| Des Tuck – Martial Artist, Bilateral 10/01 & 5/03, Mr. Ronan Treacy |
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It is no exaggeration to say that hip resurfacing has had such a profound
effect on my life that for all intents and purposes it turned the clock back on
my aging process. It has not only enabled me to arrest my physical degeneration
resulting from osteoarthritis, but I have actually been able to improve my
athletic performance.
I underwent bilateral hip resurfacing in 2001 (left) and 2003 (right) with
Mr. Ronan Treacy in Birmingham, who installed two BHR devices. I’m told the
first surgery took just over 30 minutes, start to finish. The second took a bit
longer - 45 minutes - because Mr. Treacy was teaching.
Aside from relieving the constant pain I had experienced for decades, the
most noticeable effect resurfacing had on my life involves my athletic pursuits.
Although I suffered hip pain beginning in the mid-1970's, I was
nevertheless able to study karate, reaching the level of 5th degree black belt
in 2001. However the test for that level, which I took in Tokyo under the
auspices of the All Japan Karate-do Federation Goju Kai , was one of the most
painful events I can remember. It felt like I had sandpaper in my left
hip.
At that time, my right hip hadn’t bothered me at all; most likely the pain
was masked by that in the left hip.
Photo left: Tuck training in Japan; Photo right: Head-level roundhouse kick Mr. Treacy examined me in February, 2001 and had advised me to take the test before the surgery, which I did. A couple of weeks before leaving for Tokyo, I had a cortisone injection into the left hip. Unfortunately the analgesic effect wore off several days prior to the test, but it did give me four or five days of prior training time without agonizing pain.
This test required me to perform three kata (form sequences) and two kumite
(sparring) sessions with high-level karate practitioners also testing for
similar levels. I suspect the adrenalin rush of full contact hand-to-hand combat
and the fear of getting hit was enough to make me forget about the hip pain for
a few minutes.
Luckily my strategy of hammering my opponent in the first few seconds of
each match had the desired effect of creating enough fear in them to make them
stay away from me.
By the time I flew to Birmingham for surgery four months later, I was ready
for any surgery which had a 50-50 chance of ending the pain. As it turned out,
my fondest hopes were exceeded.
After my October, 2001 resurfacing I was back doing my karate training
lightly within 7 weeks after surgery, and with no restrictions after 10 weeks.
In the meantime my right hip started to bother me, but the left one felt great.
In 2002 I attended and taught at karate seminars in the UK, Austria and
Slovakia. People who had seen me prior to the surgery couldn't believe my
improvement after just one resurfacing.
I decided to take no pain killers this time, and had my right hip
resurfaced by Mr. Treacy in May, 2003, about 18 months after the first. That’s
when my clock really turned back.
In June, 2004, I celebrated my 50th birthday by going to Japan and
undergoing karate training for 8 hours a day for 10 days. In July, 2005, I won
two bronze medals at the USA National Karate Federation Championships in
Charlotte, North Carolina, one in fighting and one in forms. In the forms
competition, it was an open division, I was 51 and the next oldest competitor
was 30.
 Considering it was my first tournament experience in almost 20 years, and
that I had suddenly experienced severe sciatica about six weeks earlier and
needed acupuncture to reduce the pain to an acceptable level, I was delighted
with my performance. But the most rigorous test was yet to come.
In July, 2007, I tested for and received my 6th degree black belt under the
All-Japan Karate-do Goju Kai Federation in Osaka, Japan. This obviously took a
lot of training especially immediately prior to the test. I was the first (and
maybe the last) person in the world to ever test for this black belt level with
the JKF Goju Kai with resurfaced hips. None of the 8 examiners and 5 moderators
knew at the time of my “advantage.”
I should mention that I was only the 11th non-Japanese in the world to ever
pass this test. The All-Japan Karate-do Federation and its four style branches
are recognized by the Japan Government Department of Sport as Japan’s only
official representative entity in world karate. The test for 6th degree black
belt is recognized as the threshold leading to the 7th and 8th degree levels. As
such, the test for 6th has the highest failure rate, with a level of scrutiny
that is detail-oriented to an extent that most would consider ridiculously
stringent.
Since being resurfaced bilaterally, I am able to kick more efficiently and
with more speed and flexibility than I could at any time in my karate career. My
hip movements, essential for the close-fighting style of karate I practice, are
fluid and quick. Our basic fighting stance, a “cat” stance, requires one to
essentially stand on one leg and move around smoothly, shifting weight onto the
other leg but never being balanced 50-50 on both.
Below is a video of Des demonstrating his kicks at the Hippy Gathering in Fremont, on January 31, 2009
Since being resurfaced, I routinely spar with karateka in their teens, 20's and 30's and can hold my own with international level martial artists without difficulty. When doing forms, I can actually express myself artistically instead of moving to accommodate the pain.
I hope my story encourages those of you who want to make further progress
in any aspect of your lives, especially in the sporting arena. I am able to
perform better now than I could when in my 20’s because of my pain-free hips. In
other words, hip resurfacing has actually helped me improve my athletic
performance to international level even though I am now in my mid-50’s and was
resurfaced at ages 47 and 49.
During July, 2008, I went to Japan for further training and drilled for 6 hours a day for 8 days. Afterwards, I felt about 20 years younger. I plan to repeat this regimen each year until 2012, when I will be allowed to test for 7th degree black belt. I can’t wait, but I guess I’ll have to.
Des Tuck Update November 2009 "In July 2009, I returned to Japan for my annual karate training, and had a fabulous time once again. This time we did some pretty heavy sparring practice and my hip held up well throughout. Here's a picture of me doing a partner exercise with a highly skilled teenager and he didn't get the better of me. We also did waterfall training:" |
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