7 Weeks Post Op

I am now able to be very active and I have very few restrictions. I am allowed full passive range of motion. Next week, I will start the advanced exercises of my physical therapy protocol. My left hip also has FAI, but it is unknown whether or not it has a labral tear. As I continue to swim, run, and do other more advanced exercises, I am being very careful to preserve my left hip. When I first saw my surgeon in Nashville he told me that my left hip will probably eventually need surgery, but he doesn't recommend it until my hip becomes a major problem. Hopefully that will be quite a ways down the road.


I'm able to twirl again!

I am very excited to begin returning to my activities. I plan to slowly return to dance classes, starting in January. I am able to do some twirling moves now, but because of all the loaded twisting movements in baton twirling, my physical therapist says it will still be a while until I can fully return to twirling.


A room I designed

It was very difficult to adjust to a less active lifestyle at first. Now, I realize that this experience gives me the opportunity to do things that I would never be able to do with a heavy training schedule. I have tried out some new, less physically demanding methods of artistic expression. I have found that I love to scrapbook and design rooms. I also have had a lot of fun learning how to do all different kinds of hair braids. I can't wait to see how some fun braid styles look when combined with a ballet bun. I've also enjoyed volunteering at a local holiday festival.

Thanks for your support! I hope everyone has a great holiday season!     



One Month Update

My surgery was one month ago. I can now walk without crutches. The restrictions of no external rotation and not greater than 90 degrees of flexion are gone. This makes putting on shoes and socks much easier! :) My physical therapist measured internal rotation on both legs. It was found that my surgical hip has almost 10 degrees more internal rotation than my nonsurgical hip. Hopefully I will see similar results in my external rotation. According to the protocol, I should have full passive range of motion in about 2 weeks. I am now able to run on the elliptical machine. It feels so great to be doing aerobic exercise for the first time since my surgery. I am headed back to Nashville soon for a checkup, and to confirm that everything is progressing smoothly. Again, thanks everyone for all of your support!

I wonder if my doctor considers this "full passive range of motion" :)

Goodbye Nashville

Today I will head home for the first time since my surgery. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in Nashville and am sad to be leaving such an amazing city. I am, however, looking forward to being home! I stayed at the Ronald McDonald House while in Nashville. The people at the house were very kind and generous. Every time guests walked through the front door, they were greeted with a smile. Seeing the difficulties that some of the other guests at the house have had to endure has made me truly thankful for my situation. Although my surgery has required me to take time off from some of the activities I enjoy most, I know that I will get better and I will be able to return to my normal life. Unfortunately, some of the amazing families at the Ronald McDonald House cannot say the same thing. I will continue to keep these families in my thoughts and prayers.

At the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular at the Grand Ole Opry

My hip is doing great! I have been able to bike and do many upper body exercises. I have also been studying videos of ballet and baton performances. It has been nice to step out of the dance and baton world and really focus in on some details that seem to be overlooked when I am so caught up in making it to the gym or to class. I have learned to appreciate the artistry and simplicity of the two art forms, rather than only focusing on the big feature tricks.

Many exciting progressions occur next week! To list a few:

1)     I lose my crutches

2)     I can run on the elliptical machine

3)     I can swim laps

4)     I can drive

5)     I progress to “phase 2” of my physical therapy protocol

In the Parthenon by the Athena statue

 I again want to thank my family and friends for being so supportive. I would also like to thank all of the wonderful people that are part of the Nashville Sports Medicine team.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

 

  

Moving in the Right Direction

Although I hate to see other athletes go through this surgery, I am pleased to say that it has been a lot better than I was anticipating. Immediately following the surgery, my hip was in intense pain. This lasted until about 10pm on the night of surgery, and then it stopped hurting, and hasn't hurt since. The day after the surgery I had physical therapy. A few things that had been painful before the surgery, simply didn't hurt anymore! I can feel that there is no longer a little bit of extra bone in front that grinds and pinches. It is amazing to me how noticable the difference is. Everyday since the surgery it has been feeling a little bit looser and less swollen. It is wonderful to finally, after 10 months, know that my hip is moving in the right direction. There are five very small wounds from the surgery that my physical therapist says will eventually be hardly visible at all. I know that I still have about 3 weeks until I can turnout or, as known in the medical field, "externally rotate" :) my leg and walk without crutches, but I can rest assured that I am moving in the right direction.

Success!

The surgery went exactly as planned. They shaved away part of the acetabular bone and femoral head, and repaired the labrum. The surgeon gave us pictures and videos of the inside of my hip. I have enjoyed studying them and being able to see why my hip had been causing so much pain. I am happy to have the surgery behind me and to be headed toward full recovery. I am so thankful for all of the other dancers and twirlers that have contacted me and told me about the injuries that they have overcome. Thanks so much everyone for all of your support and encourgement. I really appreciate it. I will post more about the surgery later...   

Finding Out That I Have FAI

My dream had always been to compete in the Baton Twirling World Championships. I took 5-6 ballet classes  a week and  twirled for multiple hours everyday. In summer 2011, I qualified  to compete in the 2012 World Championships in April. I began to work harder than ever. I spent weekends twirling nonstop from Friday evening to Sunday evening. After these weekends I was always sore, but the soreness would fade away within the next couple of days. But after a weekend of twirling in January of 2012, just 3 months before the world championships, something was different. My right hip was very sore and it was not starting to feel better. I started going to physical therapy 2-3 times a week, and my hip felt like it was slowly improving. I continued to go to my regular ballet classes, and was able to fully participate. By the time we were headed to Switzerland for the World Championships, my hip was doing much better. The music tests in Switzerland were a few days before the competition. I was unable to complete my full routine during the tests due to soreness in my hip. I wasn't going to let my hip stop me from finally living my dream! I competed, won the bronze medal, and flew home, all with little to no pain.

With one of my coaches and a USA teammate (and my trophy!) at Worlds

In preparation for the 2012 national championships, which were held in July, my hip was very hindering. I woke up every day with the intention of spending a full day preparing, beginning with 3 hours of Pilates and ballet classes and ending with 4 hours of baton practice. Most days my hip was too sore to complete the baton practices. Some days I would show up at the gym and leave 10 minutes later because it was so sore. I started receiving chiropractic care. My chiropractor got my hip feeling well enough to have more successful days of practice. I was able to spend a week competing at the national championships with only a few minor hip complications. When it was time to go back to school, I went to the doctor to get a physical. We asked her for a note to get me out of gym class because it was very painful to run. My doctor said, "Well, why can't you run?" That is when I realized that I needed to address my hip, which had now been hurting off and on for about 8 months.

The doctor sent me to the local orthopedic surgeon, who ordered an MR Arthrogram and hip x-rays. We returned 2 weeks later to hear that I had a labral tear in my right hip, which would need to be surgically repaired. In the meantime, we decided to try a more conservative form of treatment. I was no longer attending any ballet classes and was twirling very few days a week. I went to physical therapy 3 times a week. Much to my surprise, my right hip was becoming even more painful. It got to the point where it was painful to stand, walk, sit, and get in and out of a car. We decided to get a second opinion. This orthopedic surgeon said that I had Femoroacetabular Impingement (FAI) in addition to labral damage. FAI basically means that the ball of my hip is misshapen and my hip socket is too deep. He said that I could put off the surgery but my labral cartilage would continue to be damaged and that I would need hip surgery in the future. He also said that the longer we wait, the more difficult it will be to repair it, and the lower my chances of a successful surgery. We decided to go with the surgery. The surgery will be done arthroscopically and is scheduled for Wednesday, October 31. My goal is to fully return to baton twirling and ballet dancing. I will be blogging about my road to recovery.