# Floyd Landis has bad hip



## pavedroad (May 3, 2004)

http://tinyurl.com/zdghp (needs login, free reg)



> July 9, 2006
> No. 2 in Tour Confirms He Needs Hip Surgery
> By SAMUEL ABT
> 
> ...


----------



## harlond (May 30, 2005)

Incredible. I am skeptical that he can return to his former level after total hip replacement, but since I'm facing it myself, I'll be rooting for him.


----------



## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

harlond said:


> Incredible. I am skeptical that he can return to his former level after total hip replacement, but since I'm facing it myself, I'll be rooting for him.



It seems hard to believe he can come back strong but he's young, a great athlete and in the best sport for such a situation next to swimming.


----------



## mquetel (Apr 2, 2006)

harlond said:


> Incredible. I am skeptical that he can return to his former level after total hip replacement, but since I'm facing it myself, I'll be rooting for him.


FWIW, I've got a friend who is in his early 40s and has always been a fairly good athlete. He ended up with the same condition as Floyd due to breaking his femur a number of years ago. He was riding in pain, walking with a slight limp and was completely out of balance from a muscular perspective. Anyway, he had a hip replacement, did his PT religously and is now waaay stronger on the bike than he used to be.


----------



## NYCyclist (Mar 22, 2002)

*NYTimes article*

Will appear in next Sunday's Times, available now online, login may be required. Pretty good article.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/09/sports/othersports/09landis-magazine.html


----------



## orange_julius (Jan 24, 2003)

rocco said:


> It seems hard to believe he can come back strong but he's young, a great athlete and in the best sport for such a situation next to swimming.


I remember wondering if it was just his antics that made him sit on the podium in Paris-Nice. I wonder if this is why. Damn. I hope that his surgery goes as well as possible and that he can remain a contender next year, and for many years after that.


----------



## Mocat4 (Jul 7, 2006)

NYCyclist said:


> Will appear in next Sunday's Times, available now online, login may be required. Pretty good article.
> 
> http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/09/sports/othersports/09landis-magazine.html


from the article:


> ...in almost every situation in his life, Landis is slow. He walks with a limp. He sits as often as possible and cannot cross his right leg over his left. He takes elevators instead of stairs, valet-parks at the shopping mall and sometimes has difficulty sleeping. Running is out of the question. Like many of the 216,000 Americans who will receive hip replacements this year, his life is defined by chronic, debilitating pain."


 
Amazing! :shocked: 
Great article! My respect for Floyd was already high, but now it's gone up like thousand percent. It also explains why he's adopted such an unorthodox position in the time trial.....so not only did he have to deal with a last minute UCI ruling and equipment failure in yesterday's TT, he was also forced to adapt his position to one that was most likely more painful for him....and he still only finished a minute down!
Floyd rocks!


----------



## RaiderMike (Nov 6, 2001)

*Landis*

My dad had both hips replaced at 55 years of age, he was walking the same day as the surgery, and was back in the woods logging in about 4 months. The same Doctor that did his surgeries did a hip replacement earlier in the year on a D1 college basketball player, and the kid played in the final 4 of the NCAA tournament that year. It is an amazing surgery, and I dont see any reason why he shouldnt be able to come back 100%.


----------



## rocco (Apr 30, 2005)

The question remains whether the UCI will approve his artificial hip for competition...


----------



## Mocat4 (Jul 7, 2006)

rocco said:


> The question remains whether the UCI will approve his artificial hip for competition...


They will initially, but then they will make him remove it 1.5 hours before the start of the ITT.


----------



## Xtgirl (Jul 9, 2006)

Now that is funny!!!!


----------



## velomoto (Oct 6, 2005)

Mocat4 said:


> They will initially, but then they will make him remove it 1.5 hours before the start of the ITT.


lol


----------



## ajoc_prez (Jul 14, 2004)

Wonder why they chose to announce this now, right in the middle of the Tour? Is it because he doesn't think he will finish? Or is it to elevate him to Lance or Tyler like level since we now know that he is suffering more than the others, and may still win?


----------



## OnTheRivet (Sep 3, 2004)

Check out the press conference. Don't they have Air Conditionaing anywhere in France? Floyd is sweating like a stage in the mountains, looks like he's gonna pass out.


----------



## Mocat4 (Jul 7, 2006)

ajoc_prez said:


> Wonder why they chose to announce this now, right in the middle of the Tour? Is it because he doesn't think he will finish? Or is it to elevate him to Lance or Tyler like level since we now know that he is suffering more than the others, and may still win?


I think with the stress and high visibility of the tour he's just having a harder time hiding his condition off the bike. The Times article mentioned that he walks with a limp and has to sit and rest quite often. It wouldn't take too long before the press started noticing and began speculating and digging around. I'm sure Floyd wanted to break the story himself rather than wake up one morning to an expose in Le Monde about his "hidden conditon" and "deliberate subterfuge".


----------



## Chase15.5 (Feb 17, 2005)

OnTheRivet said:


> Check out the press conference. Don't they have Air Conditionaing anywhere in France? Floyd is sweating like a stage in the mountains, looks like he's gonna pass out.


no air conditioning in France. Against the law.


----------



## mtbykr (Feb 16, 2004)

*well*

I think we need to be careful with the "i know a guy who had that surgery and he's fine" theories. Everyone is different and from everything i have heard, this is not your "typical" hip replacement surgery. I would be surprised to see him come back "pro" after the surgery-------let's just pray he does his best now so that if it is the end of his career, he can know he left it all out there and have no regrets!

Good luck and Godspeed :thumbsup:


----------



## Alpedhuez55 (Jun 29, 2005)

Mocat4 said:


> I think with the stress and high visibility of the tour he's just having a harder time hiding his condition off the bike. The Times article mentioned that he walks with a limp and has to sit and rest quite often. It wouldn't take too long before the press started noticing and began speculating and digging around. I'm sure Floyd wanted to break the story himself rather than wake up one morning to an expose in Le Monde about his "hidden conditon" and "deliberate subterfuge".


Or if someone in the press got news of the cortisone shots. It is a banned substance even though the UCI allowed it for him because of his condition. It just seems like strange timing. Maybe that Times story was not supposed to come out until after the tour.

I just remember they would not let Jonathan Vaughters after take a cortisone shot after his wasp sting.










They would not let him take a shot for an alergic reaction and he had to withdraw. I am glad they are letting Floyd compete and all, but they need to get a clue sometimes.


----------



## Dwayne Barry (Feb 16, 2003)

mtbykr said:


> I think we need to be careful with the "i know a guy who had that surgery and he's fine" theories. Everyone is different and from everything i have heard, this is not your "typical" hip replacement surgery. I would be surprised to see him come back "pro" after the surgery-------let's just pray he does his best now so that if it is the end of his career, he can know he left it all out there and have no regrets!
> 
> Good luck and Godspeed :thumbsup:


Why not? He should be better off once the bad hip is out and the new one is in. The only setback he will suffer is from the downtime recovering from the surgery which if he has it in August might not even affect next season. I would think the only thing stopping him from returning to his previous level would be some unusual complication from the surgery.


----------



## Dwayne Barry (Feb 16, 2003)

Alpedhuez55 said:


> They would not let him take a shot for an alergic reaction and he had to withdraw. I am glad they are letting Floyd compete and all, but they need to get a clue sometimes.


I think there are a couple of issues. One Floyd's injection may have been a relatively small amount targetting the joint, Vaughters may have required a relatively large injection to achieve a systemic affect. Two, Floyd didn't get his while racing. The performance enhancing affects of corticosteroids are presumably fairly short term since the method of doping with them is typically to take a large injection the morning of a race.


----------



## brianmcg (Oct 12, 2002)

Great. Now he will have his hip replaced, then he will have his big comeback year, Win the tour 8 times, then he will come out with this foundation and we will all start having to wear HIPSTRONG bracelets showing everyone how great getting your hip replaced is.

Jeez, can't we ever get an American rider that is good at riding a bike and doesn't come down with some ailment or get shot.


----------



## 96gators (Feb 21, 2005)

brianmcg said:


> Great. Now he will have his hip replaced, then he will have his big comeback year, Win the tour 8 times, then he will come out with this foundation and we will all start having to wear HIPSTRONG bracelets showing everyone how great getting your hip replaced is.
> 
> Jeez, can't we ever get an American rider that is good at riding a bike and doesn't come down with some ailment or get shot.


As Larry the Cable Guy would say; "'at's just funny raht dere". Floyd could have an annual event called the "Ride for the Sockets" and the winner gets a vase full of hip joints donated from cadavers.


----------



## Dwayne Barry (Feb 16, 2003)

kpcw said:


> He'll get back on the bike and then have to face the stark reality of not being allowed a major fall, an accident/crash.


As opposed to now? I'm sure falling on titanium is preferable to necrotizing bone!

My point was simply that there is no reason he shouldn't be able to come back from a hip replacement due to the surgery itself.


----------



## Mocat4 (Jul 7, 2006)

brianmcg said:


> ... then he will come out with this foundation and we will all start having to wear HIPSTRONG bracelets showing everyone how great getting your hip replaced is.


 
HAH! you funny :biggrin5: :biggrin5: :biggrin5: :biggrin5: ....HIPstrong braclets, heh, heh, heh.............so... where can I buy one of those then? Do you take VISA?


----------



## pspande (Jan 5, 2006)

*OK, he's a badass, I get it.*

We KNEW that. 

It stinks and I feel bad for him but can we move on? OLN is pumping this for all it is worth talking about Landis' "dead hip." Come on... 

It almost seems like the tour officials and networks asked him for this so they can create SOME drama for this tour which is turning into a tour for afficionados only.


----------



## Dwayne Barry (Feb 16, 2003)

pspande said:


> It almost seems like the tour officials and networks asked him for this so they can create SOME drama for this tour which is turning into a tour for afficionados only.


Yeah it was much better in previous years when Lance was already several minutes up on most other GC threats with maybe 1 or 2 within spitting distance of him. Then when he put time into those few remaining GC threats on the first mountain day the drama really went thru the roof...not.

This Tour has the potential to be the best in years with more drama than the last 3 combined. Have some patience. There are probably 15 guys who could still win this, the mountain stages could be real interesting without a dominant team or rider imposing their will on the race. Who knows what kind of infighting might end up going on in Disco or T-mobile.


----------



## jeffreyg (Nov 23, 2005)

*I love the HIPSTRONG idea*

We could start the foundation ourselves. Bracelets can be ordered here
http://www.orderbracelets.com/default.aspx. We can then use about $12.00 of the proceeds to purchase Floyd a twelve pack of his favorite beer to help aide in his recovery

Next I will look into purchasing the domain name www.HIPSTRONG.com

since yellow is already taken what should the color be?


----------



## Mocat4 (Jul 7, 2006)

jeffreyg said:


> We could start the foundation ourselves. Bracelets can be ordered here
> http://www.orderbracelets.com/default.aspx. We can then use about $12.00 of the proceeds to purchase Floyd a twelve pack of his favorite beer to help aide in his recovery
> 
> Next I will look into purchasing the domain name www.HIPSTRONG.com
> ...


 
Why, "bone" of course. Kind of an off-white with a few dark spots for the dead bits.


----------



## KeeponTrekkin (Aug 29, 2002)

*NY Times Magazine Article*

The article, to be printed this Sunday, is available on line at: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/09/sports/othersports/09landis-magazine.html?pagewanted=print

I've always admired Floyd and this condition sheds a whole new light on his early season wins. GO FLOYD...


----------



## terzo rene (Mar 23, 2002)

Chase15.5 said:


> no air conditioning in France. Against the law.


..because the AC filters remove too much of the cigarette smoke.


----------



## snowman3 (Jul 20, 2002)

pspande said:


> We KNEW that.
> 
> It stinks and I feel bad for him but can we move on? OLN is pumping this for all it is worth talking about Landis' "dead hip." Come on...
> 
> It almost seems like the tour officials and networks asked him for this so they can create SOME drama for this tour which is turning into a tour for afficionados only.


That's because human drama sells sporting events exponentially. Look at the olympics. The news media searches high and low for the person who has had the most difficult personal drama or upbringing. Instant underdog, hero, and TV ratings.

So looks like America has a 2006 TdF darling and can rev up the cheerleading engine. Don't get me wrong, I was cheering for Floyd (and George) anyhow. I guess I'm disillusioned with media pandering. I'm rooting for Floyd even more though since it might be his only shot. 

Also, hyping the Floyd story provides fodder for lots of "what if" debates. Will he be able to come back? Could he have won multiple TdFs w/o the bad hip? Would he have been the Lance successor, etc?


----------



## allypurp (Jul 13, 2006)

*Riding after 1 total hip replacement and facing another one*

I'm far from a professional racer, but I have done some mountain bike racing in the past, and I was able to keep up with the local road racers for many years. Most of the time, I consider myself to be a fast recreational rider. 

I've had AVN (Avascular Necrosis) in both hips and shoulders for a number of years as a result of taking long-term high dose corticosteroids. Before the right hip replacement, I was in a wheelchair since other health problems delayed the surgery. However, fiive weeks after the right total hip repolacement I was on a tent camping vacation in Colorado. On that trip (6 weeks post-op), I demo'd a bike. I just took a short ride around town, but still I was riding. The surgery definitely slowed me down, probably for about a year, but I was eventually able toresume riding at a fast recreational pace. 

The new titanium hip was so much stronger and more stable than before the surgery.
I truly believe that being in decent physical shape prior to the surgery helped me to recover as quickly as I did. 

At this time, I'm slowing down again, since the left hip (ball of the femur) has collapsed. As much as I don't want to have the surgery, the pain has become severe on a constant basis, limiting many of my activities. I've scheduled the left hip replacement, and hope that it will be as successful as the right one. 

I believe that Floyd can make a full recovery in time, and continue as a pro racer.


----------



## rogger (Aug 19, 2005)

Bad hip my arse. The timing of this news says it all, it's aimed to confuse the competition. He may have early symptoms of it. but he sure doesn't seem to be suffering. It's like taking a dive in a soccer match. Bah.


----------



## cyclodawg (Jul 1, 2003)

rogger said:


> Bad hip my arse. The timing of this news says it all, it's aimed to confuse the competition. He may have early symptoms of it. but he sure doesn't seem to be suffering. It's like taking a dive in a soccer match. Bah.


I think it's an injury where his best hours of the day are probably those he spends on a bike. The injury obviously does not affect his pedal stroke, and being on the bike likely relieves pressure from the hip. He said himself that if he were not a cyclist, he would have had the surgery long ago. His cycling obviously is not affected by the injury. 

I think the timing of the injury disclosure is intended to give him a good story--and probably a book deal--after the Tour is over and he's taken his last victory lap around the Champs Elysees.


----------



## smw (Mar 7, 2006)

rogger said:


> Bad hip my arse. The timing of this news says it all, it's aimed to confuse the competition. He may have early symptoms of it. but he sure doesn't seem to be suffering. It's like taking a dive in a soccer match. Bah.




Not sure about that, I have a hip problem and the only time it does not hurt is when Im riding. If I stand an pedal, it hurts though.

Sean


----------



## allypurp (Jul 13, 2006)

*I have no doubt that Floyd is in severe pain*



cyclodawg said:


> I think it's an injury where his best hours of the day are probably those he spends on a bike. The injury obviously does not affect his pedal stroke, and being on the bike likely relieves pressure from the hip. He said himself that if he were not a cyclist, he would have had the surgery long ago. His cycling obviously is not affected by the injury.
> 
> I think the timing of the injury disclosure is intended to give him a good story--and probably a book deal--after the Tour is over and he's taken his last victory lap around the Champs Elysees.


In response the quote above and to "Bad Hip, My Arse: Floyd apparently has AVN (Avascular Necrosis) also called Osteonecrosis, which is the death of a joint due to loss of blood supply. The condition may be mild in early stages causing mild chronic pain, and is often not detected until more advanced stages. As the condition progresses and the bone breaks down, there is increasing loss of range of motion, increased pain (often severe and sometimes excruciating), and eventually collapse of the ball portion of the joint. If the joint isn't replaced at that time, the cartillage wears out and the collapesd portion ball starts damaging the socket, since rough, jagged sunkin-in bone is rubbing on bone.

The only treatment for AVN is pain control (including medications), using assistive devices (crutches, walker, or wheelchair) to reduce pain, but more importantly to keep weight off of the bones and postpone the inevitable collapse that occurs in later stages of this condition. Weight loss may help those who are overweight. A procedure called core decompression is sometimes done in early stages of AVN in an attempt to reestablish blood flow, but it's very controversial and results are usually poor. (Also, the condition often goes undetected until it's too late for this procedure. This is a crippling condition when left untreated, especially when it involves a joint in the lower extremeties.

I doubt that there's not any orthopedic surgeon (probably in the world) that would even consider doing a joint replacement on anybody as young as Floyd unless the condition is very serious causing loss of function, immobility and/or uncontrollable, or hard to control, pain. Although joint replacements have come a long way over the years, they do have a limited lifespan. And younger, more active people (especially an athlete) wear out joints more quickly than older people. A young person will face repeated joint replacements as frequently as every 10 years, and there is less chance of a good outcome with each replacement. So, I have no doubt that Floyd is in severe pain, especially since the ball of the femur is collapsing, and that he is suffering more than others through this Tour de France. 

From personal experience, I know that I generally have less pain in the morning after taking it easy in the evening and being in bed all night I also know that walking and standing (which are weight bearing exercises) are much more difficult and tremendously more painful than riding a bike (which is a non weight bearing exercise). I also find that riding on flat roads (where my cadence and riding position don't vary much) causes me to have a lot more pain than riding in hills or mountains (where there's more variation in my cadence and riding position).


----------



## 55x11 (Apr 24, 2006)

rogger said:


> Bad hip my arse. The timing of this news says it all, it's aimed to confuse the competition. He may have early symptoms of it. but he sure doesn't seem to be suffering. It's like taking a dive in a soccer match. Bah.


I agree timing is not an accident. But if anything, shouldn't it encourage a lot more attacks? And undermine his support, especially if Landis has one of his bad days? 

Sort of like painting a target on his back. "Attack me, I am weak". No?


----------



## allypurp (Jul 13, 2006)

kpcw said:


> There are no guarantees, none. Having endured five knee operations by age 35, I can share some insight that the Rolling Stones were right, "You can't always get what you want..................................................
> ................................................................................................................................
> He's now facing the reconstruction, partial or maybe total replacement of his hip. He'll get back on the bike and then have to face the stark reality of not being allowed a major fall, an accident/crash.
> 
> Could he come back? Yes. Could he not comeback? Yes.


After my right total hip replacement (from the same condition Loyd has, but brout on by something other than a fracture), I've done a lot of road riding and mountain bike riding. My doctor knowqs about the riding, and encouraged me to do so, but I've never told him about a couple of mountain bikes falls (off the edge of the mtn) no more that 6 months after the surgery. 

There are many types of hip replacements these days. Mine is made of titanium, and had some sort of mesh where the prosthetic hip met good bone. My bone grew into/around the mesh, creating a very strong bond between the good bone and the prosthetic hip. So, I have a very hard (titanium) new hip that is attached very well to the supporting bones. When I fell off of my mtn bike and hit my new hip on the rock, all I got was a bruise. I've also "dropped" my motorcycle at very slow speeds (usually when coming to a stop)several times. Twice when I "dropped the motorcycle, I fell on the concrete, on my replaced hip. Absolutely no damage. There are new replacements since I had mine in 2000, and I'm sure Lloyd's doc will choose a hip that will allow him to safely ride his bike (one that will not be damaged in a crash).



Prosthetic hips are made with numerous products, some stronger that others. Also, some prosthetic hips are attached to surrounding bones in different ways. Some use a bone cement, which loosens/breaks down after awhile (and especially if somebody is very active, falls off a bike, etc.).


----------



## rogger (Aug 19, 2005)

55x11 said:


> I agree timing is not an accident. But if anything, shouldn't it encourage a lot more attacks? And undermine his support, especially if Landis has one of his bad days?
> 
> Sort of like painting a target on his back. "Attack me, I am weak". No?


That's exactly what sparked me into donning the tin-foil beanie and call Bogus on the whole thing, but maybe they're just creating this year's hero by outing his ailment mid-tour like that.
Anyway, if it has us wondering it will probably have the same effect on the competition as well. For as now, the beanie stays firmly seated atop my noggin. :skep:


----------



## allypurp (Jul 13, 2006)

*bad timing*



55x11 said:


> I agree timing is not an accident. But if anything, shouldn't it encourage a lot more attacks? And undermine his support, especially if Landis has one of his bad days?
> 
> Sort of like painting a target on his back. "Attack me, I am weak". No?



I agree, and think that they (Floyd, his doctor, and the media) should've kept Floyd's painful condition quiet until after the tour, unless something happened that made them speak up (possibly the corticosteroid injection). Now everyone knows about Floyd's condition. I'm sure all racers that have any chance of winning are constantly watching Floyd for any sing of weakness, pain, or slowing down. 

(It makes me think of the time that CNN, and probably other news channels, announced that our country's VP would have knee surgery on ______ (date) and would be in the hospital until _______(date). I don't think that the whole world needed to know that, or when, our VP would be out of commision.)


----------



## culdeus (May 5, 2005)

In the NYT Magazine it said that he posted in mid 05 on alot of internet bike racing forums some anon. questions about hip injuries. Anyone located them on here?


----------

