Getting hip surgery may be scary for some. In fact, any kind of surgery is sure to send shivers down anyone’s spine because you don’t know if you’ll still be able to do the things you often do after you get out of that operating room.

But, if you’re about to get hip surgery in Highland or anywhere in Utah, take comfort in the fact that some people who underwent this treatment were still able to make a huge comeback. Find inspiration from these athletes who underwent hip surgery and came back much stronger.

Tyson Gay

Tyson Gay is an American Olympic sprinter who suffered from hip pain prior to the 2012 London Olympics. He was going to compete for the 2011 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships when he realized that the pain in his hip was too much to ignore. He pulled out of the competition and underwent acetabular labrum surgery. He then had to wait for almost a year before he was ready to compete again.

Gay, later on, went back to running. He was able to come back in good form in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Due to some technicality, though, Gay and the U.S. team were unable to win the gold medal for the 4 x 100 relay. But according to sports reporters, the American sprinter was the fastest among the runners that day.

Alex Rodriguez

Despite the stain on his baseball career due to allegations of using performance enhancement drugs, Alex Rodriguez still became an inspiration for many people due to his comeback from an injury in 2013. That year, Rodriguez underwent hip surgery to repair his torn labrum. He had arthroscopic surgery that lasted for two hours and then, he needed to rest and recover for six months.

After several months, Rodriguez went back to the Yankees but was relegated to playing in the minor leagues while he recuperated. When he was strong enough to play in the major league once more, he hit a home run against Detroit Tigers’ pitcher Justin Verlander. The home run helped Rodriguez pass Stan Musial in career RBIs, landing him in fifth place.

Nicklas Backstrom

Ice hockey is one of the most dangerous sports in the world with athletes often colliding with each other in breakneck speeds. Many athletes in this sport get injured and Nicklas Backstrom was no exception.

Although no reports clearly showed why Backstrom had to undergo hip surgery (he had arthroscopic surgery during the 2014-2015 season), he was able to recover before the 2015-2016 season started. When he went back to playing for the Washington Capitals, he was in good form, scoring 20 goals and 50 assists. Backstrom is considered to be one of the best playmakers in ice hockey and also a top scorer despite his hip surgery.

So, there’s no telling what could happen to anyone after undergoing hip surgery. Even if you think that it would be a hard and long road to recovery, it’s not impossible for you to go back to doing what you love, whether it’s hiking up a mountain or playing football on the weekend. As long as you have the motivation to help yourself recover fully, there’s nothing to stop you.