Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Sarah's Adventures in Rehab

I am thinking of renaming my blog to the title of this post. I haven't had much to report in terms of training or races this year. It's just been all about the hip.

Today I went to see the sports physician again. I saw her in June and we made a plan but I wanted to check with her again since things are really no better. She was a little less than impressed that I tried ART with a chiropractor instead of going to physio; I was just trying to find something that would work and the previous physio experience hadn't been terribly effective. Oh well. What's done is done.

Over the last two weeks, I have had pneumonia, which had the effect of making me stop all activity. What was surprising was that when I stopped everything, my hip got noticeably better. All of the incredible protective tension in my quads, calves, glutes and lower back went away. I was still left with the deep joint pain but it was much easier to discern and describe what was happening there. So today, the doctor re-assessed the situation and gave me a more accurate picture of what is happening.

Based on an x-ray report from my previous visit with her, I have an abnormal thickening of my right femoral neck (you'll have to google that for a picture!). That means that when I move my hip a certain way, the thick part hits the joint socket and can't move quite as far as it could if the bone were normal. I was probably born with that. It also appears that I have a tear in the labrum, which is the cartilage around the the hip joint. This is causing clicking and catching and shooting pains. A labral tear doesn't heal but it is possible to reduce its effect by strengthening the muscles that support the hip. If that doesn't work in the next three months or so, we will have to discuss whether I should have surgery to trim the tear away. If I did that, they could also shave the thick part of the bone away. I am waiting now to have an MRI, where they will inject dye into the joint and see if it leaks out. That will indicate whether there is actually a tear there.

She told me today that I should not do the Banff triathlon on Sept 11. She seemed to be especially concerned about how running would aggravate the situation. I am wondering if it would be OK to do the swim and bike and then DNF on purpose. At least I'd get something out of it.

I had a little moment there at the clinic where I felt a little overwhelmed about this. A few tears leaked out. I am probably looking at several more months of pain, significantly reduced activity, and physiotherapy. It's also looking like this is going to be something that has an impact on next year's plans as well.

As I walked back to my car after the appointment, I figured that I better get a grip on myself and stop crying. There is nothing I can do about but deal with it. I will have to be faithful with my physio and do everything I can to make that work. I will have to think differently about what activity will mean for me. I can't really think about how I'm training for triathlon. I will have to do really short little workouts and try to think of it as simple daily exercise. I will have to keep myself from thinking about racing for now, too, even next summer. I am just in a different mode now and I'll have to make the best of it.

I can scarcely envision the end of this. I feel like I might never recover but I suppose that's silly. It's not looking good right now but I guess it won't be forever. One step at a time and things will turn around. Right?

5 comments:

  1. Sarah, I have a really good friend who had the same diagnosis. Labral tear, confirmed by MRI with dye, and bone thickening. A year and a half ago, he could hardly move. Next weekend he's doing a half Ironman. Hang in there! Your hard work will pay off!

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  2. I am very happy to hear this story! Thanks!

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  3. That is a positive story. I haven't read in a while so here are a few comments...I was back in the water 10 days after getting my large leg tattoo and it wasn't affected at all. As my FB status says, looks like it's the pool for me so let me know if you want to meet for a swim. I have lost most of my fitness and swimming is much harder work than it once was.

    As far as the bike, the answer is to become best friends with your fluid trainer. I went from a 3:45 GWN bike to a 3:10 by being on my trainer 3 times a week all winter. You hit the road in great shape in the spring.

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  4. Hi Sarah. You don't know me but I've been reading your blog lately and as someone who has also struggled with a hip injury I can understand the frustration and the pain :( I wish you a speedy recovery. If you choose not to race in Banff and making a little money off your race entry would ease your disappointment then I would be willing to buy it off you. If you can race, then best of luck to you and keep believing. You will recover so don't give up!

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  5. Hi Suzanne! Thanks for the encouragement! I'm still on the fence about Banff but I'll remember your offer if I decide not to do it. For now, I'm thinking I might just do the swim and bike and get that much out of it. Kerry, I would enjoy meeting for a swim. I should do a little training before I jump into Two Jack Lake!

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