Femoral Acetabular Impingement Surgery Recovery

[Blochowiak]

ALRIGHT, OKAY. I'm a trainer at a private facility in Blaine, MN, and my boss is an athletic trainer/strength coach with an MS in applied exercise science. He, boss man, had arthroscopic left FAI surgery on 23 May 2017 at 10 AM. He is having his right side done on 08 June 2017. This will be a semi-thorough log on his progress as we attempt to get him back to hockey (goalie) and full squat/DL from surgery(ies) ASAP.

23 May
10 AM - surgery
2 PM - 30-minute massage w/ an emphasis on lymph drainage (there is a massage therapy wing at his gym)
7:15 PM - inserted 21 dry needles into his quad which had swelled to 23.25 inches after the surgery from 20.25 inches pre-surgery.
8:30 PM - mid thigh dropped down to 22 inches

24 May
4:45 PM - mosey into the gym at a very slow pace and eventually get down onto the bench press for a few sets, working up to 135 lb. Thoracic and lumbar spine extension at the beginning was very painful. Adductor insertions and hip flexors seemed to be the root of the pain, as they did not want to stretch out at all.
6 PM - 30-minutes on stationary bike. Extremely difficult at first. He was manually lifting his left leg by his shorts as a compromise for inabiliyu to flex his left hip at the start, but after a while he could actually go through a hill workout and push it a bit. The quad, glutes, and hamstrings all felt fine.
7:15 PM - 60-minute massage with light pressure and some lymph drainage.

25 May
8 AM - Quicker sit down on the bench. Stayed seated for a set of DB press @ 15 lb, which made his hip twinge on the first rep, but was fine after, likely from it's work in stabilizing his trunk.
Layed down for four sets of DB pullovers and chest flyes.
Worked his way to his feet and was testing his ability to stand. Worked into three sets of RDL's at 35 lb. By the end of the third set he could reach his knee with the bar while keeping perfect form.
9:30 AM - 120-minutes off deep tissue/lymph drainage massage, focus on the adductor insertions and hip flexors. WALKED out of the gym without bearing weight on the crutches. He was told he wouldn't walk for 2-3 weeks, but did so in 48 hours.

Until next time

[Tiburon]

Thanks.

How old is he? How bad was the FAI?

[chromoly]

Was it a cam, pincer, or combination type of impingement? Also did the impingement create any labrum or cartilage problems?

[Blochowiak]

Update
He is 35 years old, 6'1" and weighs 165 lb. (I'm trying to get him to put on some big boy weight)

I forgot to post that his labrum had multiple tears as well and they sutured it together.

26-29 May
No gym work, progressive stress from walking (slowly walking through the woods was tough) and work around his home.

30 May - 1 week post-op
RDL - 95x5, 115x5, 135x5, 165x3

We haven't worked into a squat yet from fear of external hip rotation causing some damage to the labrum. He is set to have his right hip done this Thursday, June 8th, and following that surgery I will post his progress toward the squat.

[Blochowiak]

Cam due to overuse from hockey. I guess it's very common among the goalie pop.

[chromoly]

Cam due to overuse from hockey. I guess it's very common among the goalie pop.

Thanks! I too have a cam impingement, and a torn labrum. Mines not so bad as to require surgery however.

Best wishes for recovery for your friend. I'm following along this thread.

[Moorefoodnow]

Following for myself. How the heck was he walking 3-6 days post op?! Also, how the heck did he lift 1 week post op?

I remember weight bearing walking unassisted 2 weeks post op was slow going. And I'm 24 with decent recovery resources.

Had my surgery May 13th, 2017