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I have been teaching every type of exercise class taught in a gym for over twenty years. Jumping up and down on cement like an energizer bunny was my thing. And having always been healthy with a resting heart rate of 39, I was shocked when my hip started to ache.
When people in my class approached me after class and said that their hip hurt, I'd shrug my shoulders in ignorance. I didn;t even know what a hurting hip would feel like!
And you can be sure that I really didn't know (or care) what bilateral meant. I always just assumed that it had something to do with lying next to a man who wasn't out of the closet yet or maybe a different type of lens for your bifocals. But worse than this, I didn't care to know. Put it this way, I was more than willing to go to the grave without ever having uttered, let alone discuss the implications of the word bilateral. For the two people out there who can relate to this ignorance? Bilateral means both sides.

In the world of hip replacements, otherwise known as THRs, bilateral means you've had two new hips installed. Often, once one hip deteriorates, the other soon follows. It makes sense. In my case I had hip dysplasia, a word every dog lover knows. And even though I am a bit further up the food chain, my hips were shallow in their sockets and lasted about the same length as a purebred German shepherd. Before I turned 44, my athletic lifestyle had pounded away all of the catelage in my right hip. Within six months I was limping. In two more months I couldn't sleep due to radiating pain. Hips are known to cause crippling pain. They also come in pairs. So, having such miraculous relief from my first hip pain made my second THR decision easy. Two years later, the hip that had always LOOKED worse on the x-rays but that had never caused me any problems (go figure. brains have a funny way of dealing with pain. WIthin six months I was back to my gimping gait and sleepless nights. I waited until my one remaining hip started keeping me awake all night and the next day I booked my surgery. Some people agonize a lot more over whether to do it or not. Once you have one THR and feel the fabulous effects, it's easy to go bilateral, baby. Often my spinning students call me the Bionic Woman but I just smile and tell them my preferred name. I tell them that I'd rather be called the bilateral woman. So if you are under forty years old and your active lifestyle is being affected by hip pain, don't worry anymore. Just find the best doctor who does THRs every day all day long and go have a chat. Time to get back to your workout routine.

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Penny Hoff, 20 year fitness professional, who has had two total hip replacements, is the author of the revolutionary CD workout program"Does My Marriage Make Me Look Fat?", an eight week fitness program for couples to radically change your body and reawaken your relationship.You can find her at http://www.newhiptips.com

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