Lady Gaga + Paula Findlay + Me

 

I’ve been dealing upfront with an injury since October 2012. Most likely a right labral hip tear. Which sounds weird but is surprisingly common once diagnosed.

Pop-singer Lady Gaga and Canadian Olympic triathlete Paula Findlay also have one.

Luckily the first medical professional I went to was able to figure it out.

Since December of 2011 my hip has been sore off and on all year. It started with a few falls from hooking my right ski tip into the snowbank on narrow snowmachine trails. I took a few weeks off to let things heal and for the rest of the season spent more effort focusing on my double-poling on similar trails.

It wasn’t too noticeable running in the spring or early summer. But then again I wasn’t doing a ton of running and overall spent more time on a bike.

Watching the London Olympics there was a lot of press attention in Canada regarding Paula’s performance. After the race there was a couple of good interviews where she described the main limiting factor: her labral hip tear. The symptoms sounded familiar, overall pain in the joint that was hard to place. A clicking sensation. Doctors not knowing what to make of it. The pain returning even after time off.

My inner scientist instantly zeroed in on the symptoms which were very similar to my own. It was likely either this or early onset arthritis. But more likely this.

By late August and September the distinctive low grade throb had returned in my hip. I shrugged it off telling myself that some time off and the switch to skiing would make it all better.

After the Equinox relay my running training shifted to more hill-work. Steady on the way up and easy on the way down to minimize aggravation.

October was filled with 4 AM wake-ups where my hip would throb and I would try and meditate the pain away. Sometimes I’d get this grabbing feeling in my hip where it felt like everything would seize. My body tried to compensate by developing a limp.

This was also when I’d decided and been accepted for the Canadian team for the World Skijor Championships. All-time awesomeness.

So I got proactive. Decided to take my hip and my limp head-on. I made an appointment with the highest recommended physio-therapist in town that happened to be married to the UAF cross-country ski coach.

I don’t think the full hip replacement is quite necessary

Sure enough during that initial assessment appointment my suspicions were confirmed. First, my limp was real and not a figment of my imagination. Second, as I lay on the table and had my hip manipulated and strength evaluated the words “You likely have a labral hip tear” were spoken. Since I had not volunteered this self-diagnosis it made me feel better that a trained medical professional had come to this conclusion independently.

What did this mean? Well for starters at least I knew what was happening. And these specific details:

• My ball and socket in my right hip did not fit together quite properly
• The right gluteus medius muscle in my bum was lazy, underdeveloped and not firing correctly
• Taking up the slack for lifting my leg was my iliotibial band (IT band) — not good since it is supposed to stabilize rather than be a work-powerhouse

There are generally two options once you figure out that you have a labral hip tear. Surgery or physio. From what I heard though physio very often doesn’t work and surgery becomes the only option.

Anyone in my family knows how I feel about doctors and dentists. It’s not that I personally dislike most of them just the poking, prodding and needles. If it is possible to avoid surgery I am more motivated than most to make the changes.

The big concern is cartilage preservation. And avoiding or seriously delaying a hip replacement at a later date. The latest consensus is labral hip tears are the precursor injury to most hip replacements. My dad for example is about to have both of his hips replaced and lived with labral hip tears for over 20 years. Occasional clicking and pain were not going to stop him!

I was lucky. Between doing my physio exercises religiously, incorporating professional massages and making some big changes to the way my I hold my body while sleeping, working and skiing things got better. No big deal — yeah right.

It was a lot of mental effort. Practicing yoga for many years and having decent body awareness definitely made it easier. But the first couple months were filled with many workouts where my undeveloped muscles were very tired. There were ski sessions were my right gluteus spit lactic acid up every hill. It was hard to separate the bad hip pain from the good muscle working stress.

Five months later it’s definitely not gone but it is manageable. Luckily we are also moving back into the part of the year where I become a double poling machine and there is less stress on my hip.

I have accepted modifying my technique and strength is a multi-year endeavor.  Gaining fitness and coming back from injuries is not a sprint but a gradual process. And each sport has different hurdles and limitations. When I switch to running my strategy includes gradually increasing mileage and running like a fairy with super fast legs. Pixie dust for luck and a shorter stride should help keep my hip happier.

If you think you have this condition the main thing is to get it checked out by a good physio therapist or doctor who can recognize this sort of injury. It is easy to miss and there is a lack of information in the general medical community. It is also incredibly common. But caught early physio can make a huge difference. Learning to use your muscles to stabilize and support your hip properly is extremely important. Especially for repetitive long-distance sports. Before you know it you’ll be back to planning your next meal or discussing dog relationships in your head.

One day I may have to have surgery to repair my hip. On the positive side anthroscopic hip surgery is becoming much wider practiced and better techniques are yielding more favorable results. There is a great video below by Dr. Kevin Murphy which describes it in detail. Until then I will be mindful and practice my fun physio moves.