The Endeavor Begins

This hip endeavor goes way back to January 1995 when I was rear-ended by an Explorer doing about 50 that never stopped.  Unfortunately I saw her coming, and there was nothing I could do but brace myself for impact.  I held onto that brake something fierce, trying not to be smashed into the car in front of me.  Maybe I would have been better off staying limp?  At any rate, I was able to walk away from the wreckage, but with a whole list of orthopedic issues:

TMJ--check.

Bulging disks--check.

Torn Labrum--check.

What the heck is a labrum?!  It's a thick, whitish band of cartilage that surrounds the hip socket.  Think of a Thanksgiving turkey, it's that really tough white thing that you have to break apart to set the leg free.  And when it's tore, it often causes catching, locking, and popping--which was exactly what was happening to me.  Sitting was the worst.  I'd go to stand up and wouldn't be able to move.  I'd have to do this 'pirate walk' for it to unlock.  Basically I'd schooch forward on my left and drag the right leg behind until I could walk again.

The thing is that back then not much was done for hips, with the exception of replacements for old people.  In the end I was told to live with it and not to pick an active profession like a street  cop and hopefully I'd be okay.

As I found myself getting squishier from lack of activity, I decided I needed to start exercising and fell in love with kickboxing to the point I started teaching fitness classes.  In the end the exercise would prove to be a catch-22, it would strengthen the muscles enough to allow them to compensate for the faulty labrum so pain would be minimized, but it may have also accelerated the condition.   

Everything really came to surface after quitting my day job to stay home with my son.   I decided to pick up more classes, and soon after was in so much pain that I was having a hard time making it through the days.  Limping was now a daily occurrence, and pain was coming from the groin and deep in the hip.  Weird thing was that I would limp into a class, teach a great class, then limp out of a class.  I think adrenaline, overcompensation, & pride have a lot to do with it, as it's the same way when I'm sick as a dog and have to teach.

It was time to seek out a doctor, yet again.  Fortunately I was able to locate my original doctor, and I was eventually referred to my surgeon--Dr. Zaltz. I am so grateful to have met Dr. Z, I think he's an absolute genius, and if there's one person you want in your corner, it's this guy.   Upon meeting Dr. Z, I was also introduced to the words 'hip dysplasia.'  Ok, so I knew that dogs get that, but I never heard it associated with people.  My hips were very mildly dysplastic, and I could have probably gone my whole life never knowing of this abnormality, but having the car accident was kind of like the perfect storm.