A physiotherapist thought it was “tight hip flexors” and pointed Price towards “hip opening” exercises, designed to reduce stiffness and increase range of motion. “They are usually active people who have done a lot of sport and knackered their joints through that,” he says. In old age, OA will often determine whether someone can live independently and if their final years are spent navigating pain. The ball of his hip joint’s ball-and-socket wasn’t quite spherical, so it didn’t rotate smoothly without friction, which quietly, over time, accelerated damage with each cycle of use. “When I found out it was a full ACL rupture, I spent a week crying,” says Pannell.