Riley has been an athlete since she was six years old. As a competitive swimmer and a driven lacrosse player, her schedule was packed with practices, meets and games. Riley loved every minute of it, until it became almost too painful to play.  

After mild hip discomfort turned into severe hip pain, Riley and her parents knew something was very wrong. After trying several non-surgical methods, working with a provider who didn’t fully understand how important sports were to Riley, and an MRI that left the family with more questions than answers, they sought a diagnosis at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Our team believed in Riley’s ability to heal and partnered with her on her path forward. 

A competitive spirit in the face of hip pain 

In the fall of 2022, Riley had a long and demanding swimming season where she competed at state championships; soon after, the then-14-year-old began having hip pain she couldn’t shake. What started as discomfort quickly turned into long-standing pain that wouldn’t go away. Eventually, Riley started having tight muscles, aching joints and difficulty sitting through the school day. It hurt when she played sports. It hurt when she rested. She couldn’t find any relief. 

Riley and her family first explored therapy-based options. She worked with one of her coaches through physical therapy, tried acupuncture, was treated by a chiropractor, and even tried electric stimulation. All provided Riley with temporary relief, but her pain always returned.  

An MRI revealed Riley had a tear in her hip cartilage (a labral tear). Because many athletes have labral tears that don’t cause pain or issues, the specialists she saw weren’t convinced it was the source of her pain. One local hip specialist recommended more rest and added physical therapy. 

But nothing worked. Riley was beginning to feel like her “body was broken” and her parents began wondering about the long-term effects, like whether Riley would still be able to play sports in college and if her athletic future was at risk. 

“It was a hard time for our family,” says Riley’s mom, Cathy. “She just wanted to go out and do what she loved. She couldn’t do it – or at least not to the degree that she had been – and it was hard for her.” 

It was time for another opinion.  

A different kind of team: hip specialists 

A recommendation from family members in Philadelphia brought Riley and her parents from their home in Rochester, NY, to CHOP, where they met with Wudbhav N. Sankar, MD, Director of CHOP’s Young Adult Hip Preservation Program. Dr. Sankar spent nearly an hour talking with her and her parents, listening, asking questions and validating her experience.  

“He truly listened to our daughter to ensure we were getting to the root of her pain,” Cathy says. The family realized the complication they were facing was not the tear itself but understanding why it was causing so much more pain than was typical for this kind of tear.  

After their initial consultation, Riley continued to play sports to the extent she could tolerate, but her hip pain didn’t improved.  

The family returned to CHOP to meet with Dr. Sankar’s colleague Kathleen J. Maguire, MD, an orthopedic surgeon with our Orthopedic Center and Sports Medicine and Performance Center, who specializes in hip injuries. Dr. Maguire confirmed that surgery could be a possibility, but just as they were preparing to move forward, a new challenge emerged. 

During a lacrosse game in April 2023, Riley tore the ACL in her knee.