Rain drops keep falling on my head!

Since I'm still on my crutches, I certainly could have used one of these today! This guy looks like a total dork. My hat umbrella would most definitely need to have been much bigger. This one doesn't even look like it would keep his shoulders dry. My question is, when you close it, wouldn't it cover your face?

Yesterday, I had my second PT visit in the morning and first post-op appt. with Dr. Bharam in the afternoon. Both seemed to go smoothly. Bharam seemed to think I was making great progress. He reminded me that since I'm not the "typical" patient for this procedure, that he and my PT would be keeping a "close eye" on me. I had already gotten scolded (at PT) for showing up with only one crutch (whoops!). What can I say? I was feeling stronger and thought it would be more manageable to have one arm free. ugh... oh well, back to two it is (at least for one more week).

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I can stand and walk a bit on my leg pain free, but aches and pains seem to be popping up in other places (apart from my left hip). I'm so happy with the progress that I've made so far (and please don't get me wrong), but yesterday I just felt so sad about it all. I was just so overwhelmed with sadness last night as I crutched home in the dark. I started to feel the dreaded hamstring pain which is what got me to where I am right now. And that combined with all the other pain (from compensating) just started to get to me. Both PT and Dr. Bharam's packed with patients (I suppose due to the holiday coming up) and not that I felt rushed, but I just began to feel a bit like a guinea pig or a lab rat in that some things about this whole procedure/recovery are still so vague. I know I have to stay positive, it's just been difficult to do. I don't like being in such a vulnerable position; having to have people help me with things and tell me what I can and can't do. It just doesn't suit me. I guess it's good in a way because it's definitely slowed me down for a bit, but I just wish that my anticipated outcome was a bit more clear. At least then, it would be easier to keep my chin up.

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Maybe I just need to go back and read my posts on postiive thinking. ;)

What causes a Labral Tear?

Because so many people have been asking me this question, I thought I'd post it. The following is information on Labral Tears courtesy of www.hiplabraltear.com:

What Causes the Hip Labral Tear?

Almost 80% cases of hip labral tear have no known direct cause. Tears may occur with a slow progression in human life. The known caused factors include degeneration, injuries, osteoarthritis and problematic recurring activities and movements on hip joint, may cause hip labral tear. Many osteoarthritis patients suffer from hip labral tears (acetabular labral tear). Because hip fractures may tear their labrum. However the contribution osteoarthritis to the development of the hip labral tear is still a controversial issue within the medical society. On the other hand, majority of the physicians in this field believe that there is a close relationship between osteoarthritis and labral tears.

The cause of hip labrar tears (acetabular labral tears) are

• Capsular laxity
• Femoral acetabular (acetabulum: concave surface of the pelvis, it is the socket of the hip joint) impingement (impingement syndrome that affects the hip joint)
• Dysplasia (pathologic abnormality in maturation of cells within a tissue)
• Trauma
• Degeneration
• Bony pinching
  

There is a theory that supports the idea that the cause of hip labral tear is because of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) which generally occurs two forms; pincer and cam. FAI is a disease where the bones of your hip joint come too close and touch tissue or cause too much friction. Thus femoroacetabular impingement is associated with articular cartilage damage and labral tears and as a consequence a hip arthritis may arise at a younger age than usually takes place.

Physical activities that involve force adduction of the hip joint in association with rotation in either direction be likely to worsen the pain.

The length of the leg is also an issue. If one leg is shorter than other leg, this may affect your walking and may put pressure on your labrum. There are specially designed pads
in your shoes to support you for a proper walking.

Recovery is still going well and I can bare weight on the leg, but I'm trying not to as much as possible. I'm up to 80 degrees on the CPM machine (started at 40 degrees), so I'm at my max already with no pain! I have my post-op appt tomorrow at 2pm, so I'm excited to get feedback from my doctor on my progress. My PT homework is going well and I've also been able to ride the upright bike again for 20mins pain free. I'm excited about the progress I've made so quickly and hope it still keeps moving forward at that pace. :)

I'm too sexy for my crutches!

Good morning, party people!

Here is a picture of me before my first outdoor crutch-about on Wednesday night
(day after surgery).
PS: I look kind of crazy.

Recovery is going well so far and now that I'm an "old pro" at my daily post-op routine, I'm kicking it up a notch to add some new homework (courtesy of my PT duo of Ben Gelfand and Rebecca Kalb at STAR Physical Therapy). My first session of PT was last night and I was able to do the upright bike for 20mins (very very slowly)!

I'm amazed at how much stronger I feel every day. I was crutchin' around like a fool yesterday (to/from PT) and am paying for it a bit this morning. My leg is a bit sore and so are my arms. Oddly, my right glute (opposite leg) is super tight. I think because I've been using my right leg so much more for stability. So, I have to be careful not to hurt anything else while compensating the next few weeks.

I just want to thank all my friends and family for their thoughts and well-wishes this week. It's meant a great deal to me to have so many friends and fellow runners so concerned with my recovery. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!

And so the come back mission is on, baby! Stay tuned!