This is why you call the police!

Triathlon Forum
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For those of you who don’t remember I was hit by a car on a training ride about 17 weeks ago. I suffered a seperatd AC joint and huge bruise to my ego. Fast forward to last week and the MRI of my right hip. That’s right, my hip. At the time of the accident, a little groin pain seemed like no big deal, and I was much more concerned about my shoulder. But after a radiographic MRI (if you don’t know what this is you don’t want to, trust me!) last week it seems I have a torn labrum which will require surgery to repair. SON OF A B!#$%!! Although there is no more money to get is my case (the woman who hit was a maid) this is why you need to get a police report.

Maybe this is another topic but if anyone out there has had this injury or surgery I would like to hear about it. The Dr. says this is an outpatient procedure and I will be out about 6 weeks for recovery. Bear in mind that I have basically been out since July and this means mid Jan. before I can start to train again.
SON OF A B!#$%!!

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Sorry to hear about your misfortune. I think alot of people who are hit tend to jump up and say “I’m alright.” then afterwards, when the adenaline is gone and the pain comes, it’s another story. I had a friend have a car pull in front of him during a triathlon. He hit the side pretty hard but didn’t call the police or get the driver’s number. Ended up messing up his shoulder for some time and costing him hundreds of dollars in bike repairs.

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Fortunately I got everyone involved. Police, paramedics, firefighters, hotel security, and several passers-by!! New bike on the way, QR Lucero w/ 404’s and a wireless PT compliments of her insurance company. Unfortunately I won’t be able to ride it until after recovering from the surgery=.(… I would trade it all for my hip and shoulder back!!

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Your post states, “get a police report”. I am curious, did you get one?

If so, are you covered for all med expenses? I was put through the windshield of a 40 mph Ford Ranger a little more than a year ago. I have a primary, and a secondary coverage from my employer. My auto owners policy picks up everything else related to my debacle for life. Are you OK from an insurance standpoint?

The alphabet below your name truly suggests you know plenty in regard to strength training. Make sure your MD is, and knows you are much more determined in the PT office.
I was extremely aggressive with all of the PT I needed. I quit the PT because it got in the way of my training. I bet you get back quicker than 6 weeks. Go After IT!

Buoca al Lupo! (Italian slang for Good Luck)

http://www.bicitreregioni.com

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That majorly sucks.  One goal for now, healing; really, do whatever they say is best for the process.  Luckily you have all the merry souls on this site to keep you going...okay its the ornery, angry, crusty, winter version of ST, but you get the idea.

ps. pics of the new ride when it appears!

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Lawyer took care of pretty much everything. Med insurance has been pretty good but still have a lawsuit pending with my own auto ins. (long story). Not sure what the hip is going to cost. Should be covered though. FL is a no-fault state so it is my responsibility either way. I could sue her for pain and suffering and any out of pocket expenses but she is a maid at a hotel. Translation… NO MONEY!!
As for the surgery I have not decided on a Dr. yet and you are correct about the PT. I have been doing it on my own for the shoulder after the 2 or 3 visits to the PT . Not healing as quick as I used to at 41 though;) Thanks for your inspiration and thoughts.
Still waiting on the wireless PT. I will post pic as soon as I get it!!
BTW… IF new bikes are porn what does that make my old bike that was hit?? I could post pics of that=P

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Really sorry to hear this. I have been on the receiving end of a few of these, and in the end I paid the price all the way around. It costs more in your own “pain & suffering” to sue and all that…unless you are willing and will settle for a judgement that might not get paid anyway. NOT saying that some people NEED to be sued just for Karma sakes. Anyway, I hope you heal fast, and get back to doing the sport you love.

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HI there! New to the forum but not to triathlon. Been competing for about 4 years, primarily sprints/olympics…have done a 1/2 and a handful of half-marathons. Before that it was long-distance cycling and mtbiking; and 10 years of year-round competitive (and collegiate) volleyball. I tell you this because I just had the surgery you describe one month ago - Oct 30th.

Have been dealing with increased hip pain for about 2.5 years - usually the worst on the bike. Treated it like a soft tissue issue…tight hip-flexors, psoas stuff, weak hamstrings/overdeveloped quads, etc etc…went for chiropractic, acupuncture, massage - all helped for temporary pain relief, but it continued to be an issue…I just turned 31 years old, so never thought much about joint problems. In the end, diagnosis - “degenerative joint disease”…larbal tear, significant bone growth, boney cysts, etc. Many of us most like have shoulder/hip/knee joints in similar conditions, but every body is different, and pain symptoms will vary. When my hip pain became a part of of my daily personal life, I got more aggressive with seeking out a solid medical diagnosis (yes, had the contrast MRI you mentioned, etc). Securing an accurate and thorough diagnosis was not as easy as I expected.

In the end, I opted for surgery #1 - to alleviate the pain, #2 regain my abilities to have sex and/or carry and bear children should I choose to do so, #3 - to increase opportunity to return to my bike, and overall INCREASE my quality of life. Surgery was outpatient/‘observational stay’ - was in hospital for 30 hours and the morphine was fantastic! Surgery lasted 1hr 45mins - the doc was intending to do/use three scopes in the front, side, and rear of my hip, but he had to slice open the front of my hip b/c the ‘damage was worse than he anticipated’ - so I have a 4-5inch incision on the front (lingerie may never look the same again :(:(). He shaved/reshaped my femur, debreeded the joint, tried to repair whatever cartilage I had left, and made microfractures all over my pelvic bone to stimulate healing. Because I am young and fit, he wants to see how well my body will regenerate itself. No weight bearing, no driving, etc and on crutches for TWO months. PT a few times a week, and as time progresses, increased Range of Motion exercises. Definitely the most sedentary I’ve ever been in my life. But I’ve had not one second of pain since surgery and I stopped pain meds after week 1. We’ll see. Slated to do the other hip in February, but requested a cortizone shot in that one in case I need to some in between the two surgeries to feel mobile, etc…

Insurance covered 100% of everything!

Hope this helps. Happy to talk more about it, I’m sure there are MANY of us besides Floyd dealing with hips…

SMILES :slight_smile:

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Sounds like things are a bit different in the UK and favour the cyclist more - a car turned across me a couple of years ago and I hit the side at ~30mph, cracked a couple of ribs, wrote the bike off (both forks snapped and the front wheel ended up across the other side of the road) and had hip problems for 18 months. Police weren’t called but exchanged details with the driver who seemed friendly enough, verbally admitted it was his fault and drove me home.

Driver subsequently denied all liability and made up a new version of events - I took legal advice (free) and established that even though I didn’t have a witness the courts typically rule in the favour of the cyclist. Found a no-win no-fee lawyer and within a month he got the driver’s insurance company to pay out for a new bike and £5000 in damages for my injuries.

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Gary,

Bummer and good luck. I had a torn labrum repaired in my SHOULDER (I know you have a hip - so not sure if this will be helpful).

The best general data I found was here: http://www.hopkinssportsmedicine.org/patientguides/patientguidescontent.htm lots of good stuff. My healing was about on with their estimates (4-6 weeks heal, 4-6 weeks to get strength back). Please note, that for me once my “strength was back” I was able to really start training and build up to IM fitness levels. My surgery was a week or so after Cali 1/2IM and my first race post surgery was IMFL. Swim fitness and strength were “just in time.” I did get my stroke evaluated by a good coach to make sure I didn’t pick up any bad habits. I’d highly recommend this for anyone, way to easy to unknowingly get a “hitch in your get along”.

As others have mentioned finding a PT who understands you and your fitness, etc. is key. I did not do this, and while my PT was good, it was obvious that they focused on more sedenatry folks (e.g. they assumed my only exercises would be at the actual PT sessions). When I attempted to explain this and the fact that I was gearing up for my 4th IM, I got the you must be from Mars look.

Post surgery my doc hooked me up with a Game Ready (gameready.com) ice water pump thing. THIS _WAS_THE BOMB!!!. Highly recommend it. My insurance didn’t cover much, but I did not mind paying for it one bit.

Overall, the pain was not bad and I was mostly off pain meds in a few days, and completely done in a week. (FWIW I’m paranoid about turning into Rush Limbaugh - so I was super careful with those fun little pills.) I was under anesthesia for about 1:45. It took a solid 2 to 3 weeks to get all that cr@p out of my system. I just felt jet lagged and stupid for a few weeks.

In retrospect, I’m happy with the repair (PRed at IMFL) and happy I had it done. The pain was really impacting my mood and quality of life.

Best of luck,

John

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Thanks to everyone for your thoughts, comments and well wishes!!
I was talking to a client today, a CAT I racer and chiropracter, and he offered his services. I know, I know…what could a chiro do for a torn labrum? I am thinking the same thing. Although I am not usually fond of chiros his practice is specific and his philosophy is in line with what we teach at TRI-IHP. He wants me for three sessions at approx 1 1/2 hours/sess. Not sure what to expect, except that I can walk in and walk out, and won’t need pain meds. I figure I’ll try before going under the knife. WTF, couldn’t hurt, right??

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It’s also why, when you’re involved in cycling, it’s wise to carry uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage on your policy. Hopefully you won’t ever need it, but there are a lot of “maids” running around behind the wheel out there.

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Good Point!!