It’s Now or Never!
Being 58 years old, I want to do more than recover from the surgery. Settling for a recovery to the baseline would not be satisfactory to me. So I want to take advantage of this opportunity and rebuild myself from the ground up. It’s now or never!
While I was in decent shape before the surgery, I wasn’t satisfied with my overall physical fitness. In addition, the arthritic right hip limited my physical activity for several years, much to my dissatisfaction.
The good news is that I no longer feel any cracking or popping in my right hip. Nor do I have any sciatica!
At this point, I’m walking inside the house without the cane, albeit with an imperfect but improving gait. On the other hand, I am beginning to walk more without a cane during my walks around the neighbourhood. However, I still take it with me to use it as needed. Due to the physiotherapy exercises and walking, I am often quite sore at the end of the day.
One of the physiotherapy exercises that often leaves me sore for 48 hours is the clamshell leg lift. I still struggle with this exercise due to some pain but more from weakness. I tell you, I have a weak right ass!! Below is a demonstration of the clamshell leg lift. It’s not the same exercise my physical therapist has me do, but it’s close.
If you are not able to view this video, click here.
I’ve been instructed to do two sets of 10 repetitions of the clamshell leg lift. Unfortunately, at this point, I can do them only every other day due to the extreme soreness. However, there is no doubt that I will eventually be able to do them every day. But, man, it’s a pointed reminder that I have a long way to go.
I’m not doing much stretching. Due to the lateral approach that was performed on me, the physiotherapist has held off on implementing a stretching program until my next follow-up with my surgeon on May 1st.
Overall, the residual pain is slowly disappearing (too slowly for my taste!), and hopefully, I’ll soon be walking with a normal gait.
I have developed one problem due to using a cane in my left hand.
I have developed a “golfer’s elbow” in my left elbow from holding the cane for the past few months. I have occasionally experienced similar symptoms in both elbows from my years of training in Modern Arnis.
I found the following video to help address the symptoms of “golfer’s elbow” and for those who train in Filipino Martial Arts as well.
If you are not able to view this video, click here.
FMA players may find the above video helpful.
Footwork Test
I recently tried basic FMA footwork to assess my current status. I used some of the footwork patterns demonstrated in the below video. Furthermore, I moved at one-quarter speed. In other words, I was slower than a snail!
If you are not able to view this video, click here.
Long story short: I ain’t ready for prime time yet. When using angular or lateral movement, I noticed that my right leg was noticeably weaker than when moving forward (walking, for instance). So I’ve got some more work to do.
As I said at the beginning of this post, it’s now or never! What do I mean by that?
After the initial recovery, I aim to rebuild my body from the ground up and set the stage for my life in my 60s, 70s and 80s. One well-known cliche in professional boxing is “the legs are the first to go.” Unfortunately, I think that is true of the general population. As most folks age, their legs get weaker. Their gait stability declines as the years go by. For many, maintaining their balance becomes challenging.
Getting my hip replaced is a golden opportunity for me to hit the reset button, strengthen my legs and ensure that my gait and balance are rock solid. To that end, I will look for challenging leg exercises, not only for strength but also for balance. Right now, I’m leaning toward bodyweight exercises and movements.
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Brian Johns
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[…] am 58 years old, so I am not content to recover from the surgery. This is my life’s “now or never” inflection point. As mentioned above, I was dissatisfied with my fitness before the surgery. After the initial […]
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