Yes i think my cartilage damage was quite bad ...needed to be internally stitched and held together with 2 metal anchors ...the physio said I had it really bad and had only ever seen one case as bad in the past ...as I said I was non weight bearing for 4 weeks.
Good luck with the rehab ...I have been told its a long old stretch and could take 6-12 months to fully recover.
Going to have to take up cycling ...but it's not quite the same as a good run is it!
Good luck mrmoosehead! ...I had this operation 2 months ago now and my experience is not to disimilar to yours except that i have been told not to run ever again!
I too had micro fracturing and was given crutches and told not to put any weight on my left leg for 4 weeks after the operation ...then starting with Hydrotherapy I had to learn how to start walking again ...things have progressed quite quickly since the Hydrotherapy ...I am now cycling in the gym 3 or 4 times a week.
Very disappointed not to be able to run again ...I have basically been told that i will deffo need a hip replacement at some point ...and if I run that could be in the next 3-4 years whereas if i don't I could get 10-12 years ...so have been advised no high impact sports.
What i have found though is that it such a new procedure people even the consultant and x2 physios i've seen seem unsure of things ...ie. you could run but you might need a hip replacement in 2 years time but on the other hand you might not we don't know! ...as one physio said we're all guinea pigs at the moment!
I would be tempted to keep running because if it's going to happen it's going to happen but my wife was in on the consultation and has told me in no uncertain terms I will not be running again as i need to put the family first!
Cheers Phil ...in some was it seems similar to mine ...been struggling with what I thought was a tight groin for a couple of years ...physio told me it was hip flexors ...osteopath told me it was referred pain in the groin from a bad back I had ...then last summer whilst beginning training for the Windsor Half I went out for a early morning tempo run and thought I deffo had a groin strain ...so went to a different physio who diagnosed FAI and I am where I am now!
Consultant seems to think its hereditary but no one in my family has it ...personally I played a lot of semi-pro football and kick with my left foot ....broke my left leg twice and now this in my left hip ...so I'm wondering if its all connected somehow.
I was doing quite well last week ... Telling myself I was still well off and there are plenty of people worse off than me ...got to say I just can't get running off my mind at the moment especially with this nice weather we've been having! ... Can't beat a sunny evening run around Windsor Great Park!
Philpub... Any idea what caused yours? Hope everything goes well for you... If you need any advice on the op just let me know ... Out of interest what sort of cycling are you doing ...mountain biking, road or a sporty hybrid? ...I have a really old mountain bike that I have used for rehab on old injuries in the past and as I said not really got on with cycling ...couldn't wait to get off the bike and run ...my initial thoughts are to get a sporty hybrid as I can't see myself getting into road racing either.
Claypole... You are correct ...how I regret not getting out running a bit more now ...pulled out of the Kingston Breakfast Run in March as the surgeon told me to stop running to make sure the op was successful ...how I wish I'd run that race now!
Peter... I'm hoping for some sort of miracle that when I see the consultant in 4 weeks time he looks at the x-ray and scans backtracks and tells me I can run again ... Having said that as I said the missus was in the room when we were given the news ...she has already told me I won't be running again!
Help ...I've been told I can't run anymore at the ripe old age of 38 ...and am absolutely gutted ...forgive me if the below is a bit of a jumble as my head is all over the place at the moment with 'what if's' etc
To cut a long story short I had a condition in my hip called Femoral Acetabular Impingemet ...basically a bone spur on the hip that was tearing the cartilage in the socket ...went in for the op to remove the bone spur and trim the cartilage ...the op didn't go to plan as the consultant informed me that I had no cartilage left in the socket ...he performed something called micro fracturing ...which basically from what I can gather means he drilled in to the bone to try and stimulate some new cartilage growth when the bone mends ...apparently this could buy me 10 years until I need a hip replacement but if I run would mean the possibility of a hip replacement much earlier ...obviously I would like to keep my own hip for as long as possible and as my wife was also in the room when the doc told me I have been left with no choice from him and the missus that I will never run again!
Do people still run with hip replacements? ...and if so is it a similar scenario whereas you are advised not to as you will reduce the timescale of the hip?
Just wondering what other people could suggest or have been in a similar position and done sport wise? ...I have been told I can cycle or swim ...never really been into either but out of the two would sway towards cycling ...do you get duathlons that involve only swimming and cycling? ....got to say that my brief research into cycling over the last couple of weeks has shown that it will prove to be a lot more expensive than running!
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Dennis Doyle
