December 2021 I had a orthopedic surgeon recommend double hip replacement surgery. At the time I was getting pretty steady and significant jolts of pain each day with a fairly noticeable limp. At the time, I was still jumping, sprinting, squatting deep, lunging, using range of motion I probably didn't have. I was told there was genetic degeneration that I was never going to avoid. Exercise has probably kept the hips more pain free and usable. Prior to December 2021, I was doing what I could to reduce inflammation, ice, removing certain exercises, increasing mobility/stretching work, ibuprofen, more frequent deloads, complete stoppage of any exercise for 2 weeks at a time to let it calm... Nothing really worked which is why I went to the hip specialist. I felt like a cortisone shot could get the inflammation down where I had exhausted my own ideas.... It worked. I got a shot in my left hip Dec 2021 and I was pretty good until about February 2023 when I got another injection in both hips. Four months later and I'm deadlifting pain free most of 90% of the time...Ive just had to modify things. I warmup my hips, glutes, low back for about 30 mins now prior to working out. I've switched to a trap bar with raised handles and raised the floor a hair so I can get into a position that doesn't pinch my hips. I ice both my hips after each workout, I've rearranged my schedule so I'm usually working out after I sleep so I'm as fresh as I can be. Point being, I'm trying to avoid surgery and motivated to do so and with the adjustments I've made I can still do what I've always done for the most part. I imagine I'll need another set of cortisone shots a year or so from now but I'm fine with that. Going under the knife can be intense, in many cases adjustments, continuous exercise, exercise modifications, rehab, PREHAB, may be a better option. Using exercise as medicine, I'm now 18 months out from that initial double hip replacement recommendation and in a much better state than I was in December 2021. Many modifications to keep inflammation down...training smarter, prioritizing recovery and my longevity in lifting.
