Giants midcourter Maddie Hay opens up on hip dysplasia and her unknown path back to the court
Giants midcourter Maddie Hay was playing through serious pain for years. Now she’s opened up on how she was left unable to walk, with a hip dysplasia diagnosis and an unknown path back to the court.
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The adrenaline of being on a Super Netball court helped Giants midcourter Maddie Hay overcome serious pain for years – but it left her so broken she couldn’t even walk around the supermarket.
Hay, 29, first got an idea something wasn’t right with her hip in 2021. The following season it deteriorated quickly but she continued to battle on through the pain right through the 2023 season.
“During the season it was just management and then knowing I’d have to have surgery at the end,” Hay said.
“At the time it was just supposed to be a clean up. When the surgeon told me it was going to be something much bigger than we thought it was a bit of a shock.”
Hay was born with hip dysplasia – it is pretty common.
“But what I didn’t know then was that putting it through all of the things I put it through over the last few years, it was degenerative, there were a few tears and a lot of pain in the joint,” she said.
“The surgery was more preventive to stop it from getting worse and correct the socket but it was quite invasive, like break your pelvis.”
There wasn’t a documented case of any other netball player having had the surgery. It is normally dancers who require it.
It meant there was no drawing board for Hay’s rehab program – they had to create their own.
“I was guided by American studies, it was a bit of a guessing game about when I would come back or if I would come back,” Hay said.
And despite being told never playing again was an option it wasn’t something Hay ever accepted.
To her she was always going to recover and get back on the Super Netball court.
She was on crutches for several months, had to learn to walk again and eventually started running seven months later.
Hay was back on court last season in time for Round seven.
“It was extremely mentally tough and I’m grateful that I didn’t have a big injury moment to make me fearful of going back on the court but it is definitely something that I never want to do again,” Hay said.
“Walking without a limp was the biggest challenge, but once I was going that I could start running and that was actually easier than the walking part.”
Hay said it wasn’t until she got back to living life that she realised how much of an impact the pain had on her day to day activities.
“I was able to warm up with netball but then the aftermath was worse than the actual game,” Hay said.
“Going to the grocery store and just walking around became quite challenging. That part of my life is significantly better now.
“I think when something happens quite slowly like that you don’t even realise how much it’s impacting you until it’s better.
“I’m not dreading walking around the aisles of a grocery shop anymore.”
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Originally published as Giants midcourter Maddie Hay opens up on hip dysplasia and her unknown path back to the court
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