Chasing my tail - 67 days post-op

Yesterday after having several days Of nerve pain in my hips and legs I went for a swim at the YMCA again. I've been doing 30 minutes on the exercise bike a few times a week and have been feeling okay in the hips. But unfortunately the pain radiating down my bum and legs, especially on the left side, continue.

I swam 750 m with my trusty sidekick Lucy swimming with flippers next to me. I had the floaty thing between my legs and I wasn't kicking as instructed. It was good to get the exercise in and my back did seem to feel better for the run.

But as has been the case for God knows how long, sitting for any length of time gets the radiating pain happening again down the legs.

I went into my doc about something else today. He was the bloke who got the surgery rolling. I mentioned I still have the same back/pelvis/leg pain. He wants me to get an MRI with a view to a CT-guided injection.

I don't know what to do. I seem to be ticking lots of boxes. I'm sure my hips will be terrific after it's all said and done. The surgery seems to have been a success even though I'm still achy and twinging the hips every now and then. But I wish I didn't still have the this radiating pain down the legs. I was certain the hip surgery would rectify this problem.


If you are reading this blog and have any thoughts or comments, good or bad, I would really appreciate it if you could add your comments after any of my posts. I feel like I am on my own with this and would love to hear from people in the same boat.

Might have overdone it

So after 30 mins on the bike with resistance and then 500 metres of swimming without using the legs I've pulled up sore today. I tried rolling around on my back on a tennis ball to massage it and have taken Norufen 50mg tablets but they've not helped.

I really think this back related stuff in the pelvis is just something I'll have to live with. Years and years of physio and treatment and now hip surgery hasn't resolved it and I don't think it ever will.

Hopefully my hips will be ok in the long run. That's something to hang my hat on.

If you are reading this blog and have any thoughts or comments, good or bad, I would really appreciate it if you could add your comments after any of my posts. I feel like I am on my own with this and would love to hear from people in the same boat.

Well I'll be..... - 56 days post-op

Well I'm quite amazed. I had no idea what to expect driving down to Ivanhoe to see Amir the Physio.

He asked how my aches and pains were going and how my sleep was travelling then got me up on the massage table to check my range of movement in my hips. According to Amir, all my aches and pains are normal. Wow!

Incredibly he was very pleased with my progress and said in 4 weeks I'd be the sort of patient he'd want to be photographing for his Melbourne Uni study to show how good recovery can be. Amir said I'm a textbook case and I'm a good 4 weeks ahead of schedule. Just to hear that was a great relief and certainly worth the drive to Melbourne.

Amir is certainly passionate about FAI recovery and seems to be an expert in his field. He is a bloke who displays the confidence of someone who has seem 100s of hips like mine and that is very reassuring as a patient.

He wants me to start loosening up my lower back through swimming without using my legs and cycling 4 or 5 times a week for half an hour. He said that I didn't need to continue with Physio back at home and that the light exercise regime will do the trick for the next 4 weeks.

Amir said my back will get tighter in the coming weeks before it gets better as it gets used to my hips having more range of movement than when I was born. His words. I just hope my upper pelvis improves so I can get a consistent good night's sleep. He assured me any twinges I felt walking across muddy footy grounds or riding the bike or putting socks on, etc were normal and nothing to be concerned about as long as I am not loading up the hips.

He wanted to see me at 12 weeks for the final time to outline a full rehab schedule but when I said I wasn't keen on driving down again he said I should see Michael or Simon at Lake Physio back in Ballarat. He has trained them and they will give me a schedule of work to do. Great result.

Today was a good day in regards to my recovery and I know I really just have to be patient and keep the faith.

Oh.....and he said golf will be fine as long as I use a cart to drive around the fairways. Sounds good to me!!

If you are reading this blog and have any thoughts or comments, good or bad, I would really appreciate it if you could add your comments after any of my posts. I feel like I am on my own with this and would love to hear from people in the same boat.

A great day and hoping for good news tomorrow - 55 days post-op

I had a great day today with the kids down at our family farm teaching them how to drive out in the paddocks. It was a beautiful, sunny winter's day and Lucy, Tom and I drove around in the paddocks with our Golden Retriever, Murray, loping along behind us.

We stopped at a few dams and threw sticks in for Murray to retrieve while the kids shared driving duties. Tom was on my lap and just steered while Lucy can do everything except operate the handbrake. We also had our Nikon DSLR and the kids enjoyed taking loads of photos.

We explored an old small underground goldmine on the property which was a spooky treat for the kids.

After heading back into town and enjoying some meat pies and milkshakes at the bakery, we collected our swimming gear and headed into the YMCA pool where we met my wife, Caroline. After a play with the kids I tried some more hydrotherapy.

Once again I walked the length of the pool forwards 10 times up and back, backwards 5 times up and back, and sideways 5 times up and back while facing the same direction. I felt quite good however I did feel a few uncomfortable twinges in the groins/hips at times whilst completing the sideways laps when I opened the legs too far.

I finished off with 20 gentle knee to chest stretches on each side and 20 heel to bum quad stretches on each side. The left side had an excellent, free range of movement however I found that I couldn't touch my arse with the right heel unless I really pulled on the leg. I had almost a cramping feeling in the lower right hamstring. I've pulled up ok tonight though.

Sleeping has still been a problem that I hoped would be resolved with surgery. Tomorrow I catch up with Amir Takla, the Melbourne physio, who I hope will give me some advice regarding the aches and pains I have in the upper pelvis during the night on both sides. He should be providing me with a program of exercises for the ramped up rehab I expect to be undertaking.

I want to know:

• Are these upper pelvis aches related to the FAI?
• Why do I have the deep pain in the right buttock after sitting or limited exercise?
• Why do I have more aches and pains now than pre-op?
• Why do I experience restriction, tightness and pain in the groins when riding the stationary bike?
• What would he expect me to feel like in terms of aches/pains and movement after 8 weeks?
• Why am I sore after being on my feet at work or walking around on a muddy footy ground?

I'm sure there are loads more things I'd like to know and I'm certain I'll forget to ask him anything. Amir talks fast and I reckon I'll be out the door with my head spinning before I know it.

If you are reading this blog and have any thoughts or comments, good or bad, I would really appreciate it if you could add your comments after any of my posts. I feel like I am on my own with this and would love to hear from people in the same boat.

Suck it up and get on with it - 50 days post-op

I just had a 15 minute ride on the stationary bike. I had felt sore through my right hip and pelvis as I sat working at the computer and thought a ride would do me good.

5 minutes in I was stiff and feeling very uncomfortable in both groins. I had a physio appointment today where Matt both of my groins and it felt as if it did loosen them up somewhat.

I think I need someone to definitively tell me if where my hips are in terms of aches and pains and range of movement are normal for 50 days post-op.


If you are reading this blog and have any thoughts or comments, good or bad, I would really appreciate it if you could add your comments after any of my posts. I feel like I am on my own with this and would love to hear from people in the same boat.

Where I am is where I was - 49 days post-op

It's been 7 weeks since my second surgery and I can honestly say I am running out of patience. I have all of the symptoms I had prior to the ops along with a few new ones.

The nerve pain down the left leg persists, the groins are as temperamental as before, sitting gives me pain at the top of the outer hip/pelvis and I have welcomed back the pain in the upper hip/pelvis on both sides that wakes me at around 4am every night and keeps me awake tossing and turning from side to side. This is identical to how I felt prior to surgery however at that stage I was putting up with the pain and enjoying an active lifestyle.

Now, any cycling on the stationary bike gives me tightness and pain in the right groin, walking across a muddy footy field at AusKick makes the groins ache, being on my feet all day at work leaves me very sore and sitting for any length of time causes a deep ache in the right arse cheek. Even night time "activities" cause pain in the hips. As I sit here now on the couch I feel a dull burning ache in the outer left buttock and upper right hip/pelvis.

Next week I see the Melbourne physio at 8 weeks post-op. I really hope this is par for the course but I am certain it won't be. I am almost convinced that FAI surgery has been a waste of time and money.

While it has been a cathartic experience to write down how I am travelling in this blog, as I look at my comments now there is nothing positive coming and that's depressing.

All I want to do is kick the footy and jump on the trampoline with my kids.


If you are reading this blog and have any thoughts or comments, good or bad, I would really appreciate it if you could add your comments after any of my posts. I feel like I am on my own with this and would love to hear from people in the same boat.

Deep dull ache in the right bum cheek - 44 days post-op

I've been on my feet and sitting driving alot in the past 3 days and have been feeling quite ok, all things considered.

Since my Sunday impromptu hydrotherapy session I have had a busy Monday morning driving around to do soil test fieldwork, then I raced home to collect the kids and drove to Melbourne to see the footy at the MCG. I probably spent a good 3 or more hours driving for the day.

Tuesday was spent driving around soil testing from 10 am to 4pm. I was happy with how everything felt when I had to use the hand-held power auger. It can be quite physically demanding on the lower back, hips, knees and thighs but I felt ok. I also had a physio appointment where Matt gave my lower back and upper gluten a good seeing to. I mentioned I was experiencing numbness and tingling down my left leg. He believed that would be back related.

I mentioned how I don't remember a time when I wasn't taking something to try to dull the aches I have had, be they aspirin, Panadol, ibuprofen, anti-inflammatories, etc. I think that surprised him. I remember as a kid my Dad taking tablets all the time for his back and headaches and thinking to myself I'd never do that, yet here I am popping pain relief like lollies.

Today l was on my feet teaching all day and I noticed a deep dull ache in my right arse cheek that developed early in the day and has persisted still until now (late afternoon). I am only guessing but I wouldn't be surprised if it is the quadratus muscle, which is apparently prone to wasting away after hip arthroscopy/ostectomy.

I wonder where I go from here. Will I need to start more strengthening exercises for my arse and core muscles soon? I'm sure I'll find out on June 24 when I see Amir, the Melbourne physio, who will outline the program I need to follow over the next year.


If you are reading this blog and have any thoughts or comments, good or bad, I would really appreciate it if you could add your comments after any of my posts. I feel like I am on my own with this and would love to hear from people in the same boat.

Pain down the outside of my left leg

This evening I have pain running down the outside of my left leg which is worrying me. It is a little bit disconcerting as I have been trying to take it very easy today but I have been sitting a lot so that may have been something to do with it. 

Physio visit tomorrow should be interesting. I can take solace in the fact that the Melbourne physio told me that it will take a long time to feel good and when it does it will happen all of a sudden.

Fingers crossed!

Post sports science doctor physio

Went along to see my local physio, Matt today. We discussed the sports science doctor's findings and recommendations and then went into the gym next door to go over a strengthening exercises regime.

After a 10 min warm-up of walking he wants me to stretch the hammys, quads, groin, lower back and gluteals.

Then strengthening exercises including bridging, Russian twist using the Swiss ball (SB), leg raises (SB), planking, dog leg lift, side planking, hammy curls (SB) and back curls (SB).

A 4 min warm-down walk to finish.

I have appointments each week from now until Christmas too. Let's see how we go.