mentally prepare.
Personally I think running or doing any high impact at 3 months is just stupid. That's when your femoral neck is at its weakest.
Healing is funny and everyone is different. I was 3 years younger than yourself when I had surgery had a similar back ground and it took me the full 12 months to get back to rolling on the mat.
Jeremy, you have mentally tough road ahead in my opinion and it sounds like a road you should definitely take if you have severe hip arthritis. But, your circumstance is a bit unique. Most of us here (I’ve learned from reading posts over the last six months) had lost so much range of motion in our hips that we could no longer do the things we wanted.
I enjoyed playing soccer and could still play despite the pain, but then the joint became so tight there was nothing I could do. And then I was forced to accept that I would not be playing sports ever again. So after being out for a couple of years the thought of being able to return to sport in 6 months or a year was absolutely fantastic.
You on the other hand are still right in the middle of your game. The surgery will actually be disrupting your training - and your only 31. So you will have to channel all that energy into mental toughness. Can you actually get a resurfacing without screwing it up? Even three months post op when your new hip is feeling fantastic can you keep from blowing it by trying to kick the bag? You only get one shot and if you can dedicate yourself to adhering to the proper healing timetable, this device could last the rest of your life.
Great surgeon + excellent device + excellent patient = 100% chance for great new functioning hip.
Great surgeon + excellent device + mediocre patient = somewhere less than 100% chance.
I went back to playing soccer just a bit before six months and am now close to eight months. It’s just a normal hip now so go visit a top surgeon and then mark your calendar if you think you can do it.
Chuckm
Some good points chuckm. Only thing I'd say is arthritis effects everyone differently. I was able to train prior to my op, I just had to adapt how I trained. Bjj/mma is good like that though!;)
Yes Dannywayoflife, somehow you young ones tend to stay more flexible than us older folks. But 46 is not that old though 8)
Flexible no stubborn defiantly! The lack of flexibility was my main symptom. I couldn't even dress myself but was still rolling on the mats I just had to alter my style ;)
Just done a really hard judo session actually ;) went real well ;)
Thanks Chuck...yeah i dont even notice it while doing jiu jitsu...its when im walking around all day at work. Taking time off jiu jitsu doesnt seem to help either bc the very act of walking destroys it just as much it seems. Yeah Im on a roll here training, making gains faster than i ever have and training with the highest level school ive ever been to...so to stop that momentum will be tough. But the pain is getting so bad that im actually getting to the point where im looking foward to getting the surgery so i can have a pain free life back.....Its hard to explain to someone that it feels like someone is stabbing your hip 24 hours a day. They dont see you making faces so they think you are fine.
You are correct though i am going to have to get mentally use to the fact that im out for almost a year and i cannot comprimise this surgery bc i want to start training early.
And they won't ever know how it feels, Jeremy. That's a road only those of us who have shared it know.
Another thing to consider is that as good a shape as you're in right now, your form may eventually be affected by the pain. I noticed that in fighting, I was changing my approach, favoring techniques that were more brute force than my usual evade and counter, since those required quick movements that brought the pain.
The injury you have is not obvious. If you see someone with a cast, or fresh stitches, you acknowledge it and accept that they are in physical trouble. Others see us with outwardly fit bodies and wonder about the pain. Especially in a discipline where pain is an accepted part of each bout.
You are the best judge of what you want to accomplish and when it's possible. There are several martial artists here who have gone back to different activities, including MMA, BJJ, etc.
Whenever you decide you're ready, that will be the right time for you. It's major surgery, so it's not to be done lightly. Whichever you choose, we'll support you.
The only caveat is to keep track of your body with a surgeon so that you're still able to have an HR. Waiting too long can make you ineligible, but that's something only a surgeon can help you with.
Awesome...yeah hearing everyones stories and how they try to explain it to other people and it doesnt quite work makes me feel at home...no one has been able to understand except for people on this forum and i am thankful for that.
Ughhh...i havent heard back from Dr. gross yet so I hope i havent done too much damage in the joint to make me inelligible...i guess ill find out soon enough. I wasnt aware there was a point of no return.
Man if this pain was to go away and i got a little bit of my hip mobility and flexibility back my performance would be way better. Not to mention my overall attitude not having to deal with constant pain and the idea that my body is falling apart and crippled basically.
I wnt on a date the other day and she wanted to walk around the mall of georgia which is huge...i had to shut that down bc walking around all day just isnt an option all the time. Dealing with the fact that your body cant do such a simple task makes you feel weak....so getting rid of that will be a blessing in itself
You dont want to burden people with your problems and they dont understand anyway... so i can already tell the recovery process will be a lonely one in which I have to figure out on my own how to stay positive and productive....im glad i found this site bc I know it will help in my weaker moments
Jeremy you will find this is a great place to vent and get advice in your recovery. There are several like minded members on here. Feel free to pm me anytime bud always willing to lend advice or an ear to a fellow martial artist
Danny
Quote from: surratt on July 09, 2013, 12:32:04 PM
You dont want to burden people with your problems and they dont understand anyway... so i can already tell the recovery process will be a lonely one in which I have to figure out on my own how to stay positive and productive....im glad i found this site bc I know it will help in my weaker moments
I don't think it will be that lonely. People surprise you. They may not know how you feel, and the more dense of them will be callous, but some will be relieved not to see the pain in your face any more.
Lean on the people around you, you may be pleased at who offers a hand, a receptive ear. I had three people really come across for me. Some that I thought would didn't, but all you need is some sincere people.
We will definitely be here for you.
David, you have a real poser of a question there only because the recommendation came for the famous Mr. Ronan Treacy.
My understanding is the indication for Hip resurfacing is to restore an active lifestyle. At 46 I had my left hip resurfaced. The pain had started to creep into basic life activities so I had no doubt about the surgery. But if I could go back in time I would have had my hip resurfaced years earlier when it first began to affect my soccer (football).
I was the same way as you when I first saw my surgeon. I told him I was OK if I kept to an inactive life. I only had problems when I became active, especially soccer.
In the beginning I would limp for a few days after soccer . But that became limping for a week then two weeks until finally the discomfort would never leave. My body could no longer deal with it and my body was really twisted by then.
Since you have bilateral FAI (I had it too), you already have permanent loss of your range of motion. So even if your hips suddenly feel good over the next year, you have to avoid activities that cause the bones to bang into each other (impingement). Those activities are usually the fun sports that require lots of motion from the hips.
What's it like after resurfacing? My resurfaced hip is great! I went right back to soccer (football) right where I left off. Only now that hip allows my leg to move where it should. And now I really see the effects of FAI on my other still native hip. I also had terrible back pain that is totally gone now with the new hip.
My advice is to be sure that Mr. Treacy understands that you really want to get back your active life.
Chuckm
wow reading this post 4 years later, im scheduled for bilateral with Dr. Gross in 3 weeks. Training got to be too painful a few years after this post and i settled into 2-3 days a week and focused on other stuff. i guess im ready to get it done now. not looking forward to recovery but ill find other things to focus on until im fully healed. Although im a little nervous as to how long this will keep me out of work, I planned for 8-10 weeks financially but i am a Auto tech for lexus and im on my feet all day so any longer than that will hurt me financially
In my op. , 8-10 weeks is pushing it to stand all day. Listen to all the advice about not rushing your recovery but listen to your body. Most athletes get a little over zealous and think they can “play thru the pain don’t be a baby etc.†This is structurally different. It depends on your weight and fitness level too. My guess is if you choose this route you will be periodically standing or leaning on one good leg for rest. Hopefully no heavy lifting of parts or tires.
I’m looking to upgrade my 10 year old excellent pristine gs450h so if you can get me $20k off an LC500.....
bilateral done! Im almost on week two. At this point im planning to go back to work at week 10, i may have to push it to week 12 though depending on how i feel. No way to know at this point, but that job requires me to be on my feet 8-10 hours a day. Plus im lifting tires, to be fair I roll the tire up my leg and use momentum so its not like im lifting dead weight. I dont have much of a choice, I simply cannot take 6 months off of work, I will do my best to guard my hip but at the 12 week mark ill have to get back to work. Lol and good luck on that LC