The Flying Pig(liacampo)

Total hip replacement - 6 week update

First WOD. Heavily modified but still managed burpee things with step ups and was able to fully push the upper body work.

Single leg steps ups rapidly improving as is walking. Feel like at times I am completely even and not thinking about it. Fantastic progress.

Full return to CrossFit will be possible in time. I can already tell.

Harrisburg flight. Hot in flight levels. Fuel stop in St Louis took a bit as when I was holding short a Lear had gear issues and the airport ended up closing while they rolled trucks.

The sitting felt fine while sitting and in the plane but I was stiff upon exit. Cleared up quickly though.

Hip was fatigued at times but all the movement good in the end. I wanted to boat but the 4th and did! Getting in and out was definitely the hardest part.

Caught some WC soccer games at Azteca, the gym and Israels house. Had an awesome evening soin around the neighborhood with Joseph. Ran Cyvertruck into the wall in garage, bought some guns at Murdochs, cleaned the deck, enjoyed the cabin coffee, had some outstanding family meals and generally was grateful for the setting and company. Solid 4th weekend.

Update going into the July 4th weekend.

The hip continues to improve with single-leg strength improving, balance getting close to pre-surgery, and walking gait smoothness. Better each day than the last. The workouts at Roots this week definitely seem to make the recovery move quicker.

Fuel fed Rally was last weekend in downtown Boulder. Joseph worked the booth. It was awesome to see so many cars on display and Boulder finally getting its car culture.

First day w no cane. Have to pay attention to avoid limping but it’s not too bad. Great workout at Roots this am just doing PT. The suitcase carry felt 50% stronger than yesterday.

A couple little naps but otherwise powering hard through the workday. Ability to focus is much higher than pre surgery. Most notable outcome thus far. The chronic pain just made me want to be distracted all of the time.

Closing down on 30cal in 2 min on the echo bike.

Good day so far.

Overall, my pain levels seem to decrease significantly today. Over the weekend, I had significant soreness in my quad, and that seems to have dissipated. I think I'm getting a little bit better each day. I managed 350 W on the echo bike today, and the pedal strokes felt smooth. Physical therapy was tiring. I did get a massage after it, which was helpful.

General feelings are that at the two-week mark, this is significantly better than I was hoping for. I'm quite pleased that I have the mobility that I have. Even just dragging the cane around with me is not a big deal. Daily life is really not that bad, and sitting in my chairs at work is not that bad. Another week, and I feel like I'll be relatively normal outside of impact activities.

The strength in the leg is the most surprising part. I actually have much more strength and stability than I would have expected. It really is a matter of focusing when I walk, more than anything else. I think doing the anterior approach and the total hip was the right move. Even things like planks or deep ab lifts or things like that are fine. I'm really surprised by that. I do think the anterior approach and sparing all the muscle has made the initial recovery at least much easier. I could probably push it harder than I am, but I'm going to keep incrementally doing it. Small steps each day seem like the way to go and don't overtax my body.

Last two days I have gone to gym and ridden bike, assault bike and done my PT. Good bit of walking wo cane. Could maybe eliminate it completely but fatigue and limping comes on fast.

Quad tightness is still my limiter. Seems solved by more movement. Tightens up when I sit. Normatech boots help. Last night was the first I was able to sleep a little bit in my stomach.

I don’t feel great but I definitely don’t feel bad and improvement is happening daily.

Wattage on assault bike is a good proxy for how hard I can push at present. This was not a big effort but I cracked 300W.

Did a quarter mile walk each day. Much stronger in that than earlier in the week.