Finding Out That I Have FAI

My dream had always been to compete in the Baton Twirling World Championships. I took 5-6 ballet classes  a week and  twirled for multiple hours everyday. In summer 2011, I qualified  to compete in the 2012 World Championships in April. I began to work harder than ever. I spent weekends twirling nonstop from Friday evening to Sunday evening. After these weekends I was always sore, but the soreness would fade away within the next couple of days. But after a weekend of twirling in January of 2012, just 3 months before the world championships, something was different. My right hip was very sore and it was not starting to feel better. I started going to physical therapy 2-3 times a week, and my hip felt like it was slowly improving. I continued to go to my regular ballet classes, and was able to fully participate. By the time we were headed to Switzerland for the World Championships, my hip was doing much better. The music tests in Switzerland were a few days before the competition. I was unable to complete my full routine during the tests due to soreness in my hip. I wasn't going to let my hip stop me from finally living my dream! I competed, won the bronze medal, and flew home, all with little to no pain.

With one of my coaches and a USA teammate (and my trophy!) at Worlds

In preparation for the 2012 national championships, which were held in July, my hip was very hindering. I woke up every day with the intention of spending a full day preparing, beginning with 3 hours of Pilates and ballet classes and ending with 4 hours of baton practice. Most days my hip was too sore to complete the baton practices. Some days I would show up at the gym and leave 10 minutes later because it was so sore. I started receiving chiropractic care. My chiropractor got my hip feeling well enough to have more successful days of practice. I was able to spend a week competing at the national championships with only a few minor hip complications. When it was time to go back to school, I went to the doctor to get a physical. We asked her for a note to get me out of gym class because it was very painful to run. My doctor said, "Well, why can't you run?" That is when I realized that I needed to address my hip, which had now been hurting off and on for about 8 months.

The doctor sent me to the local orthopedic surgeon, who ordered an MR Arthrogram and hip x-rays. We returned 2 weeks later to hear that I had a labral tear in my right hip, which would need to be surgically repaired. In the meantime, we decided to try a more conservative form of treatment. I was no longer attending any ballet classes and was twirling very few days a week. I went to physical therapy 3 times a week. Much to my surprise, my right hip was becoming even more painful. It got to the point where it was painful to stand, walk, sit, and get in and out of a car. We decided to get a second opinion. This orthopedic surgeon said that I had Femoroacetabular Impingement (FAI) in addition to labral damage. FAI basically means that the ball of my hip is misshapen and my hip socket is too deep. He said that I could put off the surgery but my labral cartilage would continue to be damaged and that I would need hip surgery in the future. He also said that the longer we wait, the more difficult it will be to repair it, and the lower my chances of a successful surgery. We decided to go with the surgery. The surgery will be done arthroscopically and is scheduled for Wednesday, October 31. My goal is to fully return to baton twirling and ballet dancing. I will be blogging about my road to recovery.