So here's another amazing story encouraged by music and a can't quit attitude!
Tricia’s story is influenced by her ability to push through her frustration and pain and keep focused on her goal. Tricia’s goal was to continue staying active through her injury and recovery. She listened to Toby Mac and reiterated to herself every day,
“I can't stop I can't quit It's in my heart. It's on my lips I can't stop, no I can't quit It's in my heart, yeah I'm all in”
Her first inkling of hip problems was after a 15K race in February 2017. Like many of us, she ignored her pain while remaining active and exercising. But that was not the solution as she soon enough was unable put one foot in front of the other because the pain had intensified to an extreme level. She was diagnosed with a compression fracture in her left femoral neck, FAI and a labral tear! Ouch. She had it surgically repaired and was on her way again.
The following September, she signed up for her first Spartan Obstacle Course race.
But do you know what her right hip did? It did not want to be outdone by the left so it followed the lead. In October, she was told she had fractured her right hip and had torn her labrum! Double ouch! She had that repaired and kept listening to the music.
- I can't stop, no I can't quit
Tricia had challenges for sure – not the typical run of the mill recovery from hip arthroscopy, but her body had to throw in a DVT to complicate things. And through it all, she kept singing, “I can’t stop, no I can’t quit.” And she didn’t.
With her optimism and perseverance, she kept focused. She got back to her workouts in record time at one week post op. But please CAREFULLY note, she only worked her upper body. She was a “compliant” patient which helped her get back in the gym with her intense workouts. Five months later she completed her first “MURPH” workout. It sounds a tad insane, but it included a 1 mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 pushups, 300 squats and another 1 mile run. And if that is not crazy enough? She did it all while wearing a 20 pound weighted vest! And the song was in the background the entire time – “I can’t stop, no I can’t quit”.
Her recipe for hip hope was to keep moving. Tricia says, “keep moving! Keep up with any exercises your PT gives you to do pre-op and anything else you can do to strengthen the muscles surrounding your hip joint.” She feels strongly that her level of activity pre and post op helped her heal and get to a place where she has no pain.
Tricia is hopeful that her, “story can show others that this can have a good ending!” It, of course, is dependent on your unique situation and your goals. But she believes that like her, you can get to a place of no (or minimal) pain and doing what you love regardless of whether it's competing in an insane workout, enjoying yoga or getting down on the floor and playing with your kids. Tricia is also trying to motivate others more locally to her by showing them that you can push “through even when things seem hard or even impossible.”
So at the end of the day, she knows that she “only got one life and [she] get[s] it though and this is not an act, not a movie, not a TV show. I don't know what quittin' means, I don't ever take it slow”
So, please don’t give up on yourself or your hip recovery. Surround yourself with a hip healing attitude and a hip healing team. It will happen!