There have been a number of clinical studies published about femoroacetabular impingement, a k a FAI, the hard-to-diagnose (and even harder to pronounce) condition that causes painful friction in the hip joint. As a fellow sufferer, I’ve tried to keep up with as many of these studies as I can…
Yearly Archives: 2011
Me vs. the Beer Man
It’s been four weeks since I had arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn left hip labrum and – dare I say? – I seem to be healing pretty fast. According to my physical therapist, the range of motion in my left hip area is already close to 100 percent. And the…
Posted in Hip Labral Tears, My Story, Physical Therapy
When to Get Help? Listen Up
Let’s face it, injuries are an occupational hazard for most athletes – they simply come with the territory. For some people, recovering from any injury is almost seen as a badge of honor, or at least deserving of bragging rights. Runners, it seems, suffer more than their share of injuries and…
Posted in Hip Labral Tears, My Story, Running
Let the Rehab Begin
Physical therapy plays a crucial role in the recovery process after arthroscopic hip surgery. Most post-surgical patients typically begin some form of PT the day after the procedure – at home, on their own – with the use of an ice machine (I used a rented Game Ready) or ice packs, if…
Posted in Hip Labral Tears, My Story, Physical Therapy
Sans Stitches and Crutches
Day 12 in my recovery from arthroscopic hip surgery marked a small milestone. The stitches came out. Four Steri-Strips were put in their place; they will eventually fall off on their own, I am told. (And then I am free to swim.) These are what Steri-Strips look like, if you…
Posted in Hip Labral Tears, My Story
Turn the Page
I’ve added a page to this blog, called “My Hip Chronology.” Don’t let the name fool you: there’s nothing remotely “hip” about it. But chronicling my experience with femoroacetabular impingement, or hip impingement, will at least help me measure how far I’ve come in identifying, treating and recovering from this…
Posted in Uncategorized
Crutches Are My Friend
The worst part about recovering from arthroscopic hip surgery hasn’t been the pain or soreness, or even the bad anesthesia headaches that lingered for several days. It’s been the limited mobility. And for an active person like myself – who doesn’t really stop until hitting the pillow late at night…
Posted in Hip Labral Tears, My Story
Beat the Heat
Laid up in an air-conditioned house recovering from arthroscopic hip surgery, I’m largely impervious to the triple-digit temperatures the rest of the country (and other parts of the world, undoubtedly) has been forced to endure of late. Still, I’d much rather be outdoors running, cycling or hiking, even in this…
Posted in Running
Surgery Update
The four words you always want to hear, and I did hear, after surgery: “Everything went very well.” Recuperating, though, hasn’t gone nearly as well – bad headaches from the spinal anesthesia, nausea, stomach pains and general lethargy. Which was why I hadn’t written anything since my arthroscopic hip surgery four days…
Posted in Hip Labral Tears, My Story
In Love (With Running)
Two days to go before my hip arthroscopy surgery and nervous jitters are getting the best of me. So I did the only thing that I knew would calm me down: I went for a run. It was a slow and easy three-mile run — more like a jog, really…
Posted in Hip Labral Tears, My Story, Running