Retired Motocross Star Reveals Decades of Injuries, Surgeries

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — After more than 20 years as a professional motocross racer, retired athlete Hart has endured over 80 broken bones and 22 surgeries, with injuries still plaguing him 12 years after leaving the sport. The 50-year-old, who turned pro at 18, recently opened up about the physical toll of his career and his ongoing medical struggles.

“My body’s pretty destroyed. I’m in the high 80s for broken bones,” Hart told TooFab. “By the time you make it to pro level in motocross, you’ve already had a good share of injuries. Very, very few riders make it to the pro level without a few major injuries along the way. It’s part of the job. It’s not about if, it’s when.”

Hart’s most severe crash left him hospitalized for a month and sidelined for years. “I shattered one heel, broke a femur, broke both arms… just the intense pain,” he recalled. “I was in ICU for a month. It almost killed me.” Despite the trauma, Hart returned to racing, a testament to his resilience and passion for the sport.

In 2024, Hart revealed he underwent his 22nd knee surgery, adding to a long list of procedures that include multiple spinal fusions and disc replacements. “I’ve had a few fusions and disc replacements in my back and neck,” he explained. “For the last 12 years since my first one, I’m not really supposed to run.”

Hart’s injuries have also led to complications, including a recent infection in old surgical hardware. “Found out a couple days before Christmas that I have an infection in some old hardware in my body,” he shared in early 2023. “Now for the next 41 days I have to inject antibiotics to knock this sucker out.”

Despite the physical challenges, Hart remains optimistic. After a lower spine disc replacement in 2021, he posted on Instagram, “Glad my fusion has some company with the M6 disc replacement. Can’t wait to come back stronger than ever, and kick ass on my dirtbike in 2022.”

Hart’s story highlights the often-overlooked long-term consequences of extreme sports. “When you’re lying there in the ICU with a bone sticking out, you think, ‘Why the hell am I doing this?'” he said. “But, as the time passes and the bones heal, everything gets back to normal.”