Misty Copeland is opening up about her recovery after hip replacement surgery, sharing a candid look at healing just weeks after taking her final bow with American Ballet Theatre in October 2025.
The 43-year-old ballet icon confirmed in January that she underwent hip replacement surgery shortly after closing a historic chapter on stage. In a recent Instagram post, Ms. Copeland reflected on the transition from performing at the highest level to focusing on her health.
“A few months ago, I stepped off the stage after my final bow with @abtofficial, closing one chapter and unknowingly preparing for the next,” she wrote. “Not too long after that, I had hip replacement surgery. Since then, I’ve been focused on healing — physically, mentally, and patiently.”
The post included footage from her first days of recovery. In one clip, Ms. Copeland walks slowly down a hallway wearing black shorts and a tan sweatshirt, steadying herself with a walker. Other images show her resting in a hospital bed with bandages on her wrist and medical tubes attached, a physician reviewing her CT scan, a quiet view from her hospital room with the television on, and a close-up of her hip covered with a bandage.
“These were my first few days: learning to walk again, resting, and letting my body do the work,” she shared. “Recovery isn’t glamorous, but every small step matters.”
Ms. Copeland first spoke publicly about the procedure in January during an interview with USA Today, where she discussed what it means to age as an elite athlete. “It’s all a part of getting older and being an athlete,” she said. “It’s part of accepting the beauty of having a body and how strong and powerful it is, and what we can come back from.”
Her surgery followed months of physical challenges. In November, shortly after her retirement performance, Ms. Copeland revealed she had pushed through her final show while “barely walking.” Doctors later determined she had bone spurs in her left hip, along with a labral tear and significant cartilage loss.
Speaking to NPR at the time, Ms. Copeland recalled her doctors advising against performing. “My doctors, they were just like, ‘I don’t think this is a good idea for you to push for this performance,’” she said. “And I said, ‘Well, I’ve already agreed to it.’”
Despite the pain, she completed the performance. “I was barely walking before and somehow, you know, mustered up the strength,” she added.
Now, months removed from the stage, Ms. Copeland is documenting her recovery.
