Wonderful news from the doctor down in Boston on Tuesday – I was given permission to resume full activity. Going into the appointment, I had two primary concerns. Firstly, that returning to my former level of activity would cause the injury to worsen. Secondly, that not getting the tear repaired surgically would put me at risk for premature hip degeneration. As it turns out, both items are things that I do not need to worry about.
Contrary to what I’d been told previously, the doctor said that the majority of people with labral tears DO become asymptomatic – usually within 6 to 9 months. The pain that I’m experiencing is primarily caused by inflammation in the joint, and activity will not cause the tear to worsen or put me at risk for damaging my hip in the long run. He said I can go ahead and exercise as much and as hard as I’d like – but to be wary that exercising through pain will draw out the time it’ll take for the inflammation to subside.
Repairing the tear surgically is an option that I should only pursue if the pain is still present after the 6 to 9 month timeframe, and is affecting me to the point where it’s preventing me from doing the things I love. The surgery itself is simply a means to eliminating pain - it doesn't really fix the joint in any way, and getting it done will not put me at any decreased risk for developing arthritis.
At this point, I think I’m going to take a few more weeks off from running. Hiking however…
I can’t wait to get back out in the mountains! What an interesting journey this has been. With luck, this might very well be my last update.
Thanks again to all of you for helping me through this.
