Couple months back I posted on this forum I was having problems with my left hip and knee. My knee is now fine, but my hip is beyond buggered. Following a dislocation of the joint 6 years ago, the top head of my femur has worn away to the point where it now needs replacing. I was given the news today that surgery will take place next Friday (26th June). Luckily my surgeon is a Karateka who understands the demands MA will place on the new joint, so he's fitting me with an ultra-strong all-ceramic one. Fingers crossed all goes well, and I'll post updates on here during my recovery (once I'm off the morphine!). A special thanks goes out to AndyT, who was able to get me a signed copy of Dynamic Stretching & Kicking with a message of encouragement from the author, Mr. Bill Wallace himself.
good luck superfoot. i recently had an operation on my right hamstring where a cancerous lump had formed. the tumor has been completely removed, along with part of one of the hamstrings which means i now have about half the strength and flexibility i had before. it is, and will get better but i'm just going to have to wait, and i'm sure you will too. just try not to do too much too soon. believe me though, it is hard. i came out of hospital on thursday and went to class on saturday. didn't do anything, was just chatting to people but i couldn't help but coach people through the doorway. if you need to see some inspiration look up master byung in lee (kuk sool won) he's had both his hips replaced afaik. take care, dave
Do you know what caused all the wear and tear? Obviously there is your MA training, but after the dislocation, was not still not sitting correctly in the joint?
Good luck with the operation and recovery. And if you're in a hospital where they have the Loyd Grossman choices on the menu - try them - their generally better than the other stuff.
Can you get it replaced with some kind of non-stick coating and be even bendier? If you come out of hospital and can't do twisting kicks over your shoulder, and the shoulder of the guy stood behind you, get your money back Best of luck with the op Superfoot and keep us all updated with your progress. Mitch
Best of luck buddy.I remember some other "superfoot" guy who went through something similar. You CAN do it. regards koyo
I don't think ceramic quite cuts it as being bionic. He'd probably need a whole Robo-Cop type leg to qualify. Or at least the awesome thigh-gun. Either way, good luck with the surgery, and congratulations on having a surgeon that knows exactly what you need.
Thanks for the kind words of support everyone. Davefly76, thanks I'll look him up. Moi, I asked if while they were hacking away at my hip they could fix me up with an ear with an in-built MP3 player. Looked at me like I was a right daft sod. Righty, after the original dislocation the structure of the hip just got weaker and weaker over time. Doc thinks my stretching actually delayed the need for surgery. Jwt, hopefully I won't be so dosed up on morphine that I can't actually read what's on the label! Will keep an eye out for Lloyd's scoff. Mitch, I'm hoping they add a couple extra inches to my legs too! That way I can hit 3 people over my shoulder Thanks again for all the messages of support, hope to be combing peoples' hair with my foot again soon!
This will obviously necessitate a change of user-name..."Super-hip"...which is actually pretty cool...like something Shaft might be described as. Good luck dude. And remember...you can actually hit people with your hands you know. It might seem like a novel idea but I've heard it works.
Superfoot, You are very welcome I spoke to Bill at length about what you were going through, and he also said “Do it, it will be the best thing you’ve done!”. When he had his done last year he was up and stretching in a few days, and now almost back to full splits. When you’re all fixed, let’s see if we can’t arrange another workshop and get you down as we planned earlier this year I wish you all the very best, and please let us all know how you get on. All the best, Andy
Lol "Too cool for punching." Andy, Cheers mate. I've got to say the message in the book from Bill is keeping me going, as are all the messages of support on MAP. That's why I love this place. I'm determined to come back stronger than before, and nothing will keep me away from the next Superfoot workshop.
Did the docs say that after the replacement, you'll be fully functional and able to do MA again ? The reason I ask is that my left hip has FAI (Femoro Acetabular Impingement) - basically the ball and socket aren't perfectly spherical and there's wear and tear. It hasn't got really bad yet, but I'm warned that eventually it will and a replacement will be needed. Just curious if I'll still be able to train ! Anyway best of luck with the op - it's a very frequently performed one so everything will be fine.
My GP didn't have a clue what I was talking about when I spoke to him about continuing Taekwondo after the op. However, I was very, very lucky to have a surgeon who has trained in Shotokan Karate for the last 27 years. He opted for an all-ceramic prosthesis instead of the traditional metal one (which scratches easily). The ceramic one will have an erosion rate of 0.01mm per year so should last quite a while. It's inevitable I will lose strength and flexibility, but with a lot of (intelligent) hard work I should be back to my previous standard, if not better! Physio starts the very next day after the op, so they don't pussyfoot about! Thanks again for all the support.
Ey superfoot goodluck with the operation man with your age you should be back and kicking within days. Any estimate on how long your hip will last ? I've heared that the 'normal ones" they use here last about 15/20 years with normal usage.