My Forum

Hope everyone had a good xmas and all that, sorry it's been a while since I've posted but I have still been checking back on occasion...

Parklife - what you've had done is pretty much exactly the same as me (even the tear is in the same spot - anterosuperior chondrolabral junction - though I didn't have the flap issue).  Glad to hear it went well - I take it you went with Richard VIllar in the end as the surgeon?  Please remember that this is a marathon and not a sprint, and that overdoing it can be counterproductive at this stage.  You are spot on with the rehab guidelines being just that - guidelines!!  Everyone responds to this differently, I guess...

I don't know if you know how badly inflammed your joint was at the time of surgery (synovitis), but I would urge you to keep taking the anti-inflams as a precautionary measure for a little while yet as, with the benefit of hindsight, I think I came off mine too soon and basically further inflammed an already inflammed joint (the surgery adds to the inflammation, unsurprisingly), thus causing me the massive issues I've had post op.

Sounds like you have a clued up physio (equally as important as the surgeon selection, I think) and this is half the battle.  The soft tissue massage is really important and it helped me immensely with hip flexor tendinitis.  You are going to be on a rollercoaster with this for the next few months, but dig deep and you will get through it!  Hope it continues to get better for you, and enjoy all the glute and core work!!

Pipes - really pleased that you are over that issue now and that things are heading in the right direction for you.  From research, it seems that very few people get away from this op without some form of residual tendinitis (adductor/rectus femoris/psoas), but it does go eventually apparently...

As for me, I have made it back to front line duties after passing a fitness assessment (6.4 on the bleep test, so nothing too strenuous) last month and I feel like it continues to get better with each passing week (I am now 7.5 months post op).  For me, the turning point was finding a clued up physio who could address my issues, comprising mostly of a weak core, poor glute activation and cranky hip flexors.  It has been a hard slog with me putting in 2hrs + of rehab work each day - hard when you're working 12hr shifts etc - but it has been worth it.  At the moment, I am not back to recreational running in any form, but use the elliptical and cycle and am still focusing on building up my lower limb strength to previous levels (mostly glute work, I am obsessed with them, they are key to hip issues it would seem!!) before I make a concerted effort with running.  I could probably go back to it now, but I'm being cautious and am in no rush at the moment.

The jury's out about the long term prognosis until I go back to see the surgeon in the New Year, but I have resigned myself to the fact that I will probably not reattain my previous running form, but instead will be happy with a 'plod' every now and again...  The way I see it is that to do so would only probably serve to accelerate the destruction of the joint over a prolonged period, and at the moment I am thrilled to be able to sit, walk, stand, cycle, drive, work and do all the normal things we take for granted without pain.  So, for me, as much as I would like to go back to running sub 40 minute 10ks, the reward isn't worth the risk, if that makes sense?

Thanks for all the support I've had from people on here, and I wish you all the best for the New Year.  Will let you know how I get on with my next appointment!!