I recently received a diagnosis that has thrown me for a complete loop.
I’ve had a sore hip for years. Seriously, years. It bothers me when I climb while cross country skiing. It has become impossible to do Cobbler’s Pose in yoga and I can only sit cross-legged in yoga class if I have a block under my right knee to keep it supported. I just thought it was a tendon / ligament / muscle thing and all I needed to do was keep stretching it and working through the pain.
I was wrong.
Turns out I have FAI, which is short for Femoral Acetabular Impingement. Or FAO Schwarz, which is easier to remember. It would seem that I’ve been grinding away cartilage and extra bone has built up on my hip and also on my femur. And as the name would suggest, said extra bone is impinging on my hip movement.
The cause? The debate continues. It’s probably because, to paraphrase Lady Gaga, I was born this way, what with the long leg and levers and pulleys and whatnot.. And I’m active
It’s generally agreed that excessive exercise does not cause it. But certain activities do aggravate it. Things that aggravate it, however, are pretty list-worthy, especially in my case – bicycling, horseback riding, yoga, car riding. The list goes on and on. But in my case, I don’t think I have to worry about rugby making my hip hurt. But yoga? Yeah.
So I’ve been advised to cut back on my weight-bearing activities and do more swimming and bicycling. Long term solutions include arthroscopic surgery to scrape things out. Or a hip replacement.
This all begs the question, “How does Pudgy Joan lose the pudge if she shouldn’t walk or run?”
Suddenly, I’m feeling ancient.
