Heavy Lifting w/ Bad Hip?

stellcorb
stellcorb Posts: 294 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello All,
I know there are a million forums on here that talk about heavy lifting, and I think my issue may be too specific, but I thought I'd try.

Some background first:
So, I'm in maintence now after losing 65lbs after my first child (Max is 4.5 now... got to my goal weight about 3 years ago), and 2 years ago (right before I found out I was pregnant w/ my second) I had a hip injury while running. No external cause that I know of, just running one day... felt some tightness and felt an ugly pop and poof... no more running. Went to doctors, got an x-ray, was told I had osteoartritis (I'm 34), did physcial therapy b/c insurance wanted me to do that before they would cover an MRI. Fast foreward to post second pregnancy, I go back in, get an MRI and have a Labial tear. Get a Hip Arthroscopy and they have to put in 4 anchors and I'm on crutches for 6 weeks. PT says I can do what I want for activity, just back off if it hurts, Ortho says I should stick to low impact forever.

Finally to the punch line:
The muscles in my hips, buttocks and upper thighs atropied a bit since the surgery so I'm stuck with lose and jiggly in the middle and bony everywhere else. I do mainly cardio because 1. I like it more and 2. Everytime I lift (squats, lunges, leg press, etc...) I'm left with stabbing hip pain for a while. Dont get the same affect from cardio (precor and elliptical mostly). I and do alot of core stuff and my waist and belly are fairly flat (no 6 pack, but strong).
I know I need to lift, and probably heavy... but I'm afraid of having to get a hip replacement at 45. Any suggestions or advice on strengthening the hip, buttock and thigh area while avoiding irritating my patched hip?

Replies

  • MagnumBurrito
    MagnumBurrito Posts: 1,070 Member
    Get proper form down for every exercise. Video your yourself lifting and post it for people to critique. Stretch, mash, and do hip mobility work as well. Squatting will strengthen your hip. Just be extra careful early on when learning the form and listen to your body. Back off for a day or two if you tweak something. Take it slow and good luck.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    Hello All,
    I know there are a million forums on here that talk about heavy lifting, and I think my issue may be too specific, but I thought I'd try.

    Some background first:
    So, I'm in maintence now after losing 65lbs after my first child (Max is 4.5 now... got to my goal weight about 3 years ago), and 2 years ago (right before I found out I was pregnant w/ my second) I had a hip injury while running. No external cause that I know of, just running one day... felt some tightness and felt an ugly pop and poof... no more running. Went to doctors, got an x-ray, was told I had osteoartritis (I'm 34), did physcial therapy b/c insurance wanted me to do that before they would cover an MRI. Fast foreward to post second pregnancy, I go back in, get an MRI and have a Labial tear. Get a Hip Arthroscopy and they have to put in 4 anchors and I'm on crutches for 6 weeks. PT says I can do what I want for activity, just back off if it hurts, Ortho says I should stick to low impact forever.

    Finally to the punch line:
    The muscles in my hips, buttocks and upper thighs atropied a bit since the surgery so I'm stuck with lose and jiggly in the middle and bony everywhere else. I do mainly cardio because 1. I like it more and 2. Everytime I lift (squats, lunges, leg press, etc...) I'm left with stabbing hip pain for a while. Dont get the same affect from cardio (precor and elliptical mostly). I and do alot of core stuff and my waist and belly are fairly flat (no 6 pack, but strong).
    I know I need to lift, and probably heavy... but I'm afraid of having to get a hip replacement at 45. Any suggestions or advice on strengthening the hip, buttock and thigh area while avoiding irritating my patched hip?

    Are you able to do things such as full deep unweighted squats? If 16 is easy then I'd say it would be more beneficial to start adding on weight.

    So in this specific case I would recommend going to a professional, as we're obviously not trained with this kind of thing and may give counter productive advice. All I have for input is I have arthritis and in my readings I've also read that progressive lifting does help prevent osteoporosis and osteoporosis related injuries. It can help strengthen bones/skeletal muscle. Basically since you have osteoporosis your bones have begun to hollow out, on top of an injury this sounds unstable to me? Baby steps here may be hitting a gym, taking it easy (but progressively) and sticking to the machines for a while (with confirmation from a health professional that this is OK).

    http://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/9927006/reload=0;jsessionid=FvV6hx8ROsu7hG5kzMSf.20

    As someone who is so young with this problem, I'd take a look into your diet as well. Make sure you're getting enough calories, make sure you're getting enough bio-available calcium in your diet, as well as enough of the essential vitamins that help you absorb the calcium, as well as enough fat to absorb those things.

    Goodluck! I also fear this since it runs in the family.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    I know I need to lift, and probably heavy... but I'm afraid of having to get a hip replacement at 45. Any suggestions or advice on strengthening the hip, buttock and thigh area while avoiding irritating my patched hip?

    No. Since you have a complex orthopedic issue, a medical professional is the proper person to discuss it with. Taking generic advice off the web may do more harm than good.

    If you do lift weights, it's wise to get your form checked by an experienced personal trainer. Next best thing is to upload form check videos.

    Sorry i can't be of more help.
  • stellcorb
    stellcorb Posts: 294 Member
    Thank-you for your responses! Yeah, I know it's a subject to bring up w/ a professional... guess I'm just not sure which professional to listen to as my PT and my Ortho seem to be in different schools of thought... Totally understand this is a bit of a lost cause, just a bit depressing to have this type of physical restraint in my mid 30s.:cry:
  • Flossiesdoll
    Flossiesdoll Posts: 48
    I have osteoarthritis in one hip following a pelvic fracture as a result of a cycling injury. I know I will need a hip replacement eventually, but losing weight is part of delaying that for as long as possible! My orthopaedic surgeon has said to keep as active as possible. My own professional knowledge (I'm an occupational therapist) and my own experience is that high impact stuff hurts, and too much flexion hurts. I swim front crawl 4-5 times a week, which helps me lose weight and strengthen my muscles (I find the breaststroke kick way too painful), and I do pilates once or twice a week for more strengthening and weight-bearing. I also walk quite a bit.

    When did you have your arthroscopy? I would think that 3-4 months afterwards you should be able to start increasing your activity levels, with your surgeon's approval.

    Swimming, and pilates and yoga with appropriate adjustments, are probably suitable for you, but do check with your surgeon.
  • stellcorb
    stellcorb Posts: 294 Member
    My surgery was over a year ago (late Feb 2013) so I already did my full PT and was discharged from my Ortho last August. I tried asking similiar questions on what I can and can't do, but didn't really get strait answers. The PT basically said I can do anything unless it hurts, the ortho said " You're hip is like a patched tire, you want to be careful how many miles you put on it"... so not really helpful.
    I may just go back to the PT plan I was given last year but lower the reps and add weight.

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