Lady Gaga details hip injury drama for Arthritis magazine
The Born This Way hitmaker had to scrap the remainder of her world tour in February, 2013 after she was diagnosed with the condition synovitis, an inflammation of the joints, and a labral tear.
She subsequently revealed she had actually broken her hip and faced a complete hip replacement if she didn't heed doctors' advice to axe her shows and undergo surgery.
Gaga has since bounced back from the painful injury, and she is now reflecting on the trying time in a chat with health publication Arthritis.
In the interview, the singer, who turned 31 on Tuesday (28Mar17), admits she tried to play down the seriousness of her condition for as long as possible - until she had no choice but to seek professional help.
"I hid my injury until I couldn't walk," she confessed, admitting she spent night after night "praying it would heal" on its own.
"I had a tear on the inside of my joint and huge breakage," Gaga continued. "The surgeon told me that if I had done another show, I might have needed a full hip replacement. I would have been out at least a year, maybe longer."
Just six months later, in August, 2013, Gaga made her big stage return at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York, and she credits music with helping to pull her through her recovery period.
"Music was my way of overcoming a lot of pain and anxiety," she shared. "If you give yourself to your creativity and imagination, it can help you overcome anything."
Gaga's career has since reached new heights with the star headlining the Super Bowl Halftime Show last month (Feb17) and stepping in to fill pregnant Beyonce's slot at the Coachella music festival in California in April (17), and she is feeling on top of the world.
Gaga's hip issue isn't the only health battle she has faced over the years. In November (16), she told fans on Instagram she had to seek treatment for "chronic pain".
"Having a frustrating day with chronic pain, but I find myself feeling so blessed to have such strong intelligent female doctors," she captioned a picture of herself seeking treatment on her shoulder, two days before she performed at the American Music Awards.
