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Darcey Bussell- 'After years of ballet my hips are crumbling' June 2007 Darcey Bussell retired from performing because of her hip pain. This excerpt is from an article in the UK newspaper The Daily Mail dated January 22, 2007 in which she talks candidly about the toll dancing has taken on her body. A link to the full story in below. - NR Photo NY Times 06.11.07  " Ten years ago, an orthopaedic surgeon told me that my hips were only 50 per cent as good as they should be for someone my age and that I would probably need hip replacement operations. The X-ray he showed me made my blood run cold. This is one of the reasons why, although my daughters adore ballet as a hobby, I have no ambitions for them to follow in my footsteps. Ballet requires movements which are very unnatural. With every step, you do a circular movement of the hip. You turn out from the hip and make your knees point out to the side, instead of forward. I have suffered pains deep in the pelvis, and when repeating a movement over and over I would get a grinding sensation as the cartilage that stops the bones rubbing against each other was being eroded. The orthopaedic surgeon said that if ever I had hip or groin pain, I should rest until the pain went. However, resting is not part of a dancer's life - so I just danced through the pain. Although such pain is unimaginable for many people, it's a dancer's lot. But the hours of practice, rehearsal, costume fittings, travel and performances add up. Now I have decided that the time is right to retire and I shall dance at Covent Garden for the last time on June 8. My daughters are growing up and I want to be able to spend more time with them. And I'm hoping that by stopping at the age of 37, I can avoid the hip surgery which would have become inevitable if I carried on. Damage to the hip joints is progressive, but with a good diet, supplements such as glucosamine (which reduces inflammation) and chondroitin (which slows cartilage breakdown), plus gentle exercise, I just pray I will be able to avoid the surgery." The full article written by Moira Petty can be found here Back to top |