Hip, hip, hooray for Kay Glynn and beginning of surgery recovery

W60 star Kay Glynn is the masters track embodiment of Diana “Never Ever Give Up!” Nyad. Kay’s dream was to stay in the game. But a year and a half ago, she feared her vaulting-hurdling-throwing career was over at 59. She reported having dysplasia and the need for a total hip replacement. A week ago came wondrous news: “Instead of having a total hip replacement, I finally had a hip resurfacing done, which six doctors said I wasn’t a candidate for,” Kay writes. “I had it done by Dr. (Thomas) Gross in Columbia, SC, on Wednesday, Aug. 21 and was released two days later on Friday. I was one of the five resurfacings he did that day.”

Kay jumped 4-6 at the National Senior Games weeks before surgery.


Kay continues:

While I really didn’t have any pain after surgery, and I am now off of pain medications and Tylenol, the range of motion restrictions are pretty strict for six weeks. Then, I finally get to tie my shoes but the exercises that I will get to do will still be very specific and limited until the 6-month time period.

Time is just needed for my tissues to grow into the uncemented implants. At six months, I can start to do pretty much everything (dancing, cartwheeling and jogging) except jumping events. I will need to wait for the jumping and other extremely high-impact exercises until one year. After that, I can do anything without any fear of any dislocation, etc. and that includes any contortions that you’re used to seeing me do!

Kay Glynn and her doctor at South Carolina hospital where hip resurfacing was done.


My doctor says that he feels that with the expertise, inventions, experience and knowledge that he has acquired after doing 3,000 of these resurfacings, the resurfaced joint will not wear out. Also, in my case, he found that I had such a slight amount of hip dysplasia that he would not even say that I had hip dysplasia.

We have to keep educating our doctors. Even after seeing my bone-on-bone joint directly, he said that he didn’t see how I high jumped off of it a few weeks earlier at my last meet before surgery. Hearing this just makes my meet record setting jump of 4’6″ at the NSGA even funner! He just attributed it to a high threshhold for pain. I swear, I did it with a smile—there was no pain! Oh, and my other hip that also has arthritis in it without any symptoms. He said that it looked like it had many good years left in it!

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September 7, 2013

9 Responses

  1. Peter Taylor - September 7, 2013

    It’s wonderful that the pride of Hastings, Iowa, Kay Glynn, will be “back in the game” somewhere around September 2014. Kay has added a great deal to our meets over the years and has even given encouragement to one of our announcers. As the photo shows, she has many decades ahead of her.

  2. Bubba Sparks - September 7, 2013

    Since when has Kay NOT been simply amazing? Go get ’em girl!!

  3. Mike Ritter - September 8, 2013

    Great news Kay! Looking forward to seeing back in CO for a meet next year.

  4. Jim Broun - September 8, 2013

    Godspeed in your recovery..You can do it! You GO Girl!

  5. Kay Glynn - September 10, 2013

    A little opps! That is not Mike (my husband) and I in that picture. That is MY DOCTOR releasing me to go home! He was more than willing to pose, and he seems to be very pround of his work, as he should be! My husband took the pic! 🙂

    It’s 3 weeks today and I’m walking a mile. No time off for me! Keep on keepin’ on, you guys! And if anyone has any questions about hips, let me know!

  6. Peter Taylor - September 10, 2013

    Kay, you devil, you. I thought that was the famous Dr. Gross, although he seems to have gone with the curly style and rejected his earlier “straight-haired” days. Well, I guess after all those years of education and training at Johns Hopkins and his great success later on as a full-fledged orthopedist he should indeed be pretty proud.

    Stay the course, Kay.

  7. Peter Taylor - September 10, 2013

    Oh, OK, the surgeon’s hair is not really curly. But Kay, I was wondering about your “husband’s” decision to wear “hospital pants” and carry a report on you in his hand when he visited you in your room.

  8. Ken Stone - September 11, 2013

    Sorry about caption flub, Kay! I’ve corrected it.

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