Category: Spencer’s Reports

I’m progressing, but the big improvements seem to be over. So, now there are just incremental improvements, and as they say, three steps forward and two steps backward. I still have quite a bit of pain in my hip that seems to gradually increase during the week until I have a session with my PT. Then the cycle starts again, no pain then it gradually builds during the week until I get back to the PT. I’m a little more active than I should be, but want to maintain my fitness level. My typical week includes: three spin classes, a couple of hours on the elliptical and a long bike ride at the end of the week. I don’t have much pain while I’m exercising but my Hip flexors and IT band really tighten up.

This weekend I plan on going to the Surf City Marathon at Huntington Beach. I had signed up to run the marathon before my accident. It’s a great marathon, and I was really looking forward to running the course. My wife was only running the half, so I plan on walking the half with her. I guess I need my medal fix (like most runners I like my shiny objects and tech shirts). I hope I don’t end up face down on the pavement, but I have been there before. I’ll do a race report next week, and let everyone know how the course is and if I was able to walk that far.

Before I finish, I wanted to thank everyone for their support and encouraging words, It’s been an important part of my healing process to read the blogs and comments on the Hip Runner Website. Until I found Tom’s site, I was totally unsure of my running future. Like most of you my first words to my surgeon were “When can I run again?” He was emphatic that I should never run again and that cycling and swimming should fill that void – if only it were that easy. Anyway, while I’m a runner, I do have a day job. I work … (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

Spencer-About me-It was a great day for a run.  The sun was still out and the temperature was in the sixties.  I was hoping to get a long run in for the week and be back before it was dark.  Most of my runs are on paved and unpaved trails or in the bike lanes.  I try to avoid the sidewalks in my city as much as possible.  I had 2 miles remaining but was getting darker than I had anticipated–we had just switched off daylight savings time the week before.

There was a lot of traffic next to the bicycle lane where I normally run so I decide to run the last few miles on the sidewalk.  I crossed over from the bike path to the sidewalk and ran ten or more feet along the sidewalk when I tripped.  I was unfamiliar with this sidewalk section and it had little to no lighting.  As a result, I did not see the almost two inch high uplift of an entire section of sidewalk.  It wasn’t a crack but rather an entire section that had uplifted on the right side of the panel looking at it from the street side.  The left edge of the panel was approximately 5 inches lower than the right edge.

I was trying to keep from hitting my head so I twisted to the right to avoid smashing my face on the walk. I fell heavily on my right hip and knew instantly I was badly injured. I had a little road rash on my right elbow but the brunt of the fall was on my right hip. As I hit the sidewalk I felt excruciating pain radiate through my body, it took a couple of minutes for me to clear my head and roll over. Eventually I was able to sit-up but was unable to get to my feet. The pain was too intense and I was starting to go into shock. My mind was foggy but I had enough sense to know that I needed help ASAP. Just about then, a car full of … (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)