Melanie Cresson
I had a labral tear in my right hip. I had severe pain in my hip joint whenever I did any major physical activity. I am a dancer and have been dancing for nineteen years. I even majored in jazz dance in college so I was very active everyday. Having a labral tear made it very hard for me to take class on a regular basis. I was having constant hip pain whenever I would kick my leg up or do anything involving flexibility.
Since I have been training my whole life to be a professional dancer this hip injury really made me worried about my future as a dancer, especially because I was about to graduate college and start my professional career. I had been sent to Dr. Miyamoto by recommendation after looking for a new hip surgeon. He clearly saw the tear on my MRI and informed me that I could have arthroscopic surgery to repair the tear. I was very hesitant to have this surgery because I had already had hip surgery two years ago on my left hip by another doctor to also repair a labral tear. That surgery was an open hip surgery and way more invasive than arthroscopic surgery.
The first surgery took me about a year to completely recover and get back my full range of motion. It was an extremely slow and painful process that I did not want to go through again. Dr. Miyamoto informed me that arthroscopic surgery would be a lot easier and definitely a better option for someone who was extremely active. After having the surgery I was so surprised at the recovery process. I was on crutches for half the amount of time as the first surgery and I even started physical therapy only three days after surgery. This was very exciting and encouraging for me because I had to wait six weeks to start physical therapy after the first surgery.
The arthroscopic surgery was so much less painful than the first one. I started dancing a little over three months after my surgery. Once I got my hip to loosen up I couldn’t believe how fast my range of motion was coming back. Now, a year after surgery, I have to say I couldn’t be happier with the results. It’s so amazing for me to take dance class or have long rehearsals with absolutely no hip pain. My hip feels better then it ever did and I owe it all to Dr. Miyamoto. Without him I would not be able to pursue my dream of being a professional dancer. I was even able to join a dance company called the LA Follies where our main dance style is kicklines! We do eye-high kicks in every routine and I can’t imagine being a part of this company if I didn’t have this hip surgery. I am very grateful and confident in my future as a professional dancer now thanks to Dr. Miyamoto!
