Sunday, April 1, 2007

Monthly Hip Update – 6 Months News


By - Floyd Landis

I am now 6 full months from my BHR procedure and let me tell you that my physical health has not been this good in many years. I have no pain from the AVN, the hip joint or from the surgery that resolved my condition.

The issues surrounding my career take a tremendous amount of time and energy, including travel, long stretches of standing and walking and an overall change from the usual activities of a professional cyclist. I could not have imagined undertaking such a public campaign for fairness in my case with my old hip. I would not have been able to keep up and would not have been able to deal with the increasing pain as my hip would have continued to deteriorate.

I can describe some of the things I’ve been able to do in the past few months that would have been impossible, or downright dangerous before my BHR procedure:

Mountain Biking – I have been getting on the trails with some frequency. Before, falling was too big a risk

Running – Now, I’m not saying I am a runner in any sense, but since my BHR procedure I have been able to hustle through airports or chase a taxi in a way that just was impossible previously.

Sleeping – Here is where my quality of life has gone up. I can get full, restful nights sleep without being awoken by the nagging pain in my hip that would pulse and throb in the past.

As I push forward in my effort to resume my career, I look at the decision I made in September with Dr. Kay and Dr. Chao to select the BHR procedure. After 6 months, I realize that my team and I have given myself the best chance to return to the highest level of competition in cycling. I want to thank Dr. Kay, Dr. Chao and Ronan Treacy for their effort to get my hip fixed. I also want to thank all the fine folks at Smith & Nephew who have worked to support me through this entire process. My hip is truly unbelievable.

For more information on Landis please visit - http://www.floydlandis.com/blog

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