Success Story For the People

I wanted to write this post primarily to inspire hope in this community. Whether you're considering surgery or are somewhere on your post-op journey - I can sympathize with the uncertainty, wild swings between hope and hopelessness, and general difficulty of the process. Ultimately, all you can do is be persistent in your PT regime and try to push through those despondent days to achieve an improvement in your quality of life.

I first felt symptoms shortly after turning 27 in 2020. I was in the best shape of my life at that time and had just finished a summer as a seasonal wildland firefighter. Between the job and all the trail running I was doing - it was only a matter of time until my cam impingement would show itself.

Somewhere between the north and south rim of the Grand Canyon my right hip had finally surrendered. Symptoms started with a pinch in the groin and over the course of a couple months had devolved into an inability to walk more than a mile. Getting in and out of bed, sitting for long periods, walking, more or less any movement was painful. That February, I self diagnosed hip impingement - and with the help of good insurance for which I am forever grateful - was able to go directly to an ortho for X-rays and an MRI.

I posted on r/wildfire about my doubts for the 2021 season. Someone directed me to this sub and recommended Dr. Ellman out of Denver. I moved quickly to get surgery completed for August of that year. Fast forward to January of 2022 - five months post-op - I started working manual labour again.

In the flat coastal plains of North Carolina I was able to work and PT my right hip back to an acceptable state. I was generally happy with the progress and began running short distances again. That said, slight pinching and ROM were present and my stride still felt significantly off. I began to doubt whether or not Id be able to continue my career in wildfire or ever enjoy trail running the way I used to.

Upon returning to Colorado, and walking up the slightest incline, it was then clear my left hip was similarly degraded. Obviously upset by the prospect of going through this whole process a second time, I decided it was best to move quickly and get surgery again as soon as possible. I got surgery for my left hip in May of 2022, again completed by Dr. Ellman. This round was a much quicker healing process as my left hip wasn't as degraded as my right.

In both cases, I had cam impingement, torn labrum, and stage 2 chondromalacia. I also learned I was borderline dysplastic. I can't recommend Dr. Ellman enough. He specializes in hip preservation and has much experience performing this procedure. I do not think it an exaggeration to say he saved my life.

So I returned to work on light duty in August of 2022 for the remainder of the summer. Perhaps too early to return to work but I was eager to do so. I then spent that winter in Florida also working in fire, the appalling absence of topography was just what I needed to continue strengthening my hips. Again, I remained unsure if I could handle another summer of firefighting and contemplated switching careers. Again, I was unsure if Id be able to backpack all the ranges I had planned on doing in the future. The uncertainty was still looming over my prospects. I was depressed and had been since early 2021.

Now this summer season is nearing its end and I can say I'm extremely pleased with my progress. I was able to work as hard as anyone else without hinderance. ROM is essentially what it used to be. I can run 3-5 miles several times a week without pain. I can backpack again completing 15 mile days. Tomorrow I will be climbing one of Colorados 14ers. All this without worry for my hips. I still continue to do hip strengthening and am aiming for peak performance by next year.

If you have any questions about my journey please feel free to ask!

And just keep working!

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