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The Steep Stuff Podcast
#190 - Abby Bennett, The Journey Back From Hip Labrum Surgery
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A “clean” MRI can still leave you limping, doubting yourself, and stuck in the worst kind of uncertainty: pain without answers. James sits down with Abby Bennett for a candid, detailed update on her long road to a hip labral repair and what she wishes she knew from day one.
Abby unpacks how her injury started as a weird, persistent fatigue in one leg, then escalated into deep hip pain that spread through her glute, adductors, and hamstring as her body tried to stabilize an unstable joint. We dig into why her first 1.5T MRI missed the problem, how a hip preservation specialist used better imaging and a full workup to identify labral instability plus pincer impingement, and what her surgery included: labral anchors, shaving the impingement to prevent re-tearing, and a psoas tendon lengthening that changes the rehab timeline for athletes who live in hip flexion.
We also go beyond anatomy and talk about the mental weight of chronic pain, identity loss when training disappears, and the small wins that bring you back: conservative PT, pool work, short Zwift spins, strict boundaries to avoid flare-ups, and recovery basics like hitting protein goals and using collagen with vitamin C before rehab. If you’re a runner, trail runner, cyclist, or skimo athlete dealing with stubborn hip pain, this is a practical guide to advocating for the right care.
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Welcome, Follow, And Review
SPEAKER_01Hey this is the SteamStoffPast. What's up, guys? Uh hey, before we get started, if you haven't already, whatever platform you're listening to this on, please hit that subscribe or follow button, whether that's Apple, Spotify, or YouTube. Those subscriptions go a super long way in being able to keep the podcast going and allowing me to continue to tell the stories of these amazing athletes and also do some of the race coverage and all the good stuff that we've been doing over the last few years. And also, if you haven't already, please give us a rating and a review if you haven't. Yeah, let us know what you guys think about the podcast and hope you enjoy this episode. Thanks so much for tuning in. All right, Abby Bennett, welcome back to the Steep Stuff Podcast. How's it going?
SPEAKER_00Hey, thanks, James. Um, it's going pretty well. I'm eight weeks post-op for my hip labral repair, and I'm walking around a little bit better. But um overall, like life is pretty good and feeling better every day.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. I feel like it's been how many how long has it been? It's probably over a year since we've had you on the pod. And for the audience who doesn't know, didn't listen to our first episode, I mean, you were crushing it on the New England scene and all over the place. And um and then you had this crazy hip injury, and it has been just this long extended year plus journey for you. And I felt like, you know, we've got a lot of audience members that might be going through an injury right now or have hip injuries and stuff like that. I always have Sean Rimmer on my PT, my personal PT. And we're always talking about hips and stuff like that because it's so important. And um, yeah, I just feel like your journey is an important one to kind of talk about on the podcast. Just because one, it's important to show the audience members like no matter what you're going through, don't give up. And two, um, for your specific stuff with the hip, I feel like there's a lot of like informational stuff because I've talked to quite a few professional athletes on this pod that are going through very similar stuff. So I'll let you take it away. Maybe give the backstory on how the injury came to be, what happened, and then just you know, kind of walk us through your story in general.
Sponsor Break: Cedus Insoles
SPEAKER_01Interrupting this episode to talk to you guys about Cetus Insoles, official partner of the Steep Stuff podcast. How many of you athletes out there wear insoles? I do. Not only do I get a little performance boost, a whole lot of foot comfort, but I also get about a quarter inch to a half inch of height boost, which is a win-win-win, if you ask me. Doesn't matter. Run, ski, outdoor, multi-sport, and daily life. Cet as insoles have something for everyone. I alternate between the three feet protect and the three feet low to give me optimal comfort on uneven and technical terrain. Check them out online at Cedus.us. Cedus is the official football care partner of Western States and UTMB. Cetus, your foot company.
SPEAKER_00Yeah,
Early Signs Of Hip Injury
SPEAKER_00for sure. Um, I completely agree with all that. And I've also seen a lot of female trail runners, schemo athletes, um, cyclists have similar issues come up and are kind of going down the same path that I went down. So I kind of uh I appreciate you talking to me because I kind of volunteered myself for the podcast. But I was like, I think it would be good to talk about this stuff. Um, and yeah, so I appreciate that. So um I guess it, yeah, this has been going on for a little over a year now. Um last summer I started having some hip pain um that started as kind of feeling like my right leg was just always fatigued and like overtrained, but the rest of my body was fine. Um and I started getting kind of sluggish and I was tripping over like nothing out on runs, and I was like, what's going on with this leg? And then uh on a particular day that I did two workouts on, I think it was July 15th of last year, um, I was like, okay, something bad happened. Like I got home that night after the workout, and I was like, something happened in my hip, and I don't know what's going on, but it hurts a lot. And I it was kind of like the classic like C-shape sign if you like grab your hip from the side, um, because you're like, it's so deep in there, and like I don't know where it's coming from. Um and I I've had a lot of niggles and like little injuries, tendon muscle injuries through my running time that I've been able to work through with PT and taking a few days off. So I took a few days off and I started doing exercises and nothing was helping. It was just like every time I would go for, especially an uphill run, I felt like I couldn't lift my leg. I like I couldn't pull my leg through with hip flexion. Um, and then like the next day it would be extremely painful and sore around the whole hip. And so I kept training through it for another month and kind of pivoted to more cycling, but eventually the cycling was also irritating it. Um and I was just so confused as to what was going on because uh nothing I was doing that always worked for me in the past was working for this. And I saw like three PTs um just to get different opinions in the first couple months and uh tried all the exercises, and you know, they were evaluating me, and um, it was kind of like mixed opinions, or um, some of them said, yeah, it could be a label issue, and you should get imaging.
When Imaging Says Nothing
SPEAKER_00So I got an MRI, and at that point I didn't realize that there were different levels of MRIs. So the 1.5T Tesla, it's like the the quality of the images and like the frequency of the splices, um, is the lowest quality one, but that's the one they'll usually give by default. And it turns out that that type of MRI doesn't really pick up labor tears very easily unless it's a really bad tear. Um so uh the I got the MRI and the radiologist who read it who didn't know anything about my background, they they just have like a radiologist read it um from some hospital. And they said there's no labor tear, so I read the report. They said there's nothing wrong. Um some PTs also thought I might have a femoral neck stress reaction, which I was I was like that's probably a possibility because I actually hadn't had my period for like two years, and um, so I had secondary menorrhea, and I was like, I was kind of waiting for the shoe to drop on that one. I was like, ugh, uh there's like this is probably not gonna end well, but I didn't know how to fix it at that point. It turns out that after four months of not training at all, uh that that fixed it. So at least I don't have that problem anymore. It's like a blessing in disguise. Um, but yeah, it turns out I didn't have a stress reaction. Um and the MRI said no laboral tear. Uh so I was dealing it's it's a long story. Um it was really it was a really hard time for me, like especially October through uh March, I would say, because I was seeing an orthopedist and he didn't know what was going on, basically. Um what I should have done since the beginning was see a hip preservation specialist, saw saw someone who was used to seeing liberal tears and recognizing them on imaging. Um but I was just seeing a general orthopaedist and he had like hundreds of ideas of what it could be. And I was like, I don't know what's going on. I have this spreading pain, like the pain keeps changing. It's like moving from my hip to like it's like in my deep glute, and then it's also like my inner hamstring and adductors. So it was like kind of evolving over time, which was just awful. Because I was like, what is happening? Like, do I just have like some some kind of weird chronic pain that's like moving around? And it's the body is so complicated that um when you have a labral tear, your hip is unstable. So all the muscles around your hip start compensating and um kind of getting imbalanced, and then others will try to like step in to try to stabilize the hip, especially the adductors, um, and some of the deep gluteal muscles. So um that all causes all this like chronic pain around the hip, and it was like all the way to my knee, and it was like such a big area, and I was just like, What is going on? And my ortho was like, um I'm not sure what's going on. Like it could be like an ovarian cyst, and I'm like, ah, and so eventually I learned that it like I just need to go see a hip preservation specialist.
Finally Seeing A Hip Specialist
SPEAKER_00So I saw Dr. Davis um over in southern New Hampshire, and he we had another MRI done, like a 3T MRI, um, and then I had X-rays, a CT scan, and using all that information, he put together that I have like labral instability is what he called it, where the labrum isn't like fully detached, but it's like kind of flapping around, as he said. Um, so it's not the most obvious on imaging. So a radiologist who's not familiar with it wouldn't necessarily see it. But he saw in my x-rays there's also like a bone impingement um where the acetabulum, like the rim of the hip joint, like comes down too far and it causes uh like it's called a pincer impingement. So it's like coming down, so when you lift your leg, um it'll like pinch the labrum onto the femur. So that was causing that front hip labral tear, which is the most common area for one. Um so yeah, um, I was just like, no, PT didn't work, like I have all this guarding pain, and I like I want to do surgery, like I just want to fix it. Um so he was, yeah, he was totally on board with doing that, knowing all the PT and all this stuff that I had been through. Um he's like, we can get in there and see what's going on. So um on June 9th, I had the surgery, and I had uh 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock, so like a third of my labrum was um unstable or kind of torn, and so he put three anchors into it and shaved um the pincer impingement as well, which is really important to like shave down the bone that's causing that tear to begin with. Um and he also did a psoas tendon lengthening for me because it helps the labrum heal without having that pressure of like a really strong, like thick tendon like pushing up against it. Um and that's that would probably be done for a lot of people and especially athletes. Um, and it will help people deal with like ileosoas tendonopathy after the surgery a ton, and uh it kind of helps the body just like not have that be as tight as it would be in like causing issues in there. So anyway, that was a really long, really long backstory, but that's that's basically it.
SPEAKER_01That is so crazy. All right, so for first question I've got for you, we'll go rapid fire here. Yes of the bone, the bone issue, was that caused by running or is that genetic?
SPEAKER_00It's just genetic, and most people have it. Um most people either have a pincer or a cam impingement. A cam is where the uh the femur, like the the ball part is like too flat and it doesn't like kind of round out where it should, so that then they get that impingement. So um, yeah, make sure if you're getting a surgical consult consultant for this, like that they do that. They make sure that the bone is fixed.
SPEAKER_01That's crazy. You're like an expert on this now. Like you've got so much of it. Well, I feel like, and this is and you can you can attest to this, it has to be such a pain in the ass and so frustrating. And I've known this, and all the athletes listening to this who have had injuries that might not be that that are not obvious injuries. You go through so much information trying to learn more and figure this out and that out and ask questions. What was that situation like and how stressful was that? Because it seemed like you uh I remember you had talked about, you know, there's oh, potentially I have an ovarian cyst, or potentially it's this, or potentially it's that. And then finally you went to the right person that was able to identify it. That must have been so frustrating.
SPEAKER_00Yeah,
Chronic Pain And Identity Shock
SPEAKER_00yeah. You hit the nail on the head there. It was it was incredibly frustrating. And um I was it was definitely the worst mental state that I've ever been in because I was in pain constantly. I like could barely walk because of how much it hurt. And so it was just it was just really dark time, and I was like, I don't think I'm ever gonna run again, and like get to do my favorite things in the world. And I was like, I would do any sport, like I love every sport, like like um like cycling, schemo, like cross-country skiing, um, like hiking would be great, like any, anything would be would have been good, but I just couldn't like that whole leg was just out of commission. Um yeah.
SPEAKER_01How were you able to stay the course? How did you not like you know, some people are just like uh well put it this way, as far as like the was it more I want to be able to run again or I just want to get out of the pain? What what what kind of pushed you more in that sense?
SPEAKER_00Oh, that's that's a good question. Um I think just I think both things like were equally important to me. Um I I felt like it was really frustrating because I was just starting to reach my potential or get closer to my potential, and I was like on a roll with training. I felt like I was in the best shape of my life in like last July. Um, but I wasn't able to race at all last year because of this. And um and yeah, so it was just really frustrating because I was like, oh, I'm on the verge of like a breakthrough and um feeling like I can really compete um on a bigger level, and I had all these races that I wanted to do. Um and and I just I've I still feel like I I feel so strongly that I can still do that, and um I'm gonna do everything it takes to get back to that point and get even better than that point. Um so yeah, I don't know. I just have this like I'm just extremely obsessive and I'm like this is my thing that I was doing in life, and like without that, I like there isn't something that makes me feel the way that like working towards a goal and running um or other or another sport, like schemo, um that there's nothing else in life that gives me that feeling and like that level of happiness, and it's like multifaceted because like there's the the training for these big goals thing, which is like it brings me so much happiness, but then it's also in combination with being outside and moving my body outside, especially in the mountains, that like just makes me so happy that I've not been able to find a feeling like that in life. And like I'm interested in other things, but like it's like so spiritual to me, and I'm like, I need that, I need that back.
SPEAKER_01This might be this is a really deep question, but like as far as like I know how I feel about running, and I imagine it's probably very similar to how you and a lot of others listening to this feel about running. It it becomes an identity. How are you able to separate that Abby the runner, Abby the skier from Abby the injured Abby? And how how were you able to kind of get what I'm trying to understand is like how were you able to get through it? Did you find other hobbies? Um, obviously it's really hard at first, but eventually the pain will start to dull. Um yeah, did you do anything else? Like what did you do in the meantime? Because you had all this extra time on your hands when you're not putting 20 to 40 hours of training a week.
SPEAKER_00I know. 20 to 40. I got to 17 one week and I was like, this is the best week ever. Um but yeah, um uh I honestly I was so fixated on getting better and like getting back to to the things that I love that I I don't know, I was just not in a good mental space enough to like take up other hobbies. Um I think honestly, if I was able to do the things that I loved, I would be more in a place to take up other hobbies because like I would be just baseline happy. Um but yeah, it was just really jarring to have that like ripped away from me after it being like the center of my days for so many years. Um But I I I think my identity was still an athlete, but just like the version of an athlete who was injured, and that I knew that well, I know that being injured is a part of it, and so I was like, okay, I'm gonna pivot my like my fun content or like talking about like having fun racing and like read going after goals to like talking about being injured, and um it's not as like fun or exciting to see, and it's probably pretty boring and sad for some people to see, but um I think it's really equally important to talk about, and it's like I was I still maintained I I think I purposefully maintained being an athlete during that time, um just that this was a a different phase of being an athlete. Um yeah, and then uh I had like quit my job to to focus more on athletics and trying to train as much as I could. Um, but then I was like, okay, I might as well get a job now because this is this is stressful. And it's it, I was like, this is really stressful to try to rely on my body's future uh like for income. So I I got another job, and that's been a fun like side project. Not a side project, but like it's been a fun project as well.
SPEAKER_01Was it difficult for you? I I for one appreciated you being candid and open on social media, you know, sharing more about your journey and what you've been going through. Like there was some really good stuff on there, and you were providing updates and stuff, and like people get invested in that stuff. Everybody wants to make sure you're doing well. I mean, I feel like we have a very supportive running community. Was that difficult for you to share that stuff?
SPEAKER_00Um, no, I completely agree, and people have been so nice and supportive during this time. Like it would, it's just blown me away how people are yeah, just so supportive and like they share their own stories with me. Like I've heard from a lot of people like that they've gone through stuff and um being able to talk to them about uh like sharing our our stories together has been really helpful and like special. And yeah, it's it's another part of as I said, like another part of being an athlete that you might not you might not even realize is out there. Like there's a whole world of like people going through stuff, and I didn't even realize it was all out there until this happened and I started sharing and people then shared with me. Um I was gonna say something else. Um Oh my gosh, I forgot the first the first part of your your question, I think, but uh it was it was good. That's okay. It's gone.
SPEAKER_01Do you uh do you feel like now I I always I I say this because like everybody goes through hard things in life and we're all tested in individual ways outside of running, right? Do you feel like mentally stronger now? Do you feel like oh I shit, I can do anything? Like this is uh what you get through this and you're like, oh, this ain't so bad. You know, everything else at least is kind of duller, uh like the hard training or the PT or you know, I don't know, something at work. Like all of those things kind of pale in comparison to when you go through something really hard that kind of reshapes you.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, absolutely. And I even before I got injured, I felt like athletics and running, competing um as hard as I could over and over again was something that made me a lot more mentally strong in general and in life, um, because pushing yourself to your limit for hours with other people is really difficult and special. And um and then this happened, and now I feel like I'm stronger in a different way, and um, yeah, it just made me realize that I can get into the recovery process as much as training, and I'm so thrilled to be doing even the smallest things, like swimming with my pull buoy, um, with just my arms, and I'm like, this is awesome! Like uh I get to do this and I get to do my zwift rides and like doing my PT exercises every day. It's like um I can find a lot of joy in that and just working towards like being able to walk normally again. Um yeah, I think and and I think when I get back to training, I'm like I tear up thinking about like how grateful I'm gonna feel like if I get back out in the mountains. Um I think it's just gonna make me like appreciate training a a ton. And I already did before that, like I was having so much joy in getting out every day, but yeah, it's just it's gonna be great.
SPEAKER_01Amazing.
Surgery, Setbacks, And Progress
SPEAKER_01So maybe this is a little redundant to the answer you just provided, but like where where are you at now? You had obviously surgery beginning of June. We're less than We're recording this at what August 3rd? Fourth? Fourth. Fourth. Fourth. Eight weeks. So yeah, we're eight weeks removed. And I don't know. Like, is it it has it been a linear or like journey? Or has it been without its you know pains and bumps and ups and downs? Like how has the journey been so far?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, uh the first two months are like pretty awful, to be honest. Um, but like every day I feel a little bit better, so it's like really motivating to to just be progressing like fast, um, even though I've seen other people go through the surgery and who are progressing faster, but I'm just totally fine with my body's own pace. Um I think yeah, the first the first six weeks were really tough, and I had a flare-up at three weeks uh that like put me in bed again, like just flat in bed for like a week and a half. Um so that was awful. That was the worst week. Um and yeah, I just just about a week ago I started walking without crutches, um, which is a little bit later. It might have been a week and a half ago. Um but like every day my stride is better and I feel more capable with my leg. And I like I just have this I have like a good feeling about it, and then I have we we actually moved to southern New Hampshire um from Jackson, which is in the kind of the heart of the White Mountains or near my Washington. Um we moved to Southern New Hampshire to help like to be closer to resources, like a pool, a good gym, like a lot of PT. Um just and then like if I needed to see like an expert in Boston or something, it's pretty close. Um so it was really hard being in Jackson and surrounded by the places that I had done my favorite things in the world. Like my Mount Washington is my favorite place in the world. Um, it was just hard to see it every day. And where right now it's just like focusing on recovery and just not thinking about the mountains too much. Um, and just like going all in on recovery. And I'm I feel like I'm in a really good space now and I have all the resources I need. Um yeah. So it's it's uh it's going pretty well, and I'm in a pretty good like schedule of every other day kind of zwifting and then PT pretty much every day, and then like get getting to the pool every other day to like do some pool walking and um and like a little swimming.
SPEAKER_01How much can you do? Like as far as like Zwift goes, like can you do like a is it only like 30 minutes on the bike, an hour on the bike? Like how much do they let you do, or is it more so kind of at your own pace, however you feel that you want to do?
SPEAKER_00I would say it's it's on my pace because I don't know, the protocol that they give you is just like so made up. And I'm like, uh yeah, I don't think so. It's like day one doing like some crazy stuff, and I'm like, nope. So I'm like way more conservative than the protocol says you can be, and even more than like I've seen my other people who've gone through it. Um, but I just know my body so well that I'm like I know what I'm ready for or not ready for. Um so like my PT will, for example, would be like do 10 reps of this, and I'm like, nah, I'm gonna do seven. I'm like, I'm just gonna like draw my boundaries like everywhere possible. Um because I know that having a setback is far worse than being a little bit more conservative in PT. Um so on the bike, I just started zwifting. I was just kind of doing like pretty easy spins with like no resistance basically, um, since day one, actually, because they want to prevent scar tissue. Um and now I'm doing like what feels like I'm pushing hard on the pedals, but I'm not because I haven't trained in a full year. So like my like my whole cardiovascular system is completely dead. And I'm putting out like like under 100 watts and my heart rate is 170. I'm like, that's fine. Um but I can do that for like 20 minutes every other day. And it feels like it, like it feels almost like training at this point, but uh it's still very, very low. Um but the exciting thing is uh is I can start biking outside probably in a couple days. So very excited to do that for like 20 minutes back on the ground lake.
SPEAKER_01That's so exciting. Okay, cool. So progressively, you're getting there. So we'll see you at uh Cirque Series Canon in in June. Maybe June. Oh, yeah, next yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. Maybe. Like I am hopeful that I can race next summer. Uh, but we'll see. We'll see.
SPEAKER_01How long is that progression? Is it like, I mean, by the time do you think you'll be able to run? Probably. I mean, obviously you take your time and you do uh, you know, you do what you gotta do, but what what do you think? Like, do you think it's gonna be November by the time you're on your feet again like that? October? Like, yeah.
SPEAKER_00I think like um optimistically, run walk intervals in October. And my friend, uh Nicole, who just who went through the same surgery um back in January, um, she she's been using the lever a lot. Uh and she like she just got off the lever and started running outside. And yeah, so it's it's probably like in five months post-op that I feel like I'll be able to do that. And just knowing myself, I just want to be more conservative. Um But yeah, I just I want to be as careful as I can. And like I at this point I don't care. Like, like if if at maybe if I got in the surgery right after I got injured, I would be like eager to push, but like I already haven't trained in a year, so like my mental strength for not training is really high. So I'm like, I don't care. Like if it takes a year, that's fine. Um as long as I get back to it eventually.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. I also think things come back quick, like in the sense of like fitness. Like I know you know, just spinning, you know, you high heart rate and stuff like that. But as an athlete that has trained, you know, for a long time and you have all these years under your belt, um don't worry too much. I I I'm actually very curious to see how fast it comes back. I would imagine it would probably come back relatively fast.
SPEAKER_00I think so. And I honestly I try I do everything. Like it's it's I I'm like a big nerd with training science and stuff. So uh I already am doing like heat sessions in the bathtub, like sitting in the hot bath, like after I did the Zwift. And it's like so painful, like not painful, but like hard. Like my body is not heat heat acclimated at all anymore. So uh I was like, oh boy, this is gonna help, but I'm probably gonna do like passive heat once a week, and then I might start adding in like one active heat session, like in my friggin' like fleece layers and my rain jacket, like while on the Zwift.
SPEAKER_01All right.
SPEAKER_00Yes. Oh, I I will say too, like, I'm also trying to do everything I can with um with recovery in terms of like eating. So I'm really focused on protein. I've been ever since day one post op, I've been like hitting my protein goals and having uh there there's some science that says like if you have like 15 grams of collagen an hour before doing your PT, um that it helps with with like rebuilding the connective tissue. So um, oh, and then you have to have it with vitamin C. So yeah, doing all that.
SPEAKER_01Interesting. Oh, you're into it. Okay. I mean, hey, that's the only all those things I feel like play a role, you know. So yeah. You you had mentioned flare-ups. Can you talk a little bit about like what that is? Is I would imagine it's the muscle guarding or muscles guarding and tightening up? Like what is a flare-up in general?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, uh for me, it's more specifically the SOAS tendon because he my surgeon lengthened it, which is when you actually just like cut it, like you cut the tendon, um, like right in front of the hip joint where it crosses over. Um so that's uh that's a lot for your like one of your most primary like core muscles. So I think I started hip flexion exercises in PT a little too early, and like I literally barely did anything, and the thing was like, nope. So yeah, it was just like that that tendon got really it's very sensitive after it's been cut, um, and it just got inflamed. So just a little tendonitis episode. Um, that's really what a flare-up is for me. Um, and probably for most people who have this surgery is probably gonna be your hip flexor. So um, yeah, just make just being really careful with with hip flexion. And I mean, even now I'm barely like lifting up my leg to go up a step, but I'm I'm doing like 12 step-ups in PT in a row, so we're we're getting there. It's gonna take that thing a long time to adapt, though.
SPEAKER_01Do you, especially being like a muscular athlete, like do you notice, especially like because legs are you know dominant muscles, you know, for running. Does your one leg shrink a little bit more versus the other?
SPEAKER_00Oh yeah. Yeah, yeah, that thing was completely gone. And it's it's still completely gone. I'm like, oh my god, my quad is like not there. And my hamstring, it's like I couldn't even like look in the mirror. I was like, no, like my hamstrings used to be so good, but we'll we'll get it back. Um, but part of that too is like not training at all or you like using that leg for a year. Um and I will say too, this is nuanced, but like the worst pain I had from this injury was like my inner hamstring, like adductor, which is pretty common. Uh it's that guarding pain, and it felt like so awful. It it didn't feel like a normal muscle strain. It was like the whole muscle was just like I don't even know how to describe it. It's like it felt like it was burning and like just like seizing up. It was horrible. So my PT has been now working on that with me, and I think like it's actually finally starting to get better. So um I'll be able to do more of my PT exercises and like start putting more weight on that, um, on like doing uh like single leg exercises.
SPEAKER_01How do you um like with work and stuff like that and and getting like let's say you have like a flare up? Like you said, you have a flare up for like a week and a half, that's gonna affect like your your normal day-to-day like life, like work and you know, spending time with friends, family, partners, stuff like that. Like how how do you how how how has that been?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, um, well, honestly, I'll just say like the whole year I was totally dropping the ball on like everything in life. Um, because I was I have so much empathy for people who are in chronic pain for their whole lives now because I like could not function as a person. Um, I could barely like get out and do errands. Um, I like did not socialize for almost a year. It was really bad. Um, it was like my mental state, and then just like being in pain all the time. I did not want to leave the house, I didn't want to do anything. Um, so that was awful. And yeah, now I'm feeling better. And yeah, I feel like I'm starting to be social again, which is nice. And um, and yeah, with the flare-up, it's it's definitely not great with work. Thankfully, I work fully remote. Um, I worked hard to find a job like that. Uh, but I know I'm super lucky, and I get to just like I have right now, I'm like using this desk that you can kind of like put in a bed. So I just like laid there and was like with my bed desk like typing.
SPEAKER_01Wow. That's crazy. Yeah, I man, that's not easy. So definitely kudos for for going through to that. Um
How To Advocate For Care
SPEAKER_01advice. There's a lot of people struggling and going through injuries themselves. Like, what advice do you have for athletes or just people, listeners in general, kind of going through it right now?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, this is where I would like really wanted to talk to you about this because I've seen other people like kind of going through like hip pain, especially. And I have like when I see someone going through hip pain, I'm like, oh my gosh, I know I know exactly what you're going through. Um and it's very confusing, it's hard to tell where the pain's coming from. But I would say, like, first of all, like find the best hip specialist in your area and just go to them and also get a good MRI, like get a 3T MRI or uh like a hip joint MRI with contrast. Um, and then get don't just like trust the radiologist who they have read it, just like take it to your hip specialist and have them read it. And like I I made the mistake of first I guess it wasn't a mistake, but it wasn't what I should have done to have this diagnosed, is I thought PTs could diagnose a little bit more than they actually can. Um, they don't have the tools to diagnose, like they can't do imaging, and um, yeah, there's just a little bit more limited than having like a hip preservation uh physician diagnose you. Um when you have deep hip pain, it's really hard for them to know how to treat it. Um and for and like first you should have a diagnosis and then you should come up with a treatment plan. Um so I spent a lot of time probably going down the wrong routes for trying to get this figured out. So I would say like first, if you're having like persistent hip pain that's not responding like a normal muscle would to like PT and time off, like just go just go to a doctor, um, like a hip specialist. Like even a month, like if it's not responding to like, and and you were like, I feel like this is more complicated than a normal muscle, because that's that's how I felt. It's like this is so deep. Like it wouldn't just like there's not even a muscle down in there, so it's like, what's going on? Um, I think that's my biggest advice.
SPEAKER_01Do you and this is not a got you question? I just always find myself increasingly frustrated with the American medical system. How hard was it to navigate stuff like that? Like I know you you kind of just mentioned um obviously not misdiagnoses, but it seems like you you talk to a lot of providers that everybody almost there was a lot of different theories. How hard was it to kind of navigate that and how frustrated did you get with just the system in general?
SPEAKER_00Oh yeah, I was so frustrated with it because I think people don't they try to fix it themselves without pointing you in the direction that you should go. Um and you really have to take control yourself. Like if you're having hip pain, like don't see a general orthopedist because they don't know. Um yeah, just just go to a hip specialist. And um there's some really good ones out west too. There's good ones in Boston, um, but there's also really good ones like the Stedman Clinic, and um I believe they're they're well, they don't quote me on that. I think I think the Stedman Clinic and the Sudman Clinic is good.
SPEAKER_01Is that the one that's in? I think that's the one in Vail. I can't think of it. I think so. I don't know. Hopefully I never have to go there.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. But I mean it's good that they exist because they seem to help a lot of people. Um and then Philippon, I think he might be with the Stedman Clinic. I'm not sure. He's like the hip person who like I think invented the like the modern way of like dealing with labor tears surgically. So uh very good resources out there. Um But yeah, just you can do research and like learn what the best ones are in your area. Uh but it's it was like immediately when I saw my my surgeon, it was like, oh, I should have done this like 10 months ago, just based on how much he knew, and like it was just immediately clear.
Returning Stronger With Smart PT
SPEAKER_01I have a question for you as far as like stuff coming back and just like fear in general going forward, because I know a lot of like high-level athletes, it doesn't matter what discipline you're in. It could be anything from basketball, football, fighting, running. A lot of people deal with laboral tears. Like it's it's more common than I thought it was, but a lot of them are much smaller, and particularly it affects runners because running is pretty important when it comes to the sport of running. Um, do you does that does that worry you about it coming back or having it again? Like having it because I don't know, is it more prone to come back? Can it happen much easier a second time for you?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so it probably won't happen again on my right hip because he fixed the the bone impingement. Um it's possible that it could happen on my left side or that it's already starting there. Um, but I I'm like, I'm just gonna really focus on my like PT and uh try to get my glutes like really strong and um not have my hip flexor be so dominant and just try to like get your hip joint like in a better place. Um, because if you strengthen all the stabilizers and like your big like hip surrounding muscles, um it's it's less likely that you're gonna put too much pressure on that joint. Um so yeah, I I think I'm not too worried, um, especially on the right side, I feel pretty good. But uh and I will say too, yeah, a lot of runners have it, a lot of people have it. Like there's a high prep prevalence of it in the general population. Um, but if you are an athlete, it's really hard for you to continue training at a high level when you have that. Um people people sometimes say like you can you can like most people have a label tear and you can make it work if you do PTE and like you can you make it feel better. And it's like that's true probably for most people, but not for people training like at the the hours and the intensity that we do. So for me, it was like I need to have this surgically fixed if I want to continue training at a high level. Um, and there's there's examples of like really good athletes and runners who have had the surgery. Like um uh well Kira Del Mato just had it. Um Emily Enfeld had it back in like 2020, I think, and she like last year just like won the US something like in the like she runs like middle distance track stuff, so like that's a really like intense level of running. Um, and she's one of the best in the world. So she was able to you know reach her potential after her laboral repair. And then Eric Lagerstrom, a triathlete, just had his done this year. Um uh I think uh Seth, what's what's his name? Is it like the Boulder Boy Seth?
SPEAKER_01Seth Rowling. Yeah, he just had I just literally was talking to somebody who knows him. But yeah, I didn't know he had labor tear. That's yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, he talked about it on the podcast like a few days before I had my repair, and I was like, oh wow, okay. So I think he he just had that repaired too. So it's like it's pretty common. Um, and yeah, especially for athletes, and yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, not fun. No boy, but you're not alone, which is good, you know? It's uh and and there's so like you said, there's so many examples of people that have you know fought their way back and found their true potential after the fact. This might be a more nuanced question related to training, but will you be able to like because I know you loved schemo, are you will you be able to hit the skis like in the winter if things are progressing? Like, is that like because it's less impactful than running?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think so. Um and biking feels good. Um it's like, yeah, the impact is is the big thing. Uh but I think for me especially with the SOAS tendon lengthening, that takes a really long time to get back to strength. I think it'll take a full year for it to get back to strength. No way. Um, and then you just want to avoid like overdoing it with that. So schemo is pretty heavily like hip flexor dominant. Um, so I'll just have to like ease into it. But I'm really I I do think it's gonna be possible to do this winter, which is is gonna be great.
SPEAKER_01That's awesome. Yeah, what what kind of uh PT stuff do they have you do? Because like, dude, I I like I like my my psoas gets all aggravated from like I sit in the car for too long or if I'm like because I'm always running uphill or downhill, like super steep stuff. So like I'm sure a lot of people have this issue where like mine mine goes nuts sometimes, and I'm like, oh my god, my running care is over.
SPEAKER_00Oh no. Where does it hurt for you? Like just like the front of their of your hip?
SPEAKER_01Mine's just lower back. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yep. And then I'll do all these like stretches and loading and stuff like that and core work and it goes away.
SPEAKER_00So yeah, yeah, that those dead bugs, that'll really help.
SPEAKER_01Dead bug, yes. I'm I'm a killer on the dead bugs now. Yeah, yeah, it's funny. My coach and I are always talking about, he's like, dude, you gotta do your core work. He's like, you don't have he's like, you can't have no core, bro. Yeah, and he like makes fun of me for it. So yeah, I gotta core is important, people.
SPEAKER_00For sure. Yeah, and I think too, like, I've heard that if your glutes are not as I mean, every every PT says this, like activate your glutes, like your glutes are weak, but like the the I don't know if it's if it's true, but if your glutes aren't working as much as they should, your hip flexors can kind of take over. Um so that was probably part of my problem too. Um but yeah definitely the dead bugs like oh I'm not doing the dead bugs yet I'm just I'm just doing like uh I did 150 of them today.
SPEAKER_01Oh yeah, I'm obsessed.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I'm I'm yeah like whenever Do you do that all in one go or do you break it up throughout the day?
SPEAKER_01No, I do like I'll do like sets of like 12 to 20 and then break them down from there.
SPEAKER_00Nice. Yeah that's awesome. Yeah, that's that's probably as much as you need to do because like they're so light, it's like you uh sometimes I would add like I would hold a weight in like both of my hands and just like do that instead of like doing one hand thing, but um yeah, it's it it's a it's a good one, like especially if you focus on like keeping your back flat and like like making your stomach like as flat as possible into the ground. I feel like it's a good one.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I started looking in too because I after you know you had your injury and stuff like that, and I I went through my hip thing, I got obsessed with it, and I was looking at like um Moy Thai fighters because they always can't they dude they can kick you standing up, like they can kick someone in the face standing up. I'm like, how do you have such strong hips? Like, what do you guys do for your hips and your hip dexterity and hip flexion? And they have like all kinds of like crazy uh like different things, like they've strong hips. I mean, that's how where all their power comes from, is in their hips and glutes. Yeah, it's crazy.
SPEAKER_00The the stabilization on the one leg and then also the like the strength to do the kicks and it's crazy, like mobility. Yeah, it's it's so crazy.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so they're they have all kinds of good like exercises and stuff like that that I've like some things I like picked up and uh I like a lot.
SPEAKER_00So what what what's one of them, for example?
SPEAKER_01For me, a lot of it's the stretching, like a lot of like quad tendon stretching, and then also like I do this one, I don't think there's a particular name for it, but like I will lay down and like balance, like just like more adductor work. A lot of it's adductor work and adductor stabilization where I'll like lay down and just keep like balance my leg. Uh, and I'll do like probably like 15 sets of like 30 seconds, uh straighten the leg, hold it up. I'd have to like lay down and straighten it. Probably won't do it. I'll send you, I'll send you the the like what it looks like on the thing. But yeah, I do all kinds of cool stuff.
SPEAKER_00So nice. That that's very cool. Yeah, it's great when we borrow from other sports. It's like it's it's also like if you go on Strava and you're like, what's the beta on this road or something? And then you switch it to a different sport and you can see the heat map there, and you're like, oh, the beta from like the mountain biking or something. Yes, yes, um, it's great to borrow from other little worlds. Um But yeah, yeah, so far with PT it's been pretty straightforward, like just like squats, and um, I started to do a little bit of leg press on my surgical leg. Um I'm starting to do some balance work on my surgical leg and then that little bit of hip flexion, but I'm I'm really just starting out with that, and I don't want to push it too much because I don't want to have a flare-up again.
SPEAKER_01No, I think it's smart. It's crazy. Like you've taught me a lot about the Psoas tendon so far. Like now I'm gonna go start doing more research into that because yeah, that's um and it's funny you say that like lengthening that could help so many athletes. Because yeah, I mean, for a lot of people, I'm sure it's probably super tight. Like, and that's because yeah, with a steep uphill running, a steep downhill running, like that that's that gets worked like crazy.
SPEAKER_00So yeah, and there's definitely trade-offs to it. Um like I would make sure the surgeon isn't just lengthening it for no reason, like that they really think it's gonna help because it is it really adds your adds time to your recovery and like a lot of effort and stress because that thing is like very sensitive after. So just make sure that like I was like, I'm gonna trust this guy. Like I told him in with like all of my soul that I want to go back to this high level sport, and he was he still did it, so I was like, okay, I I'm just gonna trust him. But yeah, just you gotta be careful of that because it's it's uh it's a big it's a big thing for for us when we we use our hip flexors so much.
Final Advice And Send-Off
SPEAKER_01Yeah, big time. Uh any ending notes? Anything else you want to hit before we we log off?
SPEAKER_00Um I don't think so. Just um yeah, I just want people to if they're having pain, like go to the person who can help you the most and don't like try to put it off for any reason. Um it's it's not worth it to to just kind of I don't know, try like not get the the the best answer first. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01I love it. Abby, wishing you the best of luck as you continue on this journey. Hopefully it continues on an upward trajectory and you'll be back to running sooner rather than later. And uh I'll see you at a race in the northeast next year.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, come out to the northeast. Yeah, that would be awesome. Um and I also just want to say you're crushing it with the content and the pods, and I've been listening to like literally everyone as I'm working or just like doing my PT. So yeah, I really appreciate the content out there. Thanks so much. And uh thanks so much for having me on.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I appreciate it.
SPEAKER_00I'll I'll talk to you soon.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, we'll keep these going. Appreciate it.
SPEAKER_00Yay. Okay.
