I got the cortisone shot! Now I lay low for two days, letting my hip heal, and then my mobility will return to normal.
It was like smelling the ice: old memories. I have seen so many orthopedists and have had so much physical therapy that I know the drill about how these exams work. The number of times I have had someone bend my knee and rotate my hip to see where the pain is is probably in the hundreds.
And I like my orthopedist. He showed me my x-rays, showed me some calcification on my hip joint that might at some point cause me discomfort. Calcification is normal and can happen any time. I bet I've had it forever: I calcify slowly. I know this because I had to be in a sling for 11 weeks after I broke my collarbone. It healed so slowly that I was scheduled for surgery.
And then he said that I needed a cortisone shot for my trochanteric bursitis. Music to my ears.
That he is competent and intelligent and has a decent personality and respects that I ask technical questions about physiology means that, after 10 years in the wilderness, I finally have found a good orthopedist.
My first orthopedist was Arthur Ting -- orthopedist to, among others, Barry Bonds. I went to him with my first hip injury because he was the Sharks' doctor, and I knew he wouldn't tell me I was crazy to be playing hockey. He was aggressive with treatment and had a relationship with the best physical therapists. Back then, he took insurance.
Then he switched to taking only cash, and I was adrift in orthopedic land. I lost the name of the doctor who gave me my first cortisone shot for trochanteric bursitis, but I had a crush on him. I had an evil doctor, Jeffrey Mann, when I blew out my knee. He was a bad physician (over-immobilized me, didn't let me start physical therapy early enough, didn't give me anything for the pain -- and didn't realize that the pain was coming from the fact that I was over-immobilized) as well as an asshole. As I sat in the waiting room listening to him berate either a patient or a member of his staff, I asked the receptionist if he was like that with everyone, and she gave me a terrified nod.
So now I have a doctor whom I trust, someone who will put me back together when I injure myself again. It's a sign. It's time to be an athlete again. I emailed a student from the doctor's office to say I might be late for a meeting because I was being seen for a skiing injury. Her response: "I just saw the doctor for a snowboarding injury." Athletic injuries give you instant credibility.
Two days of rest, and then I'm going to get a plan in place. Not hockey yet, but soon.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
A shot of adrenaline
Posted by
Lisa F.
at
9:04 PM
Labels: recovering from hockey injuries
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment