Hip Arthroscopy Is there life after THR & Arthroscopy? You Betcha!!
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Meggzie
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OK, so now I have that off my chest, I need to thank the Bonsmarties for their wise counsel and support!! You are all angels!
I'm certainly not going anywhere - but that just needed saying!! 
Today's ride was very special. The saddle that I'm sitting in in the photos used to be about as comfortable as being put on the rack!. When I sat down today and felt no pain, then asked the horse to walk on, I couldnt believe how good it felt - so much so that I sobbed like a baby! My leg position is still not exactly where I'd like it to be - but muscle memory is a powerful thing. Before THR when I was riding and sitting as I am in the top photo, my heel would swing up until it nearly touched the back corner of the saddle blanket to protect my dodgy hip. There's VAST improvement there already, and today when I gave it my full attention the leg was really stable under me and didn't swing at all. Time to train new muscle memory!
I rode for about 15 min. Felt like I could do more, but Jojool I took your advice and kept it short - dont want to overdo it and need to have another week off!! I'll see how I feel tomorrow and judge when to get back on for another short session!
If I've ever been happier in my life, I cant remember when!!
horsecrazy it is SO good to be joining you back in the saddle!
I'm certainly not going anywhere - but that just needed saying!! Today's ride was very special. The saddle that I'm sitting in in the photos used to be about as comfortable as being put on the rack!. When I sat down today and felt no pain, then asked the horse to walk on, I couldnt believe how good it felt - so much so that I sobbed like a baby! My leg position is still not exactly where I'd like it to be - but muscle memory is a powerful thing. Before THR when I was riding and sitting as I am in the top photo, my heel would swing up until it nearly touched the back corner of the saddle blanket to protect my dodgy hip. There's VAST improvement there already, and today when I gave it my full attention the leg was really stable under me and didn't swing at all. Time to train new muscle memory!
I rode for about 15 min. Felt like I could do more, but Jojool I took your advice and kept it short - dont want to overdo it and need to have another week off!! I'll see how I feel tomorrow and judge when to get back on for another short session!
If I've ever been happier in my life, I cant remember when!!
horsecrazy it is SO good to be joining you back in the saddle!
Jojool
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So happy for you!!! Yipee!!!! 
Now don't over do it girlie!!! But enjoy every minute....i know I do!!!We horse people are definitely getting back in the saddle. thank God for modern medicine!
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Meggzie BOY those were fun posts to read and the picture said it all!!!!! I am so happy for you and your lovely pony. You will be flying cross country in now time--and with no pain, as long as you say mounted of course 
I look so forward to your next head-cam video!
I also hope that the thick area around your scar is better--I sort of lost the thread on that one?
I'm not totally 100% just yet, but I hope in another month or two I will be pretty much normal/pain free(ish).
I can walk pretty much without a limp, and totally without a limp if I take OTC meds. Anyway, all my pals on BS have certainly been a blessing and I value you so much! Hope we all continue to get well and stay well
I look so forward to your next head-cam video!
I also hope that the thick area around your scar is better--I sort of lost the thread on that one?
I'm not totally 100% just yet, but I hope in another month or two I will be pretty much normal/pain free(ish).
I can walk pretty much without a limp, and totally without a limp if I take OTC meds. Anyway, all my pals on BS have certainly been a blessing and I value you so much! Hope we all continue to get well and stay well
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Meggzie
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Hi horsecrazy Great to hear you're doing so well! We do all seem to be going along nicely, dont we?? I'm with you in hopes that we keep on keeping on!
And I am so with you Jojool - modern medicine is a marvel!
Turns out the scar issue was a non issue - just normal swelling that will go away...eventually!
I rode again today - but with Jojool 's advice ringing in my ears, I just kept it to 10 minutes, working on setting up new and correct muscle memory with those pesky lower legs! The pony was a bit perplexed, he was all "What? Is that it??" He didnt seem to mind too much when he was in his yard munching on his dinner!!
I'm really happy - in the days BB (before bionic ) no matter what I did, I couldnt stop that swinging lower leg - I even resorted to tying my stirrups to the girth 
- and even then they would swing and it would hurt like fire. Now, as long as I concentrate, it's easy to keep them where they should be - but the second I stop concentrating - bam....back to swinging. So it's a little bit every day now (as long as I stay pain free) to set up that memory!
It's so awesome to be able to set a goal and KNOW that it's attainable - BB I was just spitting into the wind - now I'm sailing!! Cross country might have to wait just a little while tho Bev, but by golly, I'll get there and I'll have the headcam ready to go!
Tally Ho!
And I am so with you Jojool - modern medicine is a marvel!Turns out the scar issue was a non issue - just normal swelling that will go away...eventually!
I rode again today - but with Jojool 's advice ringing in my ears, I just kept it to 10 minutes, working on setting up new and correct muscle memory with those pesky lower legs! The pony was a bit perplexed, he was all "What? Is that it??" He didnt seem to mind too much when he was in his yard munching on his dinner!!
I'm really happy - in the days BB (before bionic
) no matter what I did, I couldnt stop that swinging lower leg - I even resorted to tying my stirrups to the girth - and even then they would swing and it would hurt like fire. Now, as long as I concentrate, it's easy to keep them where they should be - but the second I stop concentrating - bam....back to swinging. So it's a little bit every day now (as long as I stay pain free) to set up that memory!It's so awesome to be able to set a goal and KNOW that it's attainable - BB I was just spitting into the wind - now I'm sailing!!
Cross country might have to wait just a little while tho Bev, but by golly, I'll get there and I'll have the headcam ready to go!Tally Ho!
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Meggzie
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Oh wow! A friend posted this photo of me riding my beloved Ginger Meggz (RIP) in 2010 which shows how feral my lower leg was. My new pony is way bigger than this little fellow, so the leg was correspondingly worse! (Still looking down three years later too!!! lol)
If you compare this photo to the one at post #161 its really clear how much better I'm riding already. Posting through tears of joy!!
![[Bonesmart.org] Is there life after THR & Arthroscopy? You Betcha!!](https://bonesmart.org/forum/attachments/meggzie-leg-jpg.16181/ "[Bonesmart.org] Is there life after THR & Arthroscopy? You Betcha!!")
If you compare this photo to the one at post #161 its really clear how much better I'm riding already. Posting through tears of joy!!
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Thankyou Poppet . The idea that I might be able to progress now is truly thrilling for me - I have been grinding away since I started riding in my mid-30's and really havent improved in all those years! All it took was 6 months off...oh, and a THR and an arthroscopy and I've got instant improvement ! Wooohooo!!
! Wooohooo!!
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I've been very careful not to overdo - but I'm very happy to report that I've ridden every day since last Sunday!
I've kept each session down to just 10 mins of saddle time, and I've been playing with all of the things that I just couldnt do properly before I had the ops.
Being able to use my legs properly to ask the horse to move sideways is amazing - in the past it was difficult for me to do, and I did it quite incorrectly, which made it really hard for the horse to understand what I wanted. Leg yeilding ( a really basic movement that I found ridiculously painful and difficult) is suddenly the easiest thing in the world!
Before, I had to contort myself in all sorts of strange positions to make it happen cos I just couldnt use my legs properly! horsecrazy did you find the same sort of thing? Were there movements that used to be really hard to manage for you that are easy now?
I'm still completely unable to get the stupid grin off my face - my friends understand, my co-workers wonder just what I've been up to!!
I've kept each session down to just 10 mins of saddle time, and I've been playing with all of the things that I just couldnt do properly before I had the ops.
Being able to use my legs properly to ask the horse to move sideways is amazing - in the past it was difficult for me to do, and I did it quite incorrectly, which made it really hard for the horse to understand what I wanted. Leg yeilding ( a really basic movement that I found ridiculously painful and difficult) is suddenly the easiest thing in the world!
Before, I had to contort myself in all sorts of strange positions to make it happen cos I just couldnt use my legs properly! horsecrazy did you find the same sort of thing? Were there movements that used to be really hard to manage for you that are easy now?I'm still completely unable to get the stupid grin off my face - my friends understand, my co-workers wonder just what I've been up to!!
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Meggzie
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Another week on and I'm still going well! I'm up to around half an hour in the saddle at at time. My dressage saddle remains more comfortable than my jumping saddle (never thought I'd hear myself say that!) I think that the reason for that is that the jumping saddle encourages a bit more flexion in the hip joint (see my avatar photo). I'm feeling a bit of impingement type pain in the groin of both legs when the hips flex a bit much - so for now, I'm avoiding that saddle and those movements. Josephine - is this something that I can also expect to resolve itself (providing I dont overdo it?) or would you advise that I have it checked out?
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Time is flying! They say it does when you're having fun - they're right!
I've just been having the best time with my horse. Last weekend we went out for a big ride out at a recreation area that comes complete with trails AND cross country jumps. Of course I had to pop over the odd jump - just to see if I still could. Turns out that I can!! And with no pain! Then we went out onto the trails for an hour or so - it was so good to just get out for a really good gallop - I think it blew all of our cobwebs out - we are going back to work!
We had our first lesson back with my coach today - what a joyful experience!! To be given an instruction and have a body that allows me to follow it was just amazing - this is new territory for me. Today, I learned just how badly I had been affecting my horse before surgery - he has never moved so well, so willingly before!
I cant lie and say I never have pain - but the 'pain' is nothing like pre-surgery days - I can practically vault down off my horse after a tough training session now - before I needed a block and tackle, and someone standing by to catch me in case my legs wouldnt hold me up when I got to the ground. These days, I do get a bit achy - but its the satisfying ache of muscles that have worked properly, rather than muscles protesting at having to support seriously dodgy joints.
They say that we should approach life with an attitude of gratitude - I can honestly say that I have never felt so blessed and grateful in all my life!
I've just been having the best time with my horse. Last weekend we went out for a big ride out at a recreation area that comes complete with trails AND cross country jumps. Of course I had to pop over the odd jump - just to see if I still could. Turns out that I can!! And with no pain!
Then we went out onto the trails for an hour or so - it was so good to just get out for a really good gallop - I think it blew all of our cobwebs out - we are going back to work!We had our first lesson back with my coach today - what a joyful experience!! To be given an instruction and have a body that allows me to follow it was just amazing - this is new territory for me. Today, I learned just how badly I had been affecting my horse before surgery - he has never moved so well, so willingly before!
I cant lie and say I never have pain - but the 'pain' is nothing like pre-surgery days - I can practically vault down off my horse after a tough training session now - before I needed a block and tackle, and someone standing by to catch me in case my legs wouldnt hold me up when I got to the ground. These days, I do get a bit achy - but its the satisfying ache of muscles that have worked properly, rather than muscles protesting at having to support seriously dodgy joints.
They say that we should approach life with an attitude of gratitude - I can honestly say that I have never felt so blessed and grateful in all my life!
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Meggzie
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Ah! The weekend! I'm heading out for a lesson with my coach today and will be riding in our first dressage competition back tomorrow! It's not an official comp - competitors dont even have to wear proper competition attire or present the horse in the usual way (mane plaited, forelock braided, etc). It's just a fun day, and there are some fun events including fancy dress. I wont be getting into costume, but I'm excited to just go through the motions of a dressage test without pain. Before I had the hips done, I was in agony before I'd even finished warming my horse up - I had nothing left when it came time to enter the arena and be judged. I think it will be a VERY different story tomorrow. I dont think we'll be competitive - I havent completely gotten used to my new body yet, and neither has the horse - but it will be fun to get back into the swing of it again! My coach will be there with the video camera - I'm looking forward to comparing my position now with how it used to be in a test.
Have an awesome weekend all!
Have an awesome weekend all!
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Meggzie
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It's another weekend! I cant believe how fast the days are ripping by! I think that is a major indicator that I really do have my life back.
My recovery has been incredibly uncomplicated and for that I'm so grateful. Even so, there were days when I found myself wondering if I'd done the right thing - would life ever get back to normal? The support I received here on BoneSmart was really key to helping me stay positive. Sometimes a reminder to slow down, and sometimes just some practical, expert advice. Here I am just a touch over six months since RTHR and three months after L Hip Arthroscopy - and I have a BETTER normal now!
Last weekend was our first ride back at a dressage competition. It was unofficial and VERY low key - perfect for an underprepared return - we really hadn't trained enough!
We were by no means in the ribbons, and I didnt expect to be - a mid field finish was fine with me. What I am so thrilled about is that I could warm my horse up properly and still be able to enter the arena pain free and able to help my horse! In a dressage test, not only is every movement judged individually, there are also a series of overall marks - one of which is the effectiveness of the rider. I received my best mark EVER in that area. AND at the end of my test, instead of making sure there was someone around to catch me in case I collapsed in pain when I dismounted - I sprang off the horse like a kid! Part of my "better normal" is that I cry all the time now - tears of joy and wonder!
If you are pre-op and frightened or worried about whether or not hip surgery is the right thing to do, I hope that my story will help you to feel more confident that your outcome can be awesome too.
My recovery has been incredibly uncomplicated and for that I'm so grateful. Even so, there were days when I found myself wondering if I'd done the right thing - would life ever get back to normal? The support I received here on BoneSmart was really key to helping me stay positive. Sometimes a reminder to slow down, and sometimes just some practical, expert advice. Here I am just a touch over six months since RTHR and three months after L Hip Arthroscopy - and I have a BETTER normal now!
Last weekend was our first ride back at a dressage competition. It was unofficial and VERY low key - perfect for an underprepared return - we really hadn't trained enough!
We were by no means in the ribbons, and I didnt expect to be - a mid field finish was fine with me. What I am so thrilled about is that I could warm my horse up properly and still be able to enter the arena pain free and able to help my horse! In a dressage test, not only is every movement judged individually, there are also a series of overall marks - one of which is the effectiveness of the rider. I received my best mark EVER in that area. AND at the end of my test, instead of making sure there was someone around to catch me in case I collapsed in pain when I dismounted - I sprang off the horse like a kid! Part of my "better normal" is that I cry all the time now - tears of joy and wonder!
If you are pre-op and frightened or worried about whether or not hip surgery is the right thing to do, I hope that my story will help you to feel more confident that your outcome can be awesome too.
bottomshollow
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Well it's been another busy couple of weeks! My dear horse has managed to hurt his leg, and given his age, I have decided to let him retire. I've bought a new horse who has kept me VERY busy and Christmas is just around the corner! I barely think about my hips these days, and when I do, it's to marvel at how good they feel! I'm just getting on with things these days
I just popped in to say farewell to my Bonesmart friends - thankyou for all of your help and support - but I think it's time to leave the nest. I'll leave my account active, and my alerts turned on - so if anyone needs to contact me - a PM ought to do the trick.
I wish you all the best, not only for your surgeries and/or recoveries, but also for Christmas and the New Year.
I just popped in to say farewell to my Bonesmart friends - thankyou for all of your help and support - but I think it's time to leave the nest. I'll leave my account active, and my alerts turned on - so if anyone needs to contact me - a PM ought to do the trick.
I wish you all the best, not only for your surgeries and/or recoveries, but also for Christmas and the New Year.
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