Hip Surgery

Bob Dobbalina

Miki Dora status
Feb 23, 2016
4,261
4,654
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Rode a shortboard for the first time on Sunday.
Bumpy, simultaneously wedgy and burgery closeouts had me second guessing myself for the first several waves.

Feet in the wrong spot, blowing takeoffs, flailing down the line.

Then I lined up one that felt familiar, albeit mistimed.

Last wave was on my backhand and it started to click. Thank goodness.
 

One-Off

Tom Curren status
Jul 28, 2005
14,123
10,244
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33.8N - 118.4W
Rode a shortboard for the first time on Sunday.
Bumpy, simultaneously wedgy and burgery closeouts had me second guessing myself for the first several waves.

Feet in the wrong spot, blowing takeoffs, flailing down the line.

Then I lined up one that felt familiar, albeit mistimed.

Last wave was on my backhand and it started to click. Thank goodness.
I remember when I first started after months off, I was jealous of the kooks on wavestorms because the were popping up faster than I could dream of. Now I'm at 80% of what I was before injury. The other day there were little tubes to be had and I found it difficult to squeeze myself down into the tight little crouch necessary to pull in. I got to work on that. That used to be my specialty.

Don't be discouraged. Keep doing your PT. It'll come back.
 

thelodge

OTF status
Jan 25, 2009
197
16
18
Had my right hip replaced. I'm four months out now and I have a common complication which is called Heterotopic Ossification (HO).

It's basically a bone that grew next to the replacement as a result of the drama of the surgery.
The good news is it stopped growing and did not bridge to another bone. The bad news my recovery is taking longer to open up.

It is preventing me from fully bringing my right leg up... Being goofy foot, I can't pop up b/c I cant get the knee under my chest.

I have no pain just stiff/range of motion is not there. I'm sup surfing now just to be in the ocean. I ride my bike 6 miles 4X/ week. Im very active at 4 months.

I'm in intense PT... stretching like crazy to open up. I'm hoping at the six-month mark I can pop up.

IF not I could get the HO removed but that has risk (HO could come back.. could lose more range of motion, etc.).

Frustrating for sure b/c my new hip feels so strong.

So its been a year since my hip replacement. As I mentioned in a previous post :

I have a common complication which is called Heterotopic Ossification (HO).
It's basically a bone that grew next to the replacement as a result of the drama of the surgery.
The good news is it stopped growing and did not bridge to another bone. The bad news my recovery is taking longer to open up.
It is preventing me from fully bringing my right leg up... Being goofy foot, I can't pop up b/c I cant get the knee under my chest.

I have no pain just stiff/range of motion is not there. I'm sup surfing now just to be in the ocean. I ride my bike 6 miles 4X/ week. Im very active at 4 months.

I'm in intense PT... stretching like crazy to open up. I'm hoping at the six-month mark I can pop up.

IF not I could get the HO removed but that has risk (HO could come back.. could lose more range of motion, etc.).


Update:
Year now. HO did stop growing which was the goal. I have gained a bit more flexability but still struggle to pop up. I have have been supping and love it (I always did it in small waves on a 10' sup) but now i'm on a 8'0 and I'm having more fun than ever esp in big waves. BUT I still want to get on my short again.

Considering getting surgery to remove the HO but that comes with risk- It could come back, prone to dislocation, surgery...
Tough call. My hip feels great it is prob at 95%, no pain just that slight flexability to get my right foot tucked under my chest to pop up... If I was regular foot it would not even be an issue.
We shall see....
 
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byoda

OTF status
Jan 3, 2006
285
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43
So its been a year since my hip replacement. As I mentioned in a previous post :

I have a common complication which is called Heterotopic Ossification (HO).
It's basically a bone that grew next to the replacement as a result of the drama of the surgery.
The good news is it stopped growing and did not bridge to another bone. The bad news my recovery is taking longer to open up.
It is preventing me from fully bringing my right leg up... Being goofy foot, I can't pop up b/c I cant get the knee under my chest.

I have no pain just stiff/range of motion is not there. I'm sup surfing now just to be in the ocean. I ride my bike 6 miles 4X/ week. Im very active at 4 months.

I'm in intense PT... stretching like crazy to open up. I'm hoping at the six-month mark I can pop up.

IF not I could get the HO removed but that has risk (HO could come back.. could lose more range of motion, etc.).


Update:
Year now. HO did stop growing which was the goal. I have gained a bit more flexability but still struggle to pop up. I have have been supping and love it (I always did it in small waves on a 10' sup) but now i'm on a 8'0 and I'm having more fun than ever esp in big waves. BUT I still want to get on my short again.

Considering getting surgery to remove the HO but that comes with risk- It could come back, prone to dislocation, surgery...
Tough call. My hip feels great it is prob at 95%, no pain just that slight flexability to get my right foohast tucked under my chest to pop up... If I was regular foot it would not even be an issue.
We shall see....
after 2 THR both sides my popup in cold water and a 5 mil has gone to sh!t despite years of dedicated PT yoga and workouts find out i got spinal ostoepythes and only thing i hear from my doc is youve got a spine of a 60 yo started supping which has been fun hopefully gettin a smaller board this spring and moving to warmer climes perhaps during the winter this has been a humbling experience going from an alpha dog to watching kooks on wavestorms get the waves it takes all my inner strength to retain some measure of grace in the lineup wish it wasnt but hey i guess i can look forward to payin for a $800 carbon fiber paddle
 

thelodge

OTF status
Jan 25, 2009
197
16
18
I live in Jersey so also in a 5m.

I supped a 6-8 ' day this summer from Elsa, top 5 surf days of my life (im a very good shortboarder for 30 years).. I'm going down to a 7'11 SUP.. My wave count is higher, waves longer, just overall more fun. Big smile on my face. Was surprised how much I loved it.

Even if I could short again SUP will remain a big part of my life.
 
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john4surf

Kelly Slater status
May 28, 2005
8,920
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CBS, CA
My son had surgery to remove impingements in his hips about 5 years ago. Didn’t really help and the hip issues continued until he had recent hip replacement surgery (he had one done and is waiting recovery before having the other hip done). So far his recovery has been without issue albeit slower than he would like. He’s 42 years old.
 

Chocki

Phil Edwards status
Feb 18, 2007
6,353
6,735
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Planet Earth
I think sitting on a surfboard is bad for your hips.

For a long time I had a bad hip.

I think lots of kettlebell swings (300/day at one point) fixed my hips along with focusing on hip mobility
 

Bob Dobbalina

Miki Dora status
Feb 23, 2016
4,261
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My right hip is mostly fine after surgery. The lingering issues are just tightness and pain in the Soas area between my inner hip to my abs, but I don't know if that's from the hip surgery or the nerve pain from my back.

My left hip is starting to bug me though. I'll get up from sitting for a while, take a step and bear weight on the left side and it's an uncomfortable "sticking" feeling.
 

grg

Phil Edwards status
Mar 11, 2006
5,882
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Tuna Town/Baja
Ive had 3 done. 2 replacements and a hip revision. Its the best thing yoiu can do to relieve pain and get movement back. Ive been to hell and back with the revision and lucky to get active again after that ordeal.

Go into it healthy, not overweight, eat right, kick the marijuana if doing that and be in good shape
 

schex

Miki Dora status
Jun 9, 2015
5,299
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OB/Point Loma
Thanks GRG - solid advice and I'm probably as ready as I'll ever be - but just hesitate to do anything since I can still do pretty much what I want but the pain is getting to me (63 trips around the sun)
 

grg

Phil Edwards status
Mar 11, 2006
5,882
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Tuna Town/Baja
Thanks GRG - solid advice and I'm probably as ready as I'll ever be - but just hesitate to do anything since I can still do pretty much what I want but the pain is getting to me (63 trips around the sun)
I personally dont know one person that regrets the procedure. If the imaging and the Ortho recommends I would take his or her direction. Who wants to live with Pain? Plus a HR would be more challenging as you age.
 

GromsDad

Duke status
Jan 21, 2014
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West of the Atlantic. East of the ICW.
For what its worth this story is from 2013 and I am sure hip surgeries and outcomes have improved since then.


Margate surfer, after two hip surgeries, still wins titles at 51


  • By DAVID WEINBERG, Staff Writer
  • Oct 20, 2013

Margate resident Tom O'Brien has been surfing since the 1970s.
The 51-year-old has riden some of the country's most famous wave breaks, including Trestles in California last June.
He has bounced back from two hip replacements to win several trophies in both Eastern Surfing Association and USA Surfing contests, including the Legends Longboard division at the ESA's season-ending Eastern Championships in August in Nags Head, N.C.
His worst wipeout, however, occurred in a water park.
A few weeks before winning the Eastern Championships title, O'Brien took a day trip to Camelbeach Mountain Waterpark in the Poconos and soon found himself riding artificial waves on a FlowRider.

"I was goofing around with a bunch of 14- and 15-year-olds," O'Brien said. "I was the only surfer there, so I was doing some tricks and stuff and teaching them how to ride. On my last time on it, I fell."

O'Brien walked out of the ride, trying his best to ignore the searing pain in his hip.

He passed a line of kids, delivering high-fives down the line on his way to meet his wife, Kathy, in the waiting area.
"Looks like you have quite a fan club," Kathy said.

Tom managed a small smile and sat down. When he tried to rise a few minutes later, the pain was worse and he couldn't put any weight on his leg.

His new fan club watched as Kathy pushed him out of the park in a wheelchair.
"That was the most embarrassing moment of my life," O'Brien said with a laugh.
O'Brien, a deputy chief in the Margate Fire Department, feared he had broken his hip and would need yet another replacement, but doctors diagnosed it as a pinched nerve and would heal with rest.

He stayed off it for about a month and a half, but didn't want to miss the ESA Eastern Championships. O'Brien's oldest daughter, Rachael (20), accompanied him to the contest and carried his boards and luggage from the house he was staying in in Nags Head to the contest at Jeanette's Pier.



If he was hurting, he didn't show it. O'Brien topped a talented field that included defending champion Glenn Tanner of North Carolina and local standout Joe Grottola, a Wildwood resident.
"The finals were held in 6- to 8-foot seas with a 30-mile-an-hour Northeast wind," O'Brien said. "It was pretty tough for us old guys, but it was fun. It was a victory at sea (a surfer's term used to describe rough conditions)."
By his estimate, O'Brien has won "six or seven" ESA titles, despite undergoing hip replacements in 2005 and 2010.
He took two years off from surfing after the last one, and got back out in the water just this year.


Both surgeries were on the same day, Oct. 5.
"When I got my first one done, the doctor said I had about five years left on my other one," O'Brien said. "And he was right on the money. And I feel great. Aside from that incident in the water park, I haven't felt any pain."
The one benefit from his second hip replacement was that it enabled him to develop his talent in another aspect of surfing. Because he was having trouble popping up on a surf board for a while, he focused his attention on learning standup paddleboarding.

That dedication paid off last June, when he won his age group at the USA Surfing Championships at Trestles in San Onofre Beach in San Diego County, Calif. He bested a loaded field that included runnerup Ian Cairns of Australia.

"(Surfing legend) Colin McPhillips was giving out the awards," O'Brien said. "When the announcer said 'Tom O'Brien, from Atlantic City, New Jersey,' McPhillips said, 'He's from where?' Everybody else was from California and Australia. It was pretty funny."

O'Brien is spending his fall and winter surfing local spots with Kathy and his daughters Rachael and Carla (13) and intends to compete in more ESA events next year.
If he goes to another water park, he won't be trying the FlowRider.
"No way," he said. "If I ever go again, I'll be at the bar."
 
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Bayview

Billy Hamilton status
Dec 21, 2009
1,667
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NJ
Tom O may not be a good proxy, he's a legend with bad hips.

I had FAI, pre-osteoporosis. Upenn sports medicine surgeon cleaned it up. said it look liked a bomb went off inside the hip socket. 6 weeks post surgery was like 80% healed. surgery definitely helped but not perfect. no more groin pain 6 years later but still get stiff and different mobilities. dr said to lay off running, i said i'm his job security. def feel it while surfing.

if you've exhausted pt, yoga, hip strengthen/mobility, chiro, etc then I'd do the surgery. Upenn has a good program.