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Living and walking with hip-dysplasia: differently-abled.

So picture this… I come back from a walk only to find that my FitBit has categorised half of it as ‘outdoor cycling’ and half of it as ‘sport’. This happens to me quite often, because where walking is concerned, I’m differently-abled. I was born with severe Developmental Dysplasia of the Hips (DDH for short). In plain English that means that my hip joints didn’t form properly before I was born. I can walk but it’s not something I do with ease or speed and definitely not with grace!

I’m writing this blog to share my own journey with my funny walk – in an open, vulnerable way. Being ‘different’ has been a positive and a negative in my life. It has definitely shaped who I am. My unusual hips are not ‘who’ I am - but they are part of my story. Where I go, they go and so does their impact. In 2019 I chose to walk 100 miles of the South Downs Way – to see how far I could take my different walk – and my blog. In 2021, due to covid lockdowns, I turned my daily walks into a virtual Pennine Way to see if I could get to 268 miles in a year. And then I found out that I needed a knee replacement....

I hope you enjoy reading about it. You can also follow this blog on Facebook or Twitter by following @WalkingJill

Diff-ability & Me: when someone else says what’s in my head!

By Jill Pringle June 9, 2021 In fitting in, hip dysplasia, Personal 0 disability 0

Did you watch Alex Brooker: Disability and Me on BBC iPlayer? I caught it last weekend and I’m so glad that I did. I have rarely watched anything about disability that I could fully identify with.

The ‘Wonky Dog’. Yoga and hip dysplasia.

By Jill Pringle March 24, 2020 In fitting in, hip dysplasia, Lifestyle 0 exercise, hip dysplasia 0

So I got up this morning and decided that I was definitely going to seize up if I didn’t take action to get more exercise during the collective lockdown.

If the shoe doesn’t fit… orthotics and hip dysplasia

By Jill Pringle July 8, 2018August 4, 2019 In fitting in, hip dysplasia, Personal, Walking 0 DDH, hip dysplasia 0

Walking my first 10K for Steps last month taught me a couple of valuable lessons. Firstly, I need to build up my leg strength, particularly around my knees, or I’ll never manage the hills and rugged terrain of the South Downs Way.