Getting Older/Returning After Surgery
- Thread starter kook10
- Start date
Yukon Joe
Registered User
I googled "can I play hockey after hip replacement" and lots of hits came up. All suggested that it takes time (many said around six months) but that it was very possible to resume playing hockey again.
I imagine you might want to stay away from any league with lots of body contact though, just to avoid re-injuring your new hip.
kook10
Registered User
- Jun 27, 2011
- 4,723
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Thanks. I know I "can", but I am curious about experiences from a hockey forum's perspective, and what the considerations were for similar things (knees, shoulders). How long does it take to get back to normal (if that is at all expected)? Is there pain or weakness for a while? Were there practical changes to the stride? Was it all worth it? Or was it time to hang em up? etc
- Jul 28, 2011
- 15,128
- 9,917
What's your expectation for where you should be vs where you want to be? We all get older and slow down. Surgeries just make it that much harder. Dropping down a lower level so you can still enjoy the game and feel competitive is nothing to be ashamed about. It happens to all of us. The arthritis and aches aren't going away and although stretching and warmup routines can help, it's still a lingering issue that's going to be with you every skate. Are you still trying to play at a level prior taking off during your 30's?
Regarding the hip replacement, it'll be tough, but with rehab you can still play beer league/wreck league hockey. I would start at a lower level and work your way back.
Regarding the hip replacement, it'll be tough, but with rehab you can still play beer league/wreck league hockey. I would start at a lower level and work your way back.
My story doesn't involve surgery, but it does involve illness and recovery. Maybe there's something you can take from it.
As I approached 40, I noticed I was slowing down. Things seemed harder and I just didn't have the jump I used to. I just chalked it up to age. Turns out I had a hyperthyroid. It basically revved up my metabolism and put it over the red line 24/7. In a comic book, it'd be the secret origins to a Flash-like speedster character. In reality it caused exercise intolerance and basically does the opposite of what you'd think.
By the time I was diagnosed and started treatment, that revved up metabolism had burned away 25+lbs of muscle in little over a month. First time back on ice on a public skate, I was Bambi on ice. I've been skating since I was 6, and I have never felt that way on the ice. My knees were wobbling. As I took a slow gliding turn, it felt like I was trying to hold a corner at 100 mph. I lasted 15 minutes before I was exhausted and done for the rest of the day. I didn't know it at the time, but I was in for a long road.
Took me a month of 2-3 times a week skating to build up the stamina to last 30 minutes on the ice. That's when I transitioned from public skate to stick and puck. Everything felt like I was right back at the beginning again, so I took the opportunity to rebuild all my skills from the ground up from skating stride, to shooting, to stickhandling. I gave myself a challenge to become a better player than I was before the illness.
As I recovered, I started to regain the weight, and then, ten pounds more. Whoops. And though the big muscle groups recovered fairly quickly, the small ones, used for balance and fine motor movements, took significantly longer. One time I almost dropped a frying pan because even though I had the strength to lift the pan, I didn't have the strength to hold the pan while tilting it to flop out a fried egg.
I had a similar experience with my edging. Not that I had the greatest edges in the world before, but there's bit of a shock when your brain says you can do something, and your body says no you can't. And it takes a while for you to come to terms with that and have expectations match reality again.
It took me about 2 years before I felt like I was close to normal again. In reality it was longer than that. Because along the way, from training, I developed things like tendinitis in my wrist, pinched nerve in my shoulder, back spasms etc.
It was a lot of short time pain, but I think it lead to long term gain for me overall. Because I had to deal with the tendinitis and pinched nerve, I realized I needed to start stretching regularly. Once I started doing that, a good portion of my daily aches and pains started to go away or became easy to deal with, from knots in my shoulders and neck, to tight back muscles. I no longer get pulled muscles.
The extra weight I had gained, after a bit of a struggle with that, I realized I had to start running and needed to tweaked my diet. Net result, I lost the extra 10 lbs and another 25lbs. This time it was the right way, and I'm still able to eat a bowl of ice cream every day.
Add these things to the back to basics approach to training and recovery I took, I'm a more skilled, lighter, healthier, player than I was before I got sick. Still haven't gotten back all my explosiveness, but I'm working on it. And as I march my way to the big 50, all the things I learned as a result of the illness is going to allow me to IMHO play for significantly longer and pain free than I would have otherwise.
It's been a long road, and definitely not easy, especially the running. I hate running. I can spend all day at the rink skating lines, but running just doesn't appeal. But a half hour run 2-3 times a week, I can't deny the bang-bang-for-your-buck in terms of time spent to benefits I've gotten from it.
And as I look back, I think it helped having a goal, some patience, and the willingness to see it through. Because there were some frustrating times when I couldn't do the things I knew I should be able to do on the ice. But eventually, there were some pay offs. I've always had a crappy shot, but after working on it during recovery, nothing like cutting in over the blue line, letting it rip, and having it go bar down, with the cherry of the ref skating by and going wow afterwards.
Any ways, maybe you can use some of this. Maybe not. Good luck to you.
As I approached 40, I noticed I was slowing down. Things seemed harder and I just didn't have the jump I used to. I just chalked it up to age. Turns out I had a hyperthyroid. It basically revved up my metabolism and put it over the red line 24/7. In a comic book, it'd be the secret origins to a Flash-like speedster character. In reality it caused exercise intolerance and basically does the opposite of what you'd think.
By the time I was diagnosed and started treatment, that revved up metabolism had burned away 25+lbs of muscle in little over a month. First time back on ice on a public skate, I was Bambi on ice. I've been skating since I was 6, and I have never felt that way on the ice. My knees were wobbling. As I took a slow gliding turn, it felt like I was trying to hold a corner at 100 mph. I lasted 15 minutes before I was exhausted and done for the rest of the day. I didn't know it at the time, but I was in for a long road.
Took me a month of 2-3 times a week skating to build up the stamina to last 30 minutes on the ice. That's when I transitioned from public skate to stick and puck. Everything felt like I was right back at the beginning again, so I took the opportunity to rebuild all my skills from the ground up from skating stride, to shooting, to stickhandling. I gave myself a challenge to become a better player than I was before the illness.
As I recovered, I started to regain the weight, and then, ten pounds more. Whoops. And though the big muscle groups recovered fairly quickly, the small ones, used for balance and fine motor movements, took significantly longer. One time I almost dropped a frying pan because even though I had the strength to lift the pan, I didn't have the strength to hold the pan while tilting it to flop out a fried egg.
I had a similar experience with my edging. Not that I had the greatest edges in the world before, but there's bit of a shock when your brain says you can do something, and your body says no you can't. And it takes a while for you to come to terms with that and have expectations match reality again.
It took me about 2 years before I felt like I was close to normal again. In reality it was longer than that. Because along the way, from training, I developed things like tendinitis in my wrist, pinched nerve in my shoulder, back spasms etc.
It was a lot of short time pain, but I think it lead to long term gain for me overall. Because I had to deal with the tendinitis and pinched nerve, I realized I needed to start stretching regularly. Once I started doing that, a good portion of my daily aches and pains started to go away or became easy to deal with, from knots in my shoulders and neck, to tight back muscles. I no longer get pulled muscles.
The extra weight I had gained, after a bit of a struggle with that, I realized I had to start running and needed to tweaked my diet. Net result, I lost the extra 10 lbs and another 25lbs. This time it was the right way, and I'm still able to eat a bowl of ice cream every day.
Add these things to the back to basics approach to training and recovery I took, I'm a more skilled, lighter, healthier, player than I was before I got sick. Still haven't gotten back all my explosiveness, but I'm working on it. And as I march my way to the big 50, all the things I learned as a result of the illness is going to allow me to IMHO play for significantly longer and pain free than I would have otherwise.
It's been a long road, and definitely not easy, especially the running. I hate running. I can spend all day at the rink skating lines, but running just doesn't appeal. But a half hour run 2-3 times a week, I can't deny the bang-bang-for-your-buck in terms of time spent to benefits I've gotten from it.
And as I look back, I think it helped having a goal, some patience, and the willingness to see it through. Because there were some frustrating times when I couldn't do the things I knew I should be able to do on the ice. But eventually, there were some pay offs. I've always had a crappy shot, but after working on it during recovery, nothing like cutting in over the blue line, letting it rip, and having it go bar down, with the cherry of the ref skating by and going wow afterwards.
Any ways, maybe you can use some of this. Maybe not. Good luck to you.
Last edited:
kook10
Registered User
- Jun 27, 2011
- 4,723
- 2,829
After returning from my first hiatus I was able to get my play back to a good place, especially when I was playing two nights a week instead of one. After one night of skating I am sore for most of the week. The stiffness in the hip and peripheral groin pain means I have slowed down a whole lot though and only play on a lower level team these days and don't get down and really push for loose pucks like I used to and when I play D I cheat back and don't gap up like I should. I avoid deep bending and certain movement, and so it has also affected my shot. I mostly just snap off my front foot so I don't have to bend it/push out so much.
I am just hoping to get to the point where I can mechanically play right again, hit a higher gear again, and maybe play two nights.
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