Nearing the Two Year Surgiversary

No more apologies for not posting, I'm just too busy. BUT I found out this blog is pretty high ranking in search results for hip labral tears, so I feel obligated to post about things that work. I still have pain but I've found the biggest relief from a few things. Here they are in no particular order:

1. Yoga. But not intense full sessions every day. Taking the time to just do a few helpful poses, just making sure things are loose works wonders.



2. THIS. Daily. Plus Arnica gel. You can find the Joint Balm here. Massage, massage, massage. My biggest issue has been scar tissue from surgery clinging onto my already tight psoas. My amazing massage therapist can actually feel the tightness running all the way down my left (surgery) leg into my foot. And I can definitely attest to the pain when she works on it, it's there. The best way to heal is to move and massage. I can't stress it enough.



3. Breathe, breathe, breathe. And do this pose! But be gentle. I recently realized (Yup, it took me almost 2 years...) that I subconsciously tighten/pull around my surgery area. This is my subconscious way of protecting the area. Tightening it is my reaction to the fear of letting go, my fear of re-injury. Unfortunately this was only causing me more pain and as soon as I made a conscious effort daily to notice this tightening and taking the time to let go and breathe... relax, the less pain I had. I also notice during high-stress days I tighten this area more, so I've made a conscious effort that when I'm really feeling stressed to take note of my hip and how it feels and take the time to let go.

4. Designs for Health - Inflammatone: I know it totally looks sketchy (update: their redesigned product is far less sketchy) but I absolutely love this product. It was initially recommended to me by my ART/chiropractor and I have been buying it in bulk on Amazon. The formula includes: Protease, Turmeric, Boswellia, Ginger, Quercetin and Rosemary Extract. Before I came across this product I was taking those ingredients (except for rosemary extract) in individual pills. I found that this combination worked for me but it was annoying to carry around all the pills. I casually mentioned this to my my doctor and he was like, "I think we carry a product with all those ingredient." and voila, my love affair with Inflammatone began. The best part about it? The ingredients are also good for my gastritis/stomach issues. It's like those old Tums commercials, "It's something my body needs anyway." Indeed.

So there you have it, four tips for healing from hip FAI, post-labral tear surgery.