Lady Gaga's New Magazine Cover Is Sure… Unexpected

Nothing stops Lady Gaga. Not body-shamers, not heartbreak, not her PTSD, not Metallica's mic issues, and definitely not hip pain. The pop queen makes as much clear on her unexpected new cover for Arthritis magazine. While it doesn't look like she posed for a photo shoot, she evidently did an interview with the publication (which, while currently unavailable online, can be found in doctor's office waiting rooms). She is quoted on the cover as saying "Hip pain can't stop me!" and "I fought RA pain with my passion."

Longtime Little Monsters might not be surprised to see their Mother Monster talking about hip pain, though. The 31-year-old was forced to cancel the remainder of her Born This Way Ball world tour in February 2013 after suffering a massive joint tear and hip breakage requiring surgery. Initially, she thought the pain was the result of only a labral tear and an inflammatory joint condition called synovitis, but tests revealed her hip was broken as well. "Nobody knew, and I haven’t even told the fans yet," she revealed to Women's Wear Daily that July. "[The MRIs showed] giant craters, a hole in my hip the size of a quarter, and the cartilage was just hanging out the other side of my hip. She added, "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."

Gaga said she used her six-month recovery period to "beef up my brain and my body" and work on her Fall 2013 album ARTPOP. But, though you wouldn't know it from her spectacular Super Bowl performance, the singer still suffers from chronic hip pain today. "Having a frustrating day with chronic pain, but I find myself feeling so blessed to have such strong intelligent female doctors," she wrote on Instagram in November 2016. Today, she manages her pain in a variety of ways documented on Instagram, including an infrared sauna.

While Arthritis may not be the most glamorous cover Gaga's ever done, fans and arthritis sufferers alike appreciate her openness. "Thank you so much for telling your story. I have osteo & psoriasiatic arthritis," one person tweeted. "You are a true angel!"

Now, go book that doctor's appointment you've been meaning to make, and snag yourself a copy of the issue to read the article in full.