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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

Mind the gap, find the gap! Trains, parking and the social model of disability.

By Jill Pringle May 16, 2022 In Disability, hip dysplasia, Lifestyle 1 No tags 0

social model of disability car train jillpringle

In the last two weeks I have taken my first train journey and my first solo drive in the car, since my op. Such big steps forward in lots of ways.

3 months post-op: back to hip rehab to get off crutches

By Jill Pringle April 6, 2022 In hip dysplasia, surgery 0 No tags 0

This week it’s three months since I had my knee replacement. Turns out that quite a lot of people born with hip-dysplasia develop knee problems due to the abnormal wear that comes from the way we walk.

Getting my new knee moving: hydrotherapy

By Jill Pringle January 28, 2022 In hip dysplasia, knee replacement, surgery 0 No tags 0

hydrotherapy diff-abled jill pringle knee replacement

Yesterday two really great things happened – I got into a pool and I slept.

You all know that I love to swim. Walking down the steps into the hydrotherapy pool yesterday almost made me cry with joy.

Sleepless in Surrey: my knee replacement

By Jill Pringle January 22, 2022 In hip dysplasia, knee replacement, surgery 0 No tags 0

I had my total knee replacement 10 days ago, just 2 weeks after my 50th Birthday. By my counting this is my 12th orthopaedic surgery, my last being a total hip replacement in 2003.