Mallory’s journey back to ballet one year after hip surgery

Mallory’s journey back to ballet one year after hip surgery

Photo courtesy of Allen Kramer (Texas Children's Hospital)

As a young girl growing up, Mallory Sweeney had big dreams of pursuing her childhood passion – becoming a professional dancer. Since enrolling in her first dance class at the age of 3, Mallory’s love for dancing has grown by leaps and bounds. In the fall 2019, she had to hang up her pointe shoes due to hip problems.

“My hip bothered me when I performed certain dance movements,” Mallory said. “At first, I thought the pain was due to dancing a lot, I was getting ready for a performance. When the pain got worse, I was referred to Texas Children’s, where I met specialist, Dr. Joseph Chorley. He suggested I undergo physical therapy first before considering surgery as my next option. Mallory also had injections to reduce inflammation. When none of these improved her condition, Mallory was referred to Dr. Scott Rosenfeld for surgical evaluation. While she knew she was making a significant decision about her future career in dance, she decided to take the risk. Mallory knew hip surgery would be the best treatment to improve her chances of dancing without the pain.

In Oct. 2019, Dr. Rosenfeld performed Mallory’s 6-hour surgery. Following surgery, Mallory spent eight weeks on crutches and worked with her physical therapists, Nick Purcell and Danielle Farzanegan, to restore basic range of motion and mobility.

“I’m thankful for my mom, my family and my care team at Texas Children’s for supporting me every step of the way. It’s been one year since my hip surgery, and I am doing great. When I see the incredible progress I’ve made, I am so grateful to my physicians, Dr. Chorley and Dr. Rosenfeld, and my physical therapists who helped me get to where I am today. Because of them, I have a bright future ahead of me.”

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Mallory Sweeney