Barbara Nash

August, 1996 - Winter Park, Colorado. I had an accident during a horseback ride at a family reunion. I was 45 years old at the time and last in a line of ten horses carrying Nash parents and children through a beautiful pine forest. Another rider, accompanied by two dogs, unexpectedly passed near us. The dogs startled my horse, which bashed me against a tree then bucked me to the ground. X-rays revealed a fracture in my left hip.

Spring, 2007 – The St. Petersburg, Florida resort was offering tennis lessons with the local pro. Tennis had been my passion since high school. Although my hip was bothering me, I was determined to play. During the session, I stepped forward with my left foot for a forehand shot and winced in pain as I twisted my hip.

Fall, 2013 –Walking was becoming difficult and tennis out of the question. Arthritis had set into my left hip. Rowing, my new favorite sport, didn’t cause as much pain as tennis because it doesn’t require twisting my hip. I had been rowing for several years and competing in local and national regattas. However, as the 2013 rowing season came to an end, the pain was getting worse. I knew I had to do something about it. I consulted with Dr. Allan Inglis at HSS. It happened that Dr. Inglis’ daughter is a rower and he understood the sport and the range of motion needed to row competitively. I decided on a total hip replacement based on Dr. Inglis’ recommendation and HSS’s reputation and extensive experience with hip replacement surgery.

January, 2014 – HSS. Successful surgery. I was home before I knew it after a short recovery in the hospital. With the encouragement of HSS and Dr. Inglis, I started rehab as soon as I could, first with walks around my house with a cane then longer walks on a treadmill. Physical therapy and daily strengthening exercises followed. I was training on an erg machine for the 2014 rowing season two months after surgery.

August, 2014 – Grand Rapids, Michigan. U.S. Masters National Rowing Championships. I competed in six races for the Saugatuck Rowing Club in Westport, CT and came home pain free with five medals.

October, 2014 –Boston, MA. The Head of the Charles, a 3 mile invitational and the most prestigious in crew racing. My Saugatuck team was awarded an entry based on our finishes in 2014 regattas. It would be an endurance test for our eight-woman team. Although we didn’t win, we rowed well and were pleased with our finishing time.

February, 2015 – Thanks to Dr. Inglis and HSS, I’m training for the 2015 rowing season and thinking about tennis again. I’ll take on any sport but horseback riding.