I've been playing hockey since I was four years old. Growing up, I was on the ice constantly between practices, games, and tournaments. It was just part of life.

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A few years ago, I started noticing pain in my hip and groin area. At first, it was only after games or hard skates, so I figured it was something I could work through. Hockey players play through pain all the time.

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The problem was that it never really went away.

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Over the next year, it started affecting how I skated. I couldn't open up my stride the same way. Tight turns bothered me. Getting low in my stance became uncomfortable. Even simple things like getting in and out of my truck or sitting through a long car ride started to hurt.

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I tried taking time off, physical therapy, stretching, and anti-inflammatories. Nothing seemed to make a real difference. Every time I got back on the ice, the pain came right back.

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Eventually I saw a hip specialist and learned I had femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) along with a torn labrum.

Hearing that I needed surgery wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear. I was 26 and mostly worried about whether I'd be able to get back to playing hockey the way I wanted to.

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The first few weeks after surgery were rough. Going from being active every day to being on crutches was frustrating. Recovery felt slow at times, and there were definitely days when I wondered if I was making progress.

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But little by little things started improving.

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I got more motion back. The pain started fading. Physical therapy became easier. A few months later I was back on a bike. Then I started skating again.

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The first skate felt great, but the biggest moment was playing in my first full game after surgery. For the first time in a long time, I wasn't thinking about my hip every shift.

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Today I'm back playing hockey without the constant pain I had before surgery. I feel stronger, I move better, and I can enjoy the game again.

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If you're dealing with hip pain that isn't getting better, don't ignore it. I spent a long time hoping it would go away on its own. Looking back, I wish I had gotten it checked out sooner.

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Getting my hip fixed gave me the chance to keep playing the sport I love, and for me, that made all the work of recovery worth it.