Tiffani Thiessen says she needs a hip replacement at 52. The actress shared the news during a conversation about getting older on the November 10 episode of Breaking Bread with Tom Papa.
The Saved by the Bell star had already been diagnosed with a torn labrum when a second medical opinion identified hip dysplasia, according to Us Weekly.
Thiessen traced her concerns back to childhood, when she trained as a dancer and was exceptionally flexible. Looking back, she believes those experiences contributed to her current joint difficulties.
“I’m basically a German shepherd,” she joked as she described the additional finding. Thiessen did not provide a surgery date during the interview.
Understanding the Two Hip Conditions
Hip dysplasia concerns how the bones of the joint fit together. The rounded top of the thighbone sits within a socket in the pelvis; a shallow socket or differently shaped bone can affect that fit, Cleveland Clinic explains.
The labrum is the rim of cartilage around the socket that helps hold the joint securely in place. According to Mayo Clinic, a socket that provides insufficient coverage can put additional stress on this tissue and make a tear more likely.
Most people with dysplasia are born with it, although milder cases may become apparent in adulthood. Symptoms can include pain, stiffness and a feeling of instability. Treatment depends on the person’s joint and the damage present, with options ranging from physical therapy to surgery.
Hip Pain Interrupts the Family’s Pickleball Games
Thiessen and her husband, actor Brady Smith, play pickleball with their children, Harper, 16, and Holt, 11. She described her son’s enthusiasm for the sport and said he regularly plays on Sundays.
Holt had been playing for less than a year when Thiessen recorded the interview, but he was already beginning to beat her. She playfully defended her results by pointing out that she was competing with a painful hip, as Just Jared reported.
At the time of the conversation, she had been unable to play for the preceding couple of weeks. When Papa suggested the sport was responsible, Thiessen said her doctor had not identified it as the cause. She suspected it could be aggravating her discomfort.
Thiessen Enjoys Working With a Younger Cast
Thiessen’s latest role is Miss Graves, the head of a boarding school for young witches and warlocks in Coven Academy. The series premiered on Freeform on October 1, with the full season arriving on Disney+ and Hulu the following day, according to Disney.
Her daughter has watched both Saved by the Bell and Beverly Hills, 90210, but found their pacing different from newer television. In a September 29 interview with ABC13, Thiessen described how quickly contemporary shows move between storylines and cliffhangers.
She told Papa that continuing to act now matters more to her than receiving a particular award or landing a dream role. She enjoys her younger colleagues’ energy, even when they are making TikTok videos at around 4 a.m. and she is ready to finish work.
Balancing Vancouver Filming With Family Life
The job has meant traveling between Vancouver and California. Thiessen appreciates filming in a city that shares her family’s time zone, along with having a manageable flight home when her schedule allows.
She said she tries never to go more than two weeks without seeing her family. Even that stretch feels long, and adjusting to time apart has been one of the demands of accepting work away from home.
As the interview wrapped, Thiessen was preparing to take one child to pickleball and pick the other up from high school.
