FAI (Femoro-acetabular Impingement) & Karate

My personal experience with FAI and what you should know about this condition

Archive for January, 2016

Hips are fine. Toe not so much…

I have had no real problems with my hips for a long time now. People are often amazed at my flexibility even before they find out I have artificial hips. I am not as flexible as I was 30 years ago and not as flexible as I would like to be. But I am doing well enough to be content.

Now for the toe… I had a bunion removed recently and am quickly recovering. I had the outpatient surgery on December 21 and taught Karate the evening of the 22nd! I was in a boot for a while. The doctor told me I should start moving my toe around a week after surgery and start working out of the boot within a couple weeks after that. So of course I started walking around the house without the boot 6 days after surgery and started wearing a shoe outside a few days later. I am by this point (one month post-op) slightly more flexible in that big toe than I was prior to the operation and at a lower pain level. The doctor warned me that I might be frustrated with the slow recovery and I am. But I see progress from each day to the next and encouraged that I will make a full recovery before too long. They took out several loose bits of bone that had chipped off over the years and shaved down the buildup (the bunion).

Please note that this is almost entirely a genetic condition. If Karate made it worse this was only marginal.

Still dealing with tennis elbow and some lingering tendonitis in my wrist from carpal tunnel years ago. Otherwise, just minor aches & pains all over. But it’s all worth it. 🙂