Mostly a vent because I hate being injured and have no patience when it comes to recovery.
I tore the labrum in my hip during a 50 mile MTB race, no crash just finally tipped over the overuse boundary. I’m still waiting on the VA health care system to fully kick into motion so I can get images shot. They have scheduled me for PT which according to Dr Google is the best start unless it’s a major tear requiring surgery. Won’t know that until I get pretty pictures of the inside.
I’ve been off the bike for 10 days now, I had planned on taking a week off anyway, I was due. But now it looks like it may be 4-6 weeks minimum.
Now the really crappy part is my bike shop called and the new Santa Cruz 5010 I ordered is coming in this week and all I’ll be able to do look at it.
Funny cause I ordered Rebound to read about training your mind to recovery from sports injury just a day before the race. I think Hanna Otto recommended it. Didn’t think I’d need it NOW.
I hope to hit the pool and swim with a pull buoy between my legs to not use my hip kicking. I’ll give the PT a few days to let me know if that’s ok, but again no patience so Monday it’s off to the pool if I haven’t been told no. Love VA healthcare but sometimes it moves slower that I mountain bike.
Only thing I might suggest is checking out the podcast “The injured athletes club” by Carrie Jackson Cheadle and Cindy Kuzma. It addresses the mindset for recovery.
Had in middle of summer Tibialis Anterior Tendonitis (likely, diagnosed by Dr. Google) that took me out of saddle for 3 weeks and made AI calculated FTP go down 4.3W/kg → 3.5W/kg. Since then, over 2 months have done increasingly longer Z2 rides with single threshold session per week. Actually feel pretty strong again although unlikely same level as before yet. At least improving again.
Anyway, to diversify fitness bought Concept2 SkiErg. Planning over indoor season split long Z2 workouts between trainer and SkiErg, plus some VO2 max workouts maybe. But secondary consideration actually was possibility to continue using it in sitting position if something happens with feet again.
I had a torn acetabular labrum repaired some years ago. I lived with it for the better part of a year (it was once thought to be rare, so it was a while before I got a solid diagnosis, though oddly the first PTA I had guessed it). I didn’t think there were any limitations if you didn’t have surgery; it’s just painful. But the labrum won’t repair itself, so surgery is pretty likely.
Good news is if you do have the surgery the recovery isn’t so bad. They don’t cut through any muscle or tendon so there’s no need for a long re-strengthening the way you do for a shoulder (had that one too, it’s worse). Takes a long time to be pain free, but I think that’s true of any surgery.