I dislocated my hip...

**GhostfaceKillah** · 02-25-2009, 12:35 PM

I dislocated my hip Sunday the 15th, and it was the most painful thing I've ever experienced. It was on my first back flip attempt on snow, I was having a great day in the park landing new tricks and feeling really confident. After watching a few of my friends demonstrate while I observed from the knuckle I finally tried and just didn't commit, and landed straight on my ass. (Rookie mistake, I'm over it, I need to get the motion down more on tramps or diving boards before trying again).

I have a pretty high pain tolerance, and I have had my fair share of injuries (Torn ACL, separated shoulder, many broken bones, etc...), but nothing even comes close to the ridiculous amount of pain that comes with a hip dislocation. I was without pain medication for 2 hours in a hospital before seeing a doc (who quickly put me on a morphine drip). They attempted to relocate my hip on the X-Ray table while stacking my Morphine drip with Valium.... it still hurt like hell. AFter they failed... I was transfered to ECMC in Buffalo where they treated me very well.

After spending a week on crutches, gaining mobility each day, I saw an orthopedist yesterday about potential surgery to remove a bone fragment floating around my hip, but he says it isn't in a "dangerous" spot, so it shouldn't be an issue. I have a follow up appointment in 2 weeks.

As of right now I'm off any painkillers they have given me, and I can hobble around the house without crutches (although I am still opting to keep the crutches just to let everything heal up).

I really want to start doing physio, and I really believe I will be able to ski before the season is over. Does anyone have any experience with this injury? Any advice for recovery? I've been icing it like crazy, and I've started stretching my poor leg muscles today. Does a sports therapy place do rehab for an injury like this? because I am having the hardest time finding any information online.... Hip dislocations only seem to happen to old people lol.

Thanks guys.

**powder_prophet** · 02-25-2009, 08:38 PM

I dislocated my hip three winter ago, right aroudn this time of the winter. Definitely the most painful experience of my life. Didn't hurt at first, but man, after two hours of muscles cramping and contorting around the head of my femur, everything hurt. Its amazing how ANY body movement is felt in the hip. I remember it hurt to move my arms...

As far as recovery, I defititely wasn't skiing anymore that season. I was on crutchse for a month, and was finally able to do some light hiking after 6 weeks. the biggest thing that will help recovery is stretching. All those muscles that got fucked-over are what need to recover, and the best way to help fix them is to slowly, gently stretch them out. My freedom of movement and flexibility wasn't back to normal for a year or so.

Good luck with the recovery!! You'll be out having fun again before you know it.

**GhostfaceKillah** · 02-26-2009, 11:39 AM

I'm just curious how old you are. The docs were telling me how rare it was for a healthy 21 year old like myself to dislocate a hip. Also, how soon did you start physiotherapy?

**Sinecure** · 02-26-2009, 12:29 PM

Saw the post title and immediately thought "fuck, that's gotta hurt more than almost anything." Guess I was right. Good luck and heal up.

**markb** · 02-26-2009, 01:57 PM

Anyone feel like their hip gets loose, or have an idea on how much it takes to really dislocate?

Last year was my first season PNW, mostly Hood, and the heavy snow had me yanking on my front leg to try to get my board back on the surface a lot more than usual, with a lot of wet heavy weight. I often felt my hip move in the joint, a few times quite a bit. I try to be careful now, but every once in a while while riding and pulling my nose back to the surface, I feel obvious socket movement. Just feels loose.

I've dislocated my shoulder a bunch kayaking and know what instability and recovery are like. Just curious if anyone's heard of hip dislocation from anything but major blunt trauma.

**Sinecure** · 02-26-2009, 03:35 PM

/\/\ Dude, get a bigger board and/or move your bindings toward the rear of the board. If you can't weight your front foot, regardless of the amount of pow, you are doing it wrong IMO.

**powder_prophet** · 02-26-2009, 06:01 PM

Originally Posted by markb

Just curious if anyone's heard of hip dislocation from anything but major blunt trauma.

It takes some serious force to dislocate your hip. That being said, mine didn't pop out from blunt trauma. I was hitting a natural windlip right under the chair. It was set up as a double with a decent gap to clear, so you had to go pretty damn fast (ie. doing a full-tuck straighline for the upper third of the mountain). In the air, my left leg started to drift out from the other, and when I landed, I caught the back-inside edge of my left ski. It stopped instantly and the rest of my body flew forward at 30 mph. Yanked the hip right out of the socket just before the binding released.

It was some serious trauma, but not 'blunt trauma.'

Originally Posted by GhostfaceKillah

I'm just curious how old you are. The docs were telling me how rare it was for a healthy 21 year old like myself to dislocate a hip. Also, how soon did you start physiotherapy?

Hehehe, it was two weeks before my 18th birthday when I did it, and yep, I got the same thing from the docs.

As far as physiotherapy, I received very little. I was on crutches for a month, and when I got the ok to walk without, attended one therapy session. From that point on, I just tried to walk as much as possible and essentially "train" really hard to recover it. Two weeks after getting off crutches, I was able to hike a mile or two at a time, and by the three month mark, I was backpacking through the Zierkels.

It wasn't until the next ski season that I really started to feel that my hip was still not fully recovered. That season I skied almost everyday and made sure to stretch each time, before and after. During the season, I also attended two sessions of physiotherapy that were basically 2 hours of EXTREME stretching, done while I was lying on a massage table. By the Spring, my hip was better than ever.

**markb** · 03-02-2009, 04:30 PM

Originally Posted by Sinecure

/\/\ Dude, get a bigger board and/or move your bindings toward the rear of the board. If you can't weight your front foot, regardless of the amount of pow, you are doing it wrong IMO.

Even if there aren't stupid questions I guess there are definitely stupid answers. Bud, you really think there's a length of board that never sinks no matter how long the run-out in deep heavy? You on one of those 180+ freak boards that are worthless for everything but groomers? Guess you wouldn't ever bog down there. BTW, I'm 155 lbs and my resort board is a 162 BTX trice and split is 172 (wish it was about 167). Already getting a bit long for spins.

If you go to new hills and look for new snow all the time, you're not gonna have all the fall-lines dialed.

I'm aware that yanking isn't going to dislocate on its own, but was probing for others that have developed hip-socket instability, a feeling of looseness (common for shoulders). Guess not.

**Orthoski** · 03-03-2009, 05:33 AM

Sorry to hear about your injury, Ghostface. Hip dislocations in young people are less common, but not unheard of - invariably, it requires a lot of force to dislocate a hip, and most of the ones I've seen in young people are after motor vehicle crashes. My advice would be to let your orthopedic surgeon lead you through your recovery. If there is a loose bone fragment in the joint, it may need to be taken out (pebble in the shoe effect), but your ortho surg will be able to determine that. Separately, a certain percentage of young people that dislocate their hip will go on to develop what's called "avascular necrosis" (AVN) of the femoral head - the head of the femur (the ball of the ball and socket joint) looses its blood supply causing the femoral head to collapse over time until the blood supply can re-form. This is because while the hip is out of joint, the blood vessels that feed the femoral head are kinked, and the blood supply may become interrupted - having the joint relocated relieves this kinking, but it also depends on how long the hip was out of joint. You'll likely need a series of xrays over the coming year or two to make sure that AVN doesn't happen - thankfully, in the majority of cases it does not. In any case, take it easy on your hip, and follow up with your ortho surg to make sure you take the right steps towards getting back on the slopes.

**GhostfaceKillah** · 03-03-2009, 05:48 PM

Originally Posted by Orthoski

Sorry to hear about your injury, Ghostface. Hip dislocations in young people are less common, but not unheard of - invariably, it requires a lot of force to dislocate a hip, and most of the ones I've seen in young people are after motor vehicle crashes. My advice would be to let your orthopedic surgeon lead you through your recovery. If there is a loose bone fragment in the joint, it may need to be taken out (pebble in the shoe effect), but your ortho surg will be able to determine that. Separately, a certain percentage of young people that dislocate their hip will go on to develop what's called "avascular necrosis" (AVN) of the femoral head - the head of the femur (the ball of the ball and socket joint) looses its blood supply causing the femoral head to collapse over time until the blood supply can re-form. This is because while the hip is out of joint, the blood vessels that feed the femoral head are kinked, and the blood supply may become interrupted - having the joint relocated relieves this kinking, but it also depends on how long the hip was out of joint. You'll likely need a series of xrays over the coming year or two to make sure that AVN doesn't happen - thankfully, in the majority of cases it does not. In any case, take it easy on your hip, and follow up with your ortho surg to make sure you take the right steps towards getting back on the slopes.

thanks for the info... I've had the hardest time finding any information about this injury online (I guess because it is so uncommon), your words echo what those of the specialist I am seeing.

Unfortunately there surgeons who perform hip arthoscopy are very hard to find in my area (the GTA)... if you know of any it would be very much appreciated lol (I have the names of two in buffalo, but obviously I would rather get it done in Canada)... the alternative to hip arthoscopy is a very nasty surgery involving a big slice up my leg/groin or ass.... and thats not something I want lol.

I do have a question tho.... Is weight bearing at this point good? I can walk around pretty well (with some pain), but I still use the crutches. The doc I'm seeing told me the bone fragment was in the bottom of my socket, so it isn't an immediate problem.... but I guess there is always the chance of that bone fragment moving around.

Weight bearing? yay? nay?

Thanks again.

**Orthoski** · 03-05-2009, 02:13 PM

As far as weight bearing, it may not be a good idea if there is a loose piece of bone floating in the joint. The reason is that you worry about the bone fragment scraping the cartilage within the joint, exactly like a pebble within your shoe. That being said, I would defer to your ortho surgeon that has taken you this far and has actually reviewed your CT scans. If it does need to be removed, an arthroscopic approach is a much smaller surgery and would be preferable IF it can successfully remove the loose fragment; if it doesn't work you can always convert to a more invasive open procedure (you don't burn a bridge). I'm not familiar with any names in Canada, but consider going with someone that has experience with this, even if it means traveling. Your hip joint will have suffered some degree of capsular disruption from the original injury and will not be as pristine as someone who is getting scoped for non-traumatic reasons. Hip arthroscopy has a steep learning curve, but can be great in experienced hands.

**MarkoInTheBoat** · 04-28-2009, 08:19 AM

I dislocated my left hip 4 weeks ago today while snowboarding inbounds at Steamboat.

Props to the Steamboat ski patrol for doing such an amazing job packaging me up in a full body vacuum splint and getting me down the mountain without putting me in much of any pain.

The ambulance ride to the hospital was a lot bumpier and painful than the ride down the mountain in the toboggan.

Luckily there was a hip specialist orthopedic surgeon at the hospital that day so I had somebody with experience to perform my hip reduction. Post-reduction CT scan showed that nothing big had broken or fractured around my hip and femur. I was put on crutches and sent home that afternoon.

I spent the first week on crutches before the follow up with my ortho surgeon. He gave me the OK to go to 1 crutch, but I felt good enough to use a walking stick instead.

During week 2 I was regaining mobility and walking without a limp. I started going to PT and riding my road bike after week 3. By day 24 I felt good enough to skin up a hill and do a run on my splitboard.

I've been doing lots of stretches this past week and trying to get my cycling strength back for mountain biking season.

This is the first injury I have ever had that has put me out of commission for more than a day or two. I had a lot of shit planned for April and May while I'm unemployed but instead I get to spend my money on bills and therapy.

Yo Brad, I'm really sorry to hear about your skateboarding injury. I cant begin to imagine what you must be going through. Hang in there and let me know if I can help you out with anything.

**help4hips** · 04-30-2009, 02:04 PM

www.help4hips.com

**splat** · 04-30-2009, 03:46 PM

www.ortho-bionomy.org

Just sent a lady friend (martial artist with 3 black belts who the doctors have told she needs an artificial hip) to my orthobionomist and she called me back almost crying she felt so good and had so much range of motion.

**splat** · 05-02-2009, 12:17 PM

Originally Posted by GhostfaceKillah

Hip dislocations only seem to happen to old people lol.

Brant Moles won the World Extremes Championship in AK with a dislocated hip in 1997.

**MarkoInTheBoat** · 08-27-2009, 06:19 AM

From my accident back in March. You can kinda see the hip socket, and my femur not where its supposed to be.

**jmf** · 08-27-2009, 08:13 AM

^ that looks like it hurt. sorry dude.

**UtteftKar** · 08-30-2009, 03:46 AM

hey guys,
so i got my bike out of the shop on thursday cecause i put a new clutch kit in and also geared it down, wow its snappy.
we were about to leave and i crashed
i tried to roll, but landing on my shoulder instantly dislocated it and a majour tendon inury took place
anybody know good excersize for a tendon injury?
_________________
Specialists in car design

**MarkoInTheBoat** · 08-31-2009, 05:20 AM

Prolly want to do a few reps of walking to the freezer to get more ice for that shoulder.

For long term recovery I have been hearing some positive feedback on Prolotherapy. It might be worth researching if your shoulder doesn't start getting better.

**VeronBomb21** · 02-21-2010, 02:43 PM

Hey GhostFace

I dislocated my hip, fractured it, and had a labral tear. i was playing tackle football and they tried to relocate it on the field which caused more pain. i went to the hospital and waited like 4 hours before i saw a dr. and got some good morphine in my system. btw it was still painful. was on crutched for a week also and then a cane for like 2 weeks. it sucked. that was like 1 1/2 yrs ago. a month later i could walk fine and jog but not run or do any other activities. a couple of months later i was cool but still couldn't do any activities. i went to the dr and finally had surgery had i had this extra bone that grew and it was painful and i couldn't wear heels, couldn't surf, couldn't play football. nothing. finally had surgery and that was like 5 months ago. i surf again, wear heels, skate and everything.

**willywhit** · 02-22-2010, 01:04 PM

nice 1st post V Bomb ! bump, cuz I need to get my hip fixed.
after reading both

http://www.hipfai.com/
and

http://help4hips.com/forum

I'm determined to fix the ache I've had for almost 2 years in my hip/ femur.
if anyone can recommend someone in Boston, I'd appreciate it.
I did a session at Kennedy Brothers and tried all the exercises but I'm still a gimp and it hurts to snowboard. it hurts to walk, most days.
it's been getting worse the past year or so.
anyone else go through mashing thier hip and femur from years of kitesurfing, moto, snowboarding, general physical abuse ?

**mysteryzombie** · 02-25-2010, 08:15 PM

prolotherapy helped my shoulder problems.

as for hip fai, i am getting my surgery #1 in 3 weeks, and i am nervous, but hearing vernon's story is very encouraging.
the wife talked me into joining facebook, and there is an fai group there that is very helpful.
there is also a good forum on the mens health website. but don't get wigged out when you read the not so positive posts, its usually the case where the people may freak out and all but eventually recover and just stop posting.
there is a list of docs incl 2 in boston somewhere.
if your insurance covers nyc, you might wanna go see dr bryan kelly at hss, he is pretty highly regarded nationwide.

**MarkoInTheBoat** · 02-26-2010, 07:18 AM

Originally Posted by VeronBomb21

Hey GhostFace

I dislocated my hip, fractured it, and had a labral tear. i was playing tackle football and they tried to relocate it on the field which caused more pain. i went to the hospital and waited like 4 hours before i saw a dr. and got some good morphine in my system. btw it was still painful.

Holy shit, sounds painful. My surgeon told me they always knock the patient out before a hip reduction because it is so painful that people usually fight back.

Luckily I was unconscious during my reduction but the nurses told me that it took 2 doctors to reduce my hip and "they got quite a workout" trying to get it back in.

MZ, good luck with your first scope. Please keep us updated on your recovery, I will be interested to hear how it goes because I'm trying to figure out what time of the year is best for me to get my hips scoped.

**willywhit** · 02-26-2010, 09:34 AM

I found this group and it's like the TGR of hip help.
great resource for gimps like me
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Femoro...ar_Impingement

**mysteryzombie** · 02-26-2010, 11:57 AM

thanks marko. i am picking to do it in march so i can enjoy my summer without crutches. plus, the winter isn't so easy for going on walks, driving to pt, wearing shorts and flipflops, and stuff like that.
i had knee surgery one summer and that was horrible being laid up on the couch while it was sweet outside. nothing like being gimped up, immobile, and sweating. plus when you do go outside, it's hard to swat mosquitos when your hands are grabbing crutches.
i vote for spring. sports will be there when you recover.