Tuesday, December 22, 2015

A Hip Kinda Guy

Time to un-neglect this blog once again to bring you an update. Since my last post a month ago, I've run exactly 3 times for a total of 8 miles. All on the treadmill (which felt better than the road, but not entirely without pain). I figured I could manage 2-3 short treadmill runs per week, especially given the outdoor conditions. That is, until I broke the treadmill during my third run. So, that's that.

I continued with my physical therapy visits, once or twice per week, focusing on strengthening my hips, glutes, legs, working on balance, stretching & flexibility. During this process, my right groin became more and more noticeably painful. My PT guy suspected I have some sort of impingement and suggested I see an orthopedist. I did, and got an X-ray that showed some bone chips floating around. He also said I may have a torn labrum there, too. So I get to have my hip numbed, shot full of dye, then an MRI on Christmas Eve.

The fun never ends for this guy.

With the bone chips, I'm wondering if this isn't more fallout from my bike accident back in August.

If there is a tear, surgery will probably be recommended. I've even had dreams where I had my MRI, then overheard my doc talking with the MRI tech about a hip replacement. My broken body is now haunting (taunting?) me in my sleep.

2015 has been a rough year for the old bod. I'm hoping for a still very active but less painful year in 2016. Or, at the very least, less expensive.

Oh, speaking of expensive, there is some good news: I will be buying a new road bike. It's my Christmas present and has been officially approved by the Mrs. Not sure which make and model I'm looking for, but I'd love full carbon fiber with Shimano Ultegra components. In the meantime, I've been riding my old bike on my indoor trainer 3x per week. It can be a grind, but it's better than nothing here in snowy Spokane.

Back to the MRI. I'll have my follow-up on Monday the 28th, after which I'll post the results.

So until then, Merry Christmas, folks!