When A Good Hip Goes Bad

I am not sure when it started but one day I noticed pain in my left hip as my weight shifted to that leg when swinging the other leg over the bike. Sometimes while riding I would occasionally feel sharp, shooting pains from my left hip. I was pretty active running, biking, and kayaking and figured this was just another pain that would go away. It didn't, but I was not about to stop riding.

One dark winter day I slipped on a wet tile floor and landed squarely on my left hip joint. That hurt a lot and the pain changed from slightly annoying to very troublesome. Now, I had shooting hip pains while sitting and watching TV. I tried to jog, but after a few blocks of severe hip pain, I limped home feeling like a wounded animal. People started to notice that I walked with a limp. I tried to hide it but sooner or later someone would again ask, "Why are you limping?" I knew I should see a doctor, but I kept telling myself this would soon pass.

Swinging my leg over the bike became a painful chore and I groaned out loud from just getting on the bike. Standing on the pegs while riding loose gravel was very painful and jarring over rough areas was much worse. Even shifting became difficult and I twisted my body while riding to lessen the pain. This was affecting my balance and I knew something needed to be done. Despite my vehement denials, I was forced to admit the hip pain was clearly getting worse.

I decided physical therapy was the answer and went to a very good sports clinic. They quickly realized I had an arthritic hip and referred me to a bone and joint specialist. The expert, Dr. Daines saw my x-ray and confirmed osteoarthritis in my left hip. My femur bone was actually rubbing/grinding against my pelvic bone. The normal cartilage in this joint was gone.

The doctor cheerfully told me, "The good news is, a hip replacement will fix it." I was shocked and blurted, "I am too young for hip replacement." Being kind, he smiled and said, "You are...young-ish. It means you will get more use out of the new hip." He made clear I had two options, 1) hip replacement surgery or 2}a "pain management plan" involving injections and pills. I chose surgery.

My hip surgery was yesterday and everything went perfectly. Afterwords in the recovery room Dr. Daines told my hip was in worse shape than he had expected. Today I am limping behind a walker and will continue limping for the next few days. The good news is this pain is different and less severe than before. I can look forward to riding again and without the pain, in another 4-6 weeks.

Looking on the bright side, this forced break from riding will not be all bad. I have time to catch up on blogging, to clean up the old girl and take care of some delayed maintenance. When we hit the road again the KLR and I will both be in prime shape in spite of being only "young-ish."

Rider Saved By ATGATT

Nobody gets on their bike thinking, "Today I will have an accident, better wear my gear." Because accidents are never expected, many riders use All The Gear All The Time (ATGATT) as a personal rule for safe riding. You only ride when wearing a full set of safety gear. 

My friend Vic is an experienced rider on the street, trail, and track. He is also an ATGATT rider who high-sided on the pavement and walked away with minor injuries thanks to his safety gear. Here is his story...

"I just had a mini high side and tested out my spanking new jacket at about 35 mph or so.  Around Las Colinas City Hall, there is a area right around a curve where the inside lane has sunk down about 6 inches from the lane running beside it.  I did not notice this as I was changing from the inside to the outside lane.  I guess my tires hit the edge perfectly wrong with both tires and the bike suddenly pitched me over the bars sliding on my face and right side. One second I was riding along, the next second I was crashing into the pavement."

He compared this accident to hitting a curb sideways. As the bike fell away to the left, he flew over the handlebars and landed on his right thigh, then right elbow, and right front of his Shoei RF-1100 helmet. 

"My face slide jacked up my visor a bit but my helmet will be OK except for some minor scratching.  Right arm of the new jacket is chewed up a bit but not all the way through. Not a scratch on my legs thanks to Bull-It  jeans. My chest area is as if nothing happened thanks my Forcefield Body Armor." 

"If I was not wearing my gear, it could have been so much worse; cracked ribs, shoulder, smashed up face/jaw. Road rash on legs, shoulder, thigh, face, and arms would have been a reality."

This is a great testimony to the effectiveness of wearing quality gear. It will save you a lot of pain and injury and very possibly save your life when the unexpected happens.  Below is a more detailed breakdown of the damage to Vic's gear:

- Triumph branded jacket: (heavy leather with armored elbows and shoulders) scuffed, but no tears or asphalt burn through. 

- Gerbings T5 heated gloves: scuffing and tears on right hand fingers; repairable.

- Alpinestars MX5 boots: a few scrapes on the upper sliders, but otherwise fine.

- Bull-It Jeans: tear through of the jean material, but the Covec did not allow the asphalt to get to his legs. 

As for personal injuries:

"A 1/2 dollar sized asphalt burn on my right elbow area. A quarter sized bruise on my right thumb and swelling of my right thigh. Some minor bumps and bruises. All should be fine."  

"I am in decent shape these days so I was able to easily get up, right the bike, and get back to work."

His trusty KLR returned him to work, but it also had some injuries.

"The KLR suffered some twisted forks (can fix, I think) and road rash on the ice-cream scoop protectors. Gotta love the old girl, she really came through like a champ. My S3 or Ninja would have been coming home on a truck."

It's easy to see that without his gear, Vic would have been a bloody mess laying along the road, while the bike was still good enough to ride. Only by wearing ATGATT, was he able to get up again with relatively minor injuries and ride away from this accident. That is something to remember the next time you get on your bike.

This is Vic's story and I hope this post will spare other riders from injury or death.  Being an ATGATT rider requires commitment. Putting on everything takes time, and on hot summer rides it can be uncomfortable. If one rider changes their mind and wears their gear after reading this, then our job here is done.

Thanks Vic and ride safe!

Happy Halloween!

Hay bales are a common sight around here, but someone with a creative streak came up with this uncommon way to decorate their farm yard. In that spirit, have a safe and fun Halloween!