Flamenco dancer’s passion for dance reignited after surgery

Abigail Ventura couldn’t imagine her life without dance. Her love for music and dance started when she was just a toddler. Fast forward more than 25 years later, Ventura is now a professional dancer who specializes in Spanish styles of dance like flamenco and teaches instructional dance at a local dance company. One day, she started feeling minor pain around her hip and groin area.

Chicago Soccer Player Runs Chicago Marathon After Hip Arthroscopy

Three years ago the Chicago soccer player and runner was suddenly disabled by left hip pain. “The sharp shooting pain was so strong,” she says, “I had to freeze. I couldn’t take another step.” Tests showed she’d torn her labrum, the cartilage surrounding the hip socket. Orthopedic surgeons told her to expect the worst. “One doctor told me I’d need a hip replacement within a year. Another told me I could never have children!”