Tiffani Thiessen, 52, reveals she needs hip replacement surgery after painful diagnosis
Tiffani Thiessen has revealed she is facing hip replacement surgery at 52 after a second medical opinion uncovered the painful root cause behind her mounting mobility struggles.
Speaking on the an episode of the Breaking Bread with Tom Papa podcast, the Saved by the Bell and Beverly Hills, 90210 alum opened up about the joint issues currently sidelining her from her usual active routine.
“I have to get a hip replacement — I do,” Thiessen shared during the conversation. “I was a dancer when I was younger, which was a good thing, [and] I have a torn labrum, that’s one issue I have. Then, I found out, going to my second opinion, … I have hip dysplasia.”
According to the Cleveland Clinic, hip dysplasia occurs when the bones in the hip joint do not properly fit together, leading to joint instability, cartilage wear, and chronic pain.
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Ever the optimist, Thiessen joked about the diagnosis—quipping that she is "basically a German shepherd"—while pointing out that her childhood dance training and natural hypermobility likely contributed to the wear and tear.
“This is what happens. Just wait. You guys just wait,” she jokingly warned listeners. “So, when I was very flexible as a young child has now caused my issue now. I hear the hip replacements aren’t as bad as knee and shoulders [replacement procedures].”
Sidelined from family pickleball matches
The discomfort has grown severe enough to force the actress—who shares two children with her husband, actor Brady Smith—to step away from family pickleball games in recent weeks, including friendly matches against her son.
“My doctor didn’t say it was pickleball, but it probably is not help[ful],” Thiessen admitted. “I have not been able to play in the last couple weeks ‘cause my hip’s been so bad. He’s actually starting to beat me now. But I do have a bad hip.”
Balancing pain with filming Coven Academy
Despite the impending operation, Thiessen has shown no signs of slowing down professionally, splitting her time between California and Vancouver, Canada, while filming the supernatural Disney+ series Coven Academy, in which she stars as headmistress Miss Graves.
“I am in the same time zone so that’s helpful for my family, and it’s an easy flight so I try to come home. I never go more than two weeks without seeing my family,” she said of working on location. “It’s definitely an adjustment. It’s not what I love, two weeks is big [but] Mama’s got to work.”
Topics: Celebrity
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