Clean Run - July 2012 - 18

Agility AFTER Joint Replacement

By Pat Paterson

Joint replacement does not mean the end of your agility career. In fact, for me it was the thing that allowed me to continue to run agility and be competitive. In 2003, at the age of 52, I had my right hip replaced. In 2007-2011 I competed in the AKC Agility Nationals. In 2008 my Corgi Audrey and I were one of five teams representing Pembroke Welsh Corgis at the AKC Agility Invitational in Long Beach, CA. And, in 2010, my twoyear-old Corgi Stella won the Challengers Round at the AKC Nationals, buying us a slot in the Finals. In September 2011, I had my left knee replaced. If I can have this success with artificial joints anyone can. I am not a jock. I am like a lot of agility competitors; I’m a middle-aged woman carrying a few extra pounds who loves her dogs. I am offered the “senior discount” without ever being asked my age. I am a pathetic failure at any sport that uses a ball. In my mid-30s I took up horseback riding and showed competitively for a number of years. Sadly my enthusiasm and desire far outweighed my talent. In 1987 my horse and I landed in a jump rather than on the other side; I broke my left tibia, fibula, and ankle and spent six months in various casts. It was
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this sad day that started me on the joyful path down joint-replacement lane. I continued to ride and show. Then sometime after I turned 50 I decided I no longer wanted to compete in a venue where it was mandatory that paramedics be on site during the competition. I retired my show horse and my Corgi Audrey went from barn dog to agility dog. After a couple years of agility competition I noticed what I thought was a pulled groin muscle, so I went to an orthopedist assuming he would prescribe some physical therapy and I’d be on my way. I was shocked when he showed me my x-ray and told me I would need a hip replacement. Hip replacement! It wasn’t my hip that even hurt! Apparently after my accident whenever I rode my horse and landed jumps, I put all the pressure on my good right leg, which jammed the head of the femur into the socket, wearing away cartilage. I sought a second opinion and he confirmed the diagnosis; he said, “But don’t worry, you will be out of that walker in less than a month.” Walker! I was appalled. I was way too young for a walker. I never heard another word he said.

My Hip
I am going to leave the surgery specifics to others more qualified and just say the first few weeks following both my hip and knee replacements were just hideous. Both start with a three- to four-day hospital stay and all the joy that entails. When you get home you initially can do very little for yourself. You are in a walker, which means you cannot carry anything. By the time I had my knee replacement I figured out how to attach a little insulated lunch box to my walker, which allowed me to carry my cell phone, a bottle of water, the TV remote, etc. You have just had major surgery, which is an assault on your body, and you are in pain. Sleeping is diﬃcult. A trip to the bathroom is a chore. You are taking medication that at best makes you feel not like yourself. You are tired and have watched every episode of “Law & Order” ever aired. The good thing is that every day you get a little better, as opposed to prior to surgery where every day you got a little bit worse. After a few weeks you progress from a walker to a cane, which means you can pour yourself a bowl of cereal and carry
Clean Run | July 12

Clean Run - July 2012

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