This morning everything hurts from my waist down...except my hip
joint! However, it's all a good muscular hurt. I had a very productive
PT appointment yesterday. My PT decided that I'm ready to drop all
double leg exercises and move onto only single leg exercises. My
program now includes lunges (ouch), a split squat with my operated leg
doing all the work and my right leg rest on a chair, a squat and touch
back from an elevated step, and drills with an agility ladder. The
agility ladder reminded me of playing high school soccer. However, it
was good to start to progress to some "light impact" activities. She
seemed pleased with my progression. I asked her how long PT typically
continued after this surgery and she said that we would probably be
working together until September or so, but that my visits would
eventually drop down to once a month. In her words, "We don't just get
you running a 5K again and then abandon you." That was good to hear.
We talked briefly about my return to running and she dismissed my idea
of not running until August. She said that since I was doing so well, I
would probably get to start a run/walk program in about 4 weeks. I
still plan on being very conservative with running in the beginning. I
am in no rush. Like I told her, after you've been injured for 2 years,
another month or two just doesn't matter. But...RUNNING!
Last weekend I spent all day Saturday at my favorite
race, the Ice Age Trail 50 mile/50K. Being there felt a bit like having
to spend the day with an ex who you still have feelings for, but it was
a beautiful and sunny day; perfect for spectating and spending time
with friends. My hip held up well. I walked around a bunch, stood, sat
comfortably in camp chairs, and didn't have any issues aside from
sitting on the grass for a little too long. Last year I volunteered,
but I didn't sign up this year because I was worried about being post-op. My worries were unnecessary; it
definitely wouldn't have been a problem. I'll be back next year, of
course, but hopefully with a number pinned on my shirt.
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| Max King winning the Ice Age Trail 50 Mile with a new course record |
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| Me and my friend George. Sunburn in full affect. |
So
far I am incredibly happy that I had this surgery. I won't hesitate to
do it again if my right hip decides to fail. I think it's so important
to put information about this out there on the web, since you tend to
find a lot of negative experiences from The Almighty Google. Recovery
has been so much easier than I anticipated. The reason I am keeping
this blog is to hopefully give others a different perspective of this
surgery. I think it is important to note that I am young(ish), an athlete, and my body has proven to be fairly resilient over the course of my life, so I can't deny that does give me a leg up in terms of recovery.
I am not sure if it would benefit anyone for me to keep
posting my weekly walking/biking miles. I have been walking about 20-25
miles a week at this point. I feel like I am getting close to
approaching unlimited walking. I have started hiking again as well.
The first hike was a little shaky with some weird muscular twinges, but
that soon disappeared after a few more times out. So far the furthest
I've gone has been almost 5 miles carrying an 18 pound pack. However,
if I can hike 5 miles, why not 6? If I can do 6 miles, why not 7? (And
so on.) So I feel like from here, it's just a game of getting my
muscles up to speed and used to pushing the distances again. It struck
me as I was walking the other day that I don't have groin pain anymore.
I can vividly recall visiting a friend in Chicago over the winter and
feeling that steady ache as we walked to dinner. It's almost strange to
not feel the pain anymore. Amazing, but strange.
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| Hiking on a grassy open field |
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| Hiking amongst the new wildflowers on my Ice Age Trail |
