Pair Replacement
Pair Replacement What shoe is a good replacement for the New Balance 1024 model? I'm looking to buy a new pair of running shoes, and I have been pretty happy with the model that has been phased o...
Pair Replacement
Bilateral Hip Replacements
I admit it. Before the demise of my hips and their cartilage, I wasn't quite sure what bilateral meant. I always just assumed that it had something to do with lying next to a man who wasn't out of the closet yet or maybe a different type of lens for your bifocals. But worse than this, I didn't care to know. Put it this way, I was more than willing to go to the grave without ever having uttered, let alone discuss the implications of the word bilateral. For the two people out there who can relate to this ignorance? Bilateral means both sides.
In the world of hip replacements, otherwise known as THRs, bilateral means you've had two new hips installed. Often, once one hip deteriorates, the other soon follows. It makes sense. In my case I had hip dysplasia, a word every dog lover knows. And even though I am a bit further up the food chain, my hips were shallow in their sockets and lasted about the same length as a purebred German shepherd. Before I turned 44, my athletic lifestyle had pounded away all of the catelage in my right hip. In half a year I was hobbling as I walked. In two more months I couldn't sleep due to radiating pain. Hips are known to cause crippling pain. They also come in pairs. So, having such miraculous relief from my first hip pain made my second THR decision easy. Two years later, the hip that had always LOOKED worse on the x-rays but that had never caused me any problems (go figure. brains have a funny way of dealing with pain. WIthin six months I was back to my gimping gait and sleepless nights. I waited until my one remaining hip started keeping me awake all night and the next day I booked my surgery. Some people agonize a lot more over whether to do it or not. Once you have one THR and feel the fabulous effects, it's easy to go bilateral, baby. Often my spinning students call me the Bionic Woman but I just smile and tell them my preferred name. I tell them that I'd rather be called the bilateral woman. So if you are under forty years old and your active lifestyle is being affected by hip pain, don't worry anymore. Find a doctor who has a great reputation and who does THRs all day, every day and make your appointment today. Time to get back to your workout routine.
About the Author
Penny Hoff, 20 year fitness professional, who has had two total hip replacements, is the author of the revolutionary CD workout program"Does My Marriage Make Me Look Fat?", an eight week fitness program for couples to radically change your body and reawaken your relationship.You can find her at http://www.newhiptips.com






































