Hannah has always been a kid on the move. At age 5, she was a figure skater, gymnast, lacrosse player and equestrian. By high school, she narrowed her focus to lacrosse and horseback riding. Her parents loved her passion and supported her efforts. 

But in October 2023 – when Hannah was 16 – her active life careened to a stop. She fell off her horse twice in one day and the second time, she could barely stand up. She felt a sharp pain in her right hip. After a few days’ rest, she felt well enough to play in a lacrosse tournament. But, after one match, she had to stop.  

“My hip felt like it was just going out (of the socket),” says Hannah, now 18. “I couldn’t run correctly, and my hip was killing me! The pain ran down my leg, though my knee and to my ankle.”

Surprising diagnosis 

Her parents insisted she see a doctor and they visited a local orthopedic practice near their home in Northern Virginia. After X-rays and other imaging, the doctor revealed the likely cause of her pain – Hannah had a torn labrum in both of her hips. The labrum is a ring of cartilage that lines the edge of the hip socket, providing stability to the joint. Doctors also discovered Hannah had hip dysplasia in both hips, a disorder that can develop in early childhood when the hip socket is shallow or misshapen, which allows it to shift around inside the socket. 

When hip dysplasia is diagnosed in early childhood it can be treated without surgery. In older patients, the condition is called acetabular dysplasia, and surgery is generally recommended if the pain doesn’t get better with rest and rehabilitation.  

Hannah and her parents were shocked. “This was the first time we’d ever heard of hip dysplasia,” says Maureen, Hannah’s mom.  

Doctors said the cartilage tear could be treated non-surgically with activity restrictions, anti-inflammatory medication, physical therapy and complimentary therapies like massage and cupping. The goal was to relieve the pain and rebuild her strength.

Small step forward, major step back 

After a month of treatment in Virginia, Hannah tried lacrosse again, but it was too painful. She couldn’t walk without limping, much less run.  

Hannah continued riding for her equestrian team for a few months, but by January, the pain had become unbearable. Hannah and her parents agreed: Something had to change. 

Again, the family sought evaluation from doctors near their home. Two local physicians agreed Hannah needed surgery, but neither felt comfortable performing the complex operation she would need to reshape her hip socket to improve its function.  

They recommended consulting a pediatric hip expert in Pennsylvania – Wudbhav “Woody” N. Sankar, MD, at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). 

Dr. Sankar’s name was familiar to Maureen. Since Hannah’s issues began, Maureen had talked with other parents from her daughter’s lacrosse team. Three people suggested she contact Dr. Sankar for a second opinion.  

Searching online, Maureen learned Dr. Sankar was a national hip expert who served as director of the Young Adult Hip Preservation Program and leader of the Hip Disorders Program, both at CHOP, and was one of the most experienced surgeons to perform periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) surgery in teens and young adults – the procedure her other doctors had recommended. 

Feeling encouraged, Maureen called CHOP. Maribeth Magarity, MSN, RN, an orthopedic nurse navigator, helped schedule Hannah’s appointment and secured all prior imaging scans.