The Harmonious Hip: September 2012

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

1 Month Post-op....rockin' the cane!

I've ditched the crutches for good! Well, at least until I need them for next time ;-) The cane and I are inseparable on distances, but around the house I'm all solo! Woohoo! PT is still slow moving and painful, but making great progress! I can raise my knee to almost a 90 degree angle...almost. And I can demi plie and releve in both 1st and 2nd positions without holding onto the barre! Walking back and forth with leg kicks/knee lifts in the pool is my next goal. Pain is considerably better overall. It feels like it's the tendon release that is causing the most discomfort. I have almost NO deep bone pain at all (like I still have in the left hip) which is incredibly encouraging! Still having some muscle spasms in the groin, hamstrings, quads and glutes, mostly in the evenings, but I've been getting massages with PT and that, along with ice and TENS therapy is incredible! I feel like a new woman!

So, I fly out to see Dr. B for my follow up appointment here in a couple of weeks and hopefully will be scheduling hip #2!!! All I want for Christmas is a Hip Arthroscopy with a Femoroacetabular Impingement Debridement of Lesions and Labral Repair.... has a nice ring to it, right?

I like to think I look this hot when I'm rockin' my cane too!

What is Hip Dysplasia?

You may hear about babies or pets with hip dysplasia, but it can affect adults, especially young women. Hip dysplasia is an abnormal condition affecting the hip socket, oracetabulum, and the thighbone, or femur. In someone with hip dysplasia, the hip socket is too shallow, or the femur is in the wrong place. Doctors check for hip dysplasia in babies before sending them home from the hospital -- it's an easily treatable condition in newborns. But if hip dysplasia isn't detected and corrected at an early age, the health of the hip will deteriorate over time because of its misalignment. Depending on the severity of the situation, this could result in pain, osteoarthritis, difficulty walking or an inability to walk. It can also contribute to a marked deterioration in a person's basic quality of life. It's not just dogs and babies, y'all!

Periacetabular Osteotomy (or PAO)

PAO: The Mother of All Hip Surgeries... A procedure that cuts the hip socket out of the pelvis to allow the socket to be repositioned and then screwed back into place. This allows the ball & socket to move fluidly, preventing further cartilage damage and preserving the joint in patients with faulty hips. The PAO preserves and enhances the patient's own hip, NOT replacing it with artificial parts like a hip replacement. The hip may still develop arthritis over time, even when the operation is successful. However, PAO is still the preferred treatment in young adults to postpone the need for hip replacement as long as possible.