didn’t knew where to post this but i need to write some of my chest, last year i have been strugeling with pain in the hip region, i remebered that it started out after probably having made a wrong move during surfing. First i was like , yeah it will go away, just give it some rest, its probably a muscle or something…few months ago i finaly whent to a specialist and he told me to have a scan of the hip…there it showed that i had a labrum tear and that i should get arthroscopic surgeory …so i did and i got home today. thing is i’m really depressed as earlyer today the doc said that i had a grade 3 cartilage damage, meaning that more than 50% of the cartilage (in depth) is already gone) witch is a verry bad thing. to try and solve this problem he told me he “ice picked” the bone, but the outcome is just temporarly.
i realy don’t know how to deal with all this at the moment, only thing that keeps going trough my mind is "what if i can’t surf again’ or what if i have to stop surfing because my hip doesn’t allow me to surf annymore…if i can’t surf i can’t live, sounds crazy maybe but thats just how it is…feeling really depressed at the moment. are there anny other people here that have gone trough a same thing. most people i know don’t surf so they can’t really relate or understand that life is over when i cant surf no more, i’m only 32 and had big plans of traveling to all those nice spots i saw in magazines…now everything is just dark clouds. are there anny people here whom have gone trough a simular thing or that have had hip surgeory.
sorry to sound like a cry baby guys just looking for a crowd with a simular passion.
Good advice & a second opinion is always a smart move. All else fails - consider surfing options that put less strain on the hips.Life might seem like it’s over but it’s not.
before i actually descided to have the operation i had like 3 second opinions (“”) since i wasn’t to sure if it was a smart thing to have surgeory especially on the hips, i alwayse hoped some fysiotherapie would help me get rid of my complaints…
i do understand when you say that life might be over but its not…here’s the thing, everything i do, from when i was a kid everything here in the house reminds me of surfing, i just cant imagin life without surfing and the ocean
Hearing that kind of news is always a shock, but believe me it gets much better. I had a complete hip replacement 7 months ago. I was in the water surfing (no late drops, pciked my days) 3 months post op. I’m now surfing better than I was before surgery because I have no pain. I’m also back in my karate dojo and my movements are also better than the year preceding surgery. I had both calves operated on for compartment syndrome 15 years ago. I was in the water surfing before the surgical scars had healed. You just have to want it bad enough and you’ll do it. Do not believe doctors who tell you that you’ll have to give up certain activities. I took 4th place in the 1986 NYC budlight triathlon. I had my ACL torn completely in a full contact fight in 1981. They replaced it with another tendon in my leg and pins. They told me I would never run or do karate again. I just kept working at it and I averaged 6:20 minute miles I’m only 5’5". I never stopped my Karate, just adjusted what i had to until I regained strength and flexibility. It’s not over unless you say it’s over.
several years ago I had the miniscus cartilage removed from one of my knees
years before I had it removed from the other and developed osteo-arthritis from the bone of bone contact in the knee joint.
On my second knee problem hospital excursion the doctor told me I had to give up surfing and ride a bicycle for the rest of my life
I almost punched him or cursed him out for his attitude
turns out he was just visiting physician.
The orthopedic surgeon who did the surgery said it was up to me but i would suffer because surfing was like doing endless leg squats but I could still surf.
I could lose allot of weight to help but I've done neither and i suffer nightly to with throbbing knees. But eventually when I get a little older I can replace both of my knees with titanium joints like my co-worker just did.
for now my knees hurt like hell after surfing or if I'm on my feet along time and it's hard to walk or carry heavy things for a long time but I just think of the shark bitten young one armed surfergirl and one legged surferguy from Kauai and I tell myself what do I have to complain about.
there's always a way to figure out how to enjoy the waves..
riding in airplanes kills me though
go thru security with titanium knees won't be alot of fun either
I always thought if I couldn’t surf I could still sail and if you sail you know that you can still surf. You can’t get barrels but the thrill when a wave moves under your boat and the boat starts sliding down the wave and accelerates is just as big a rush. I could also still make boards. I remember reading that Stretch had some issues and couldn’t surf.I myself get tremendous satisfaction making boards. Or I’d make movies. I’d bring the movies to the next Swayholics at Big Sur. The waves sucked this year but I had a warm fuzzy feeling about that trip for a whole week.
You life isn’t over, it’s just presenting a different set of possibilities.
I had major shoulder surgery to remove a tumor in 1994. All my back muscles had to be detached from my spine on the left side and reattached. I was told my arm might have to be amputated during the surgery, and they wouldn't know until they got in there. I went into surgery not knowing whether I would come out an amputee or not. Three days after the surgery the doctors visited me in the hospital and asked me to wiggle my fingers in my left hand. When I did, they gave each other high fives. They weren't sure if there had been nerve damage during the operation.
I surfed again six months later, and it was one of the proudest days of my life. 15 years later, there is still occasional pain, but more than anything, I remember the challenge of battling through all the emotions at the time.
Three guys I know that surf had hip replacement surgery,2 in their early forties .One guy I know for sure had the procedure where the thigh bone is not cut off,but instead the ball joint is capped off,i think it’s called the Birmingham procedure. It is less invasive.All 3 were back surfing within a year,taking it easy at first,then back full time,2 of them surf small summer waves,but the other one is back charging the North Shore of Maui.So you can explore that option.I am 55,been surfing since 1966.Before surfing,I was always on the waves on a piece of plywood.I recently had to be out of surfing for a while,due to retinal detachments.After one of the surgeries I had to lay on my stomach immobile for 2 whole weeks,at least 23 out of 24 hours/day,not knowing for sure if i would ever be able to surf again,at least the big kind of waves I like.So I can definetely relate to how you are feeling.Don’t give up,when there is a will,there is a way.Look at Bethany Hamilton,that is an inspirational person,and I see other people here,one missing an arm,the other a leg,this one guy is paralized from the waist down,he is out catching waves laying down on his board.So,you are telling yourself right now, good for them ,but,I wanna surf.You will be surprised to find that you can still enjoy the ocean,no matter what you are out on,surfboard,canoe,kayak,etc…But check out the hip replacement.Aloha
Be sure to check w/ The Stone Clinic in San Francisco. Their whole deal is about joints and keeping aging boomer athletes doing what they love. It is a legit, MD outfit but very cutting edge. They do a lot of research and pioneering new types of treatments.
I said life MIGHT seem like it is over not that it is over. I think the comon theme across the replies is that people had the attitiude that they were going to keep surfing. The mind can be a force of great strength and healing. It can also be our enemy at times.
I recall Peter Cole I think it was, saying although he couldn’t get to his feet quick enough at times it was still great just being out in the ocean.
Whatever the injury, there is usually a longish period of learning and relearning what you can do & modifications that you need to make.
About a month ago was the first time that I was able to surf in two years. I was a little apprehensive about being able to paddle and stand up. Paddling wasn’t a problem, but getting to my feet took a little more effort. I felt like a kook with 43 years experience. I was sitting in the line up thinking “Is this over?” No way! I must discipline myself to do a little Yoga and excersise the leg muscles. You must not look at yourself as only a surfer, but you must look at yourself as a waterman! There are many ways in which we can enjoy the ocean. The last time I had difficulty I took up kayaking in the surf. There is also kneeboarding,( just think Greenough), bodyboarding, handboarding and so on. I use to say that I will surf until the day that I can’t walk. You need to keep the spirit and stay stoked.
My right hip (and left shoulder) (and lower back) talk to me. I've taken up bellyboarding on a home made bellyboard. Making the board and surfing it have been satisfying enough. There are ways to stay in the water.
In a movie there was a guy named Jessie(?) - a quadriplegic, who was strapped on to his board and pushed in to waves. Here is a Youtube vid...
It's not going to be the same as where you were before... or at your 'peak'. You are still young and have a much higher chance of healing properly and quickly. My advice (as a PT student) is to find a Physical Therapist that you enjoy working with, who is knowledgeable, easy to communicate with, and possibly a surfer (or waterman/woman of some sort). I believe this will help quite a bit with your recovery along with the people on here. Tell the PT that you intend on getting back in the water and they can help you gauge when you are ready. Keep yourself positive, do all the exercises (and yoga, if you can) that they tell you to do everyday. Still go out and check the waves every day, and remind yourself that soon you will be back out there. Healing can be mental as well as physical.
Here's my quick personal story. 5 years ago I was *almost a sponsored wakeboarder... got pretty good at it until one day I did this trick, landed completely wrong and compressed fractured 2 vertebrae in my back. Thought I was going to be paralyzed for the rest of my life. I know a similar feeling to yours. Worked really hard to improve my back so that I could get back in the water. And I did. It was a blessing & an amazing feeling.
Good luck with your recovery now. Keep us updated.
its motivating reading all the comments and how all of you managed to stay strong and positive trough it all. i’m on a 3 month rehab now and can’t do any sports or put lots of pressure on the leg (R).
to be honost i’m not the most optimistic person there is, just like the day they told me i needed surgeory, first there was the worried docs face, from then i knew it wasn’t going to be sweet, i tell you it was like my heart droped to the ground, and today they told me i hade a damage of the cartillage grade 3, it was like yet another ton of brick falling on me.
when i read these comments they motivate me to hang in there and hope for the best…when i’m laying in bed thinking the feeling of “its over” is overwelming…actually got back out of bed cause i can’t sleep.
@whitney and every one else whom are motivating me here, glad all of you made it back into the water!
That thought haunted me for months after my right foot was crunched and I’m a regular. Right hand drive in Japan. A tire rim buckled through the footwell wrapping the accelerator pedal over the top of my braking foot, I brake with the balls of my feet leaving the heel unsupported. Then the impact sent the heel to the steel with the upper half clamped. Echoes of the doctors words rang in my ears; “you will be lucky to get 50% back, take the meds for life”. Between the two I waited. When I hesitantly paddled out a few painfully dismal months later the apprehension was choking me. I stood up gently and smiled again. I still have many tiny bone chips scattered between the heel and skin but far enough away from the nerves. The foot loses power in the colder temps and I have about 70-80 %.
Listen to your body and heart and I hope you are at least as fortunate as me. Oh yeah, I had to dump the meds, I was becoming a zombie.
If the testing day would have gone the other way I’d be sea kayaking.
April 20, 2009 - Left total knee replacement at age 45.
July 30, 2009 - Returned to the surf.
When I put my surfboard in the garage on April 19th, I recognized that I might never surf again. In fact, part of me was certain I wouldn’t be able to surf again with a titanium joint. However, I didn’t give up. My doctor saw no reason why I couldn’t return to surfing. I’d found another surfer who got back on his board after a knee replacement. When my turn came, I suffered through it and kept my eye on the prize (surfing, of course). I was focused on returning to the lineup. That’s it. I had no other goals as I went through the recovery from the surgery.
I know quite a few surfers who’ve had their hips replaced. The guy who writes The Brown Recluse blog is one. Cher Pendarvis is another.
Look at it this way—if you continue to let the joint deteriorate, the increasing pain will keep you from surfing. That is certain. At least with surgery, there is a high probability that you’ll be back in the lineup pain-free. I still have pain from the surgery, but the horrendous pain of one bone rubbing on another is gone. While I do have issues with flexion, my knee is stronger than it’s been in decades. I’m thankful for the surgery. Without it, I would no longer be surfing.
Snapped my kneecap after slipping on concrete with cheap rubber slippers. Half went south half went north. They wired the two pieces back together with some heavy duty stainless. 3 months later I was surfing again while recovering my strength. (turned into a front foot surfer).11 months after that injury I broke my hip on the same leg. Had to learn to surf one more time. Each time, the day before the injury I had an excellent surf session. These injuries taught me to appreciate every surf session because you never know what life is going to toss at you.
With all the stainless and titanium I can’t get past TSA in Kahului without the full search. The wire around the kneecap finally came out a few years later than is should have. I can’t knee paddle anymore but I can surf!
hi pauwel, if the worst comes to the worst and your hip joint needs replaceing a modern hip resurfaceing where the femeral head is capped will give you back all of the things you want to do, people have returned to marathon running ,iron man events , matial arts at competative levels , rock climbing , there are no restrictions almost in what you can do , surfing would be down the list as easy activaty,
these things happen in life,its the same for everyone ,everyone feels why me but you have to sort it out and progress forward , search for ritchie lovett , asp surfer at the top of his game ,ended up with cancer of the hip joint , he is back surfing and you will be too, pete