Read on: danhwilliams.com

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Amanda underwent Hip replacement age 59.

Thinking about why that was..

When her hip did not look that bad.

Made me think.

So, I feel the need to pull it all together..

Amanda's torn labrum, some abnormal cartilage and a cyst amounted to moderate changes of osteoarthritis. Not the worst that I’ve seen by a long way.


Why so much pain?

1. Amanda had a deep socket..
AND an off centre cam shape femoral head.

2. Add to that:
A job that required repeated deep hip flexion 

A job that required repeated impact..
Day in. Day out.

That had tore her labrum.

Impingement at the red arrow. 

(I still love this animation!)

If a normal, well-functioning labrum aids lubrication of the hip joint..
Then a torn labrum impairs lubrication.

3. Add to that:
Amanda was +25kg overweight.

That's like hitting her hip with..
A 125kg mallett  <=> 1 to 3 MILLION times /year
(Remember: 5x bodyweight thru' the hip or knee)

How that force compounds is fully explained here in my 8-page seasaw schematic.. (Click here or on the pic)

4. Add to that:
The Pro-inflammatory effect of Excess body fat..

More here.. (Click on the pic)

5. AND add to that..
She was moving less than she ever had..
Unwittingly going against all the recent evidence.

6. AND finally..
Relying on painkillers..
That are proven, largely, NOT to work

Her focus was on the wrong solution..

What do I take away from this..?

For me, it's a deep understanding that mild hip deformities are common. 

Deformity is likely the wrong word to use..
There's a spectrum of hip shapes.
We're all slightly different. 

It's then about how we use our hips.

IF we get a niggle of pain.

🟥 That's our body telling us to pay attention to how we move.

To pay attention to the things that it's always a good idea to pay attention to..
Hip pain or not.

🟥 Bodyweight (read: nutrition) 
🟥 Activty (read: muscle strength).

Add in Sleep and Stress

To get the 4 pillars of good health.

Amanda's story made me think about how things add up, multiplying our pain.

And how we can potentially flip each individual thing around.
To do more of the things we love, with less pain.