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Old 03-02-2012, 10:05 AM   #13
Chuck Clark
 
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Dojo: Jiyushinkan
Location: Monroe, Washington
Join Date: Jun 2000
Posts: 1,134
United_States
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Re: Training with full hip replacement

My docs at the VA (they come over from the University of Washington Med School to volunteer) have told me that with my history of 55+ years of this activity I should be able to do just about anything I've been capable of doing for the past twenty years except high impact falls of any kind. The afternoon of the surgery they'll have me up walking with a walker and will keep me in the hospital for about five days to check for infection, etc. When I get home they recommend walking, climbing stairs, doing whatever I feel comfortable doing. Pain will be there for about two or three weeks or so average and I should be pushing the envelope appropriately. They said that within two months I should be able to do normal activity as I've described what I want to do. They said other patients are walking, hiking, jogging, tennis, skiing, etc. within reason from that two month period into the future. They have told me that they'll give me the prosthesis with the highest levels of range of motion, etc. Alignment, proper movement, etc. is important. They said the range of flexibility outside the normal daily walking, running, etc. is more limited. For example no extreme postures in yoga, sitting in full lotus for example is a no no... I'm actually feeling pretty good about the possibilities. After 65 years of using this hip, I've realized that from about age 8 until early 40's I did some pretty crazy stuff that did damage to hips, knees, etc. Lots of stuff growing up doing judo was very macho oriented... this realization didn't hit me until I was in my early 50's... seems I'm a bit smart because I know some older folks that are still trying to do that stuff. I was very proud of being one of the guys that finished doing 4,000 squat thrusts one afternoon in USMC boot camp at MCRD San Diego (yeah, I am a "Hollywood Marine") Now they won't let anyone do one squat thrust the way we used to... it's bad for the knees and hips. I've had two knee surgeries and have arthritis in both knees, hips, hands (lots of punching a makiwara and breaking hard stuff during junior and senior high school), lots and lots of duckwalking with someone on my back around the dojo and up and down 108 steps to a Shinto jinja, etc. in Japan and other crazy shit that has really nothing to do with learning good budo.

I'm still pretty active and when the hip is replaced I'm told that I'll very surprised at how good I feel (along with some other meds I'll be taking for the rest of my life...) plus being able to continue pretty juicy budo practice. I have just one more thing to say, "thank you very much for your tax dollars that help take care of vets that laid their lives on the line... I and many others really appreciate it.

Get good docs to take care of you and I hope things go well for you Alec (and others in a similar boat).

Regards,

- Chuck

Chuck Clark
Jiyushinkai Aikibudo
www.jiyushinkai.org
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