Hip Report: Back To The Mats

Had a follow up appointment with the doctor a couple Fridays ago.

The not so good news:  Hip was kinda sore and it turns out I have Illotial Band Syndrome, likely due to the muscles and everything getting moved around and re-balancing now that the hip arthritis is now more.  Bit of an ache and I'm doing stretches for it.  Overall things are good and just the Illotial Band and the quad muscle are still angry at  me and everything else is looking great.

The good news:  I have been cleared for all activities except for falling, which is still a no-no.  In short, I was cleared to attend jitsu again once time came that it didn't feel quite so achy.  That time was today.

I decided to take a private lesson with the center's instructor, Heath, to see how much I've forgotten and see what the new hip can and can't do.

It turns out, it can do a lot. A whole lot.

My range of motion is so much better it is remarkable, and we both noticed it right away.

The lack of constant pain while moving was also remarkable.

I can do an elevator sweep without pain!  An elevator sweep is when someone is on top of you and props up to punch you, and then you basically sweep them off and end up on top, which is rather useful and pretty dispiriting for them.  

To do it, you have to get your leg in the right position up and inside their leg (and a few other things), and I could never do that without extreme discomfort and often couldn't even move the hip that way at all.  Now I can.

Ditto for scissor sweeps, and quite a few other maneuvers I used to be completely unable to do.  Other maneuvers I can now do quicker and easier than before, and even getting up off the ground is easier.

We did a half hour trying to figure out what the limits are and there's a few techniques I won't be doing (as in all the takedowns and falling as well as some ground stuff where the hip is kinda vulnerable) and will be telling partners not to do certain techniques on me, but other than that I am good to go, which is very exciting.

This is all very happy-making.  Now I can work on getting back in shape (been an immobile slug for much too long due to the surgery) and work on my jitsu again.

So, I'm a little sore now,  but it's a good kind of sore from a workout, and I'm far less sore than on any normal day with arthritis in the hip, much less a normal day after jitsu.

Next follow up appointment in about 5 weeks may even just clear me for some gentle falls.

It's great to be back in the game again.  Missed it and the people at the center a lot.