I have been diagnosed with advanced arthritis in both hips. I'm only 49. I'm being told I'll need the hips replaced sooner than later. I have been training hard and competing successfully for the past several years. Breaststroke is my competitive event. Does anyone have experience with arthritic hips? Can you advise if you think swimming (and swimming breaststroke) has made things worse or better. I usually swim 5-6x week, up to about 3500 yards per workout. I am a healthy eater, a personal trainer for a living, very flexible, take supplements for these conditions etc.
Also if anyone out there is swimming with artificial hips, would you please share your experience. Many thanks.
I too consider breaststroke to be my best one. It took me over 3 yrs after my Doc told me I needed a new hip before I got it. The pain was bad, but what convinced me to get it was that I was DQ'd at Nationals for an improper frog kick (this being my first BR DQ in more than 50 years of competitive swimming!). Just could not kick properly. Hard to say whether 3 yrs.of training made hip worse than it would have been absent training. But I feel that kicking frog was probably hard on the joint. It has been 14 mos. since the replacement, and I am glad that I got it. Regaining a strong frog kick has been the slowest swim function to return. But I am back training and competing, and more important, I am pain free.
I too consider breaststroke to be my best one. It took me over 3 yrs after my Doc told me I needed a new hip before I got it. The pain was bad, but what convinced me to get it was that I was DQ'd at Nationals for an improper frog kick (this being my first BR DQ in more than 50 years of competitive swimming!). Just could not kick properly. Hard to say whether 3 yrs.of training made hip worse than it would have been absent training. But I feel that kicking frog was probably hard on the joint. It has been 14 mos. since the replacement, and I am glad that I got it. Regaining a strong frog kick has been the slowest swim function to return. But I am back training and competing, and more important, I am pain free.
