It takes a complicated set of actions, and just the right sequence, for a rower to scull a boat with power and grace: legs, hips, and arms….then arms, hips, legs…all in the matter of a few seconds, again and again. If any part of a rower’s body isn’t aligned during the sequence, their performance suffers.
For Dartmouth graduate and world champion rower Carin Reynolds, who remains active in the sport as a coach and athlete, (one of her boats finished first at the Head of the Charles in 2015), the importance of staying physically active is an absolute must. No stranger to bodily aches and pains, Carin began to experience unusual discomfort in the fall of 2012 when the pain in her hip threatened to keep her from the sport she cherished. She had just turned fifty years old and was facing the prospect of seeing her rowing days over.
Even so, the idea of surgery wasn’t exactly attractive to Carin. “With surgery, you always worry about complications or a long recovery,” she said. So she contacted her longtime friend and APD orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. John Houde, to ask what she should do.
“Dr. Houde and his physician assistant, Rebecca Van Dolah, spent an extensive amount of time discussing my options with me, showing me exactly what was happening to my hip using physical models I could manipulate, and answering every one of my questions completely,” Reynolds said. “It was incredibly assuring and I decided to move forward with hip replacement surgery,” she said.
Dr. Houde replaced Carin’s hip in January of 2013. She was back in her boat, rowing on the Connecticut River, within three months.
“I am grateful to the entire APD orthopaedic team for their kindness, care, and dedication to me as a patient. They treated me like a human being who just wanted to return to the activities I love. They simply got it; they understood exactly where I was coming from and where I wanted to go,” said Reynolds.
Today she is back on the water, helping to coach the Lebanon High School crew team as well as organizing the annual “Row the Prouty” in support of the Norris Cotton Cancer Care Pavilion Lebanon. Her motion is fluid again: legs, hips, and arms….then arms, hips, legs…all in the matter of a few seconds, again and again. Just another rower on the Connecticut River.