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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.

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.