This
morning I had a phone appointment with Dr Chris Bradshaw from Olympic Park
Sports Medicine in Geelong. He is the club doctor at Geelong footy club and is
very highly regarded. I had an appointment with him a couple of weeks ago and
he was a very nice bloke. Some specialists tend to talk down to you, or at
least their secretaries do, but Chris was a terrific bloke.
At
the first appointment, Chris agreed with the assessment that I had FAI and its
associated issues but did not concur with Andrew Jowett that surgery was not an
option. This was such a relief as I felt that my progress had plateaued and I
was getting nowhere.
The
MRI tells him I have cam impingement on both sides with labral tears.
Fortunately there is no wear and tear in the hip joint itself.
He
recommends surgery and is going to get Mike Pritchard (Hobart-based surgeon) to
contact me and get the ball rolling. He is also very pleased that cricket is
finished for the year (I think he reckons I'm a bit mad playing out the year).
He
reckons that if I get the femoral neck (top of the thigh bone) reshaped it will
give me my mobility back, get rid of the pain in my hips, groins and lower back
and head off any associated degeneration and potential hip replacements down
the track.
He
said to continue with glute and core strengthening exercises (which I have been
very slack with).
It
will be a very long process, both in getting into the surgeon, getting the
surgery done and completing the rehab especially as it will be both hips.
I'm
getting somewhere.....slowly.
