For years I had a lingering pain in my right hip. The pain didn't keep me from staying active as a cyclist or soccer player, so I mostly ignored it. A couple of years ago I thought I should get it checked out. The diagnosis was arthritis. The doctor who made that diagnosis said there was nothing I could do other than PT. Though I did my PT exercises faithfully, the pain never got better.
I started competing in triathlons in the past couple of years. I competed successfully in the NYC Triathlon in the summer of '17 and a Half Ironman later that fall. The pain in my hip was neither better nor worse. I decided to complete a full Ironman triathlon, and registered for the July 2018 Ironman Lake Placid. To prepare, my training in swimming, cycling, running, and core strength became considerably more intense all winter and spring.
One day in late April, my hip pain suddenly became much more intense. Just walking down the street could cause such shooting pains I would sharply inhale. It was difficult to walk, much less run.
I assumed my brief triathlon career was over. I saw Dr. Brett Toresdahl at HSS for another opinion on the arthritis. After an MRI and an x-ray he said that while I did indeed have progressive arthritis, I was a strong candidate for cortisone. Sure enough, after one shot of cortisone I could not only run, but I could run faster than I had in months. My training was back on track.
In July I successfully completed Ironman Lake Placid. Thank you, Dr. Toresdahl!
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