From wrestlers to football players, here are 15 famous athletes who have undergone joint replacements during or after their careers:
1. Former Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway had a knee replacement in 2007 after leading his team to two Super Bowl victories.
2. Volleyball player Gabrielle Reece had a knee replacement in 2016 after playing volleyball on and off for 25 years.
3. Big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton had his hip replaced in 2016 in an "awake" joint replacement procedure.
4. Bodybuilder and former California Gov.Arnold Schwarzenneger had a hip replacement at the age of 55 before filming the third Terminator movie.
5. Basketball player and NBA championship winner Bill Walton suffered from several knee injuries throughout his playing career. After his career, he had a knee replacement, one of many orthopedic procedures he has undergone.
6. Golf star Tiger Woods underwent a knee replacement surgery in 2008, just a week after winning the U.S. Open. In 2007, he ruptured the ACL in his left knee.
7. At the age of 25, South African runner Wayde van Nierkerk had a knee replacement after tearing his ACL in a celebrity rugby match.
8. Football star and hall of famer Joe Namath had both knees replaced at the age of 49 in a four hour long operation.
9. Decorated weightlifter and Darth Vader actor David Prowse had a knee replacement at 74 before continuing to promote the Star Wars franchise.
10. World wrestling champion and Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle had both of his knees replaced in 2022.
11. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and Super Bowl champion Terry Bradshaw had his right knee replaced in 2015, followed by his left knee in 2021.
12. Hall of Fame wrestler Mick Foley had a knee and a hip replaced in 2017.
13. Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino had both knees replaced in 2020 after suffering from a number of serious sports-related injuries.
14. Former Cincinnati Bengals running back Ickey Woods had his right knee replaced in 2012.
15. Hall of Fame racing jockey Gary Stevens had his right knee replaced in 2014 by Andrew Yun, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at the Center for Hip and Knee Replacement at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Los Angeles.