My journey with FAI.

This week has been full of baking, coffees with friends and lots of walking! I am currently doing two 40 minute walks each week- I know I should be doing more but right now my hip is playing up. I have a condition called Femoracetabular Impingement (FAI) and basically it is a bony overgrowth of either the femoral head or the acetabulum. It restricts the range of motion in my pelvis.

There are 3 types of FAI as you can see in the image above; Cam, Pincer, or mixed. Cam is when the overgrowth is on the femoral head, Pincer is when the overgrowth is on the acetabulum, and mixed is when there is a combination of both. I am dealling with the Cam version, and currently if I get up too quickly or move the wrong way, it feels as if something is ripping in my hip. Currently I am not bad enough to warrant surgery, but it is definitely something that I will have to deal with in the future.

FAI is usually in issue in high performance athletes or active individuals, but it has been clear since birth that there was something wrong with my hip. If you look at the picture below, you can see me on the right with my legs completely twisted, whereas my twin sister on the left looks normal.

 

My first surgery was at seven months old, and back then it resulted in me being in traction for a while as well as having an interesting plaster nappy contraption!

 

I also had surgeries at age 11 and 13. I was initially diagnosed with hip dysplasia and did not get a diagnosis of FAI until I was 22, and so the surgeries I underwent were not actually beneficial to my condition. However, as my parents were once told I would never walk, I think I am doing pretty well. I have run in races, done a lot of fun walks, and can usually function on a daily basis if I am careful with how I sit, bend and get up.

 

 

 

I thought I would share this so that those of you dealing with injuries can see that there is hope, and that sometimes a doctor's diagnosis can be wrong. Yes, I do struggle sometimes and I have a large scar down my leg, but I refuse to let it hold me back.

 

Onto my Getting Fit Friday journey- I maintained this week again, so I am pleased about that. I still want to work on my arm toning and I also need to focus on drinking more water, so those are my two goals for this coming week. I am still only drinking two coffees a day, which I hope will become a long term habit as I definitely needed to cut back! I can't wait to read how everyone else is getting on with their journeys.

 

Linking up to Getting Fit Friday!