Does Lady Gaga have Synovitis?

Unless you've been living under a rock, it's common knowledge that Live Nation cancelled the remaining 22 dates of Lady Gaga's Born This Way Ball tour due to Synovitis.  So what is Synovitis?

According to Wikipedia, Synovitis is the inflammation of the synovial membrane, which is the soft tissue found between the articular capsule (joint capsule) and the joint cavity of synovial joints.  A synovial joint is any moveable joint found in the body.  In Stefani's case, it's her hip. 

Synovitis can be linked to lupus, gout and more commonly rheumatoid arthritis.  Stefani has allegedly been tested to have borderline lupus; a condition which claimed the life of her Aunt Joanne.  Since a close family member of hers suffered from this condition, it's not unrealistic that she could inherit the disease as well.  Stefani is to undergo surgery to repair a tear in the labral tissue in her right hip.  

A labral tear can be treated with rest, anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy and cortisone injections.  The need for surgery indicated that the condition is very serious and very painful.  

Theories spreading like wild fire across the Internet is that Lady Gaga and her team concocted this story to cover up the real reason.  That reason would be the less than expected ticket sales for the U.S. and Canadian dates of her show.  The theory is that to continue the show would cost more money for Live Nation than to just cancel the tour itself.  Lady Gaga is reportedly to lose close to $30 million due to the cancellation.  Sources (not mine) are saying "It wasn't that ticket sales were disastrous, but they weren't good enough to justify the huge production cost," one source says. "I truly believe Lady Gaga is making her 'injury' out to be a lot worse than it is. This is definitely a cover-up."

Theories are that the fact that Stefani started touring an album at least a year after it's release has done more harm than good; and that her record company was anxious for her to finish ARTPOP and move on from the Born This Way era.  It makes no sense from a financial point of view to tour an album so long after it's release.  Couple that with her fading star would make it career suicide.   Gaga was aiming for the spring of 2013 to release ARTPOP but rumors suggest it's been pushed to the fall.  Whatever the truth is, it's still unclear when ARTPOP will be released. 

Stefani claims that she kept her condition hidden from staff for a month with the hopes that it would heal. 

She also said that she was unable to walk after her last show and still can't.

What sparked the doubt about Stefani's story is that the day after the announcement, photos surfaced of her visiting a terminally ill fan at a Chicago hospital.

Gaga would've had to walk right?  Or she might have used a wheel chair although that is unknown.  The condition is painful and while you may not see the condition, it's safe to say that it would be hard to hide.  A person suffering from Synovitis would be limping, experience chronic pain and not been able to handle the dance routines she did during her show, especially after suffering silently for a whole month.

A video surface of Gaga performing Scheiße at her last show in Montreal before the announcement.  Fans are saying that during the routine, Stefani screamed out in agony due to the pain.  Skip to 2:05 to view that moment.

     

As you can see, Stefani is moving actively during the performance.  I'm assuming that pain from Synovitis would not allow her to do all that movement.  At one point, she even drops and lands on one side of her hip and lifts her leg up.  That would've been right in the region that is torn.

When I asked Chris Tanasoff of Paws Down Little Monsters about Gaga's condition, he had this to say:

Well the thing is, It's not just synovitis. It's "Chronic" synovitis. The pain is absolutely unbearable and there is NO possible way she would be able to hide it.
I work for one of the largest life insurance companies and my job is to go through people's medical history and asses their various medical conditions and offer them Insurance (Life, disability or income protection insurance) and if someone had Chronic synovitis, it's such a serious condition I would decline their application for insurance, Until they had been recovered for more than 12 Months.

Once you have Chronic synovitis it could take YEARS to recover.

In fact, I was in a meeting with my chief medical officer as I was reading about her.... "condition" and I mentioned to him.. He basically laughed and said that no one in the medical industry will take that seriously.

So what do you think?  I'm not claiming that I think Stefani is faking it but I can see why there's speculation.  I'm sure her choice in foot wear didn't help her situation either.

 

What I will predict is that Stefani will go in for surgery and come out with breast implants and maybe a nose job because, you know, she was born that way.

UPDATE:

Turns out Gaga showed up at Starbucks in a wheelchair for a photo op.

 

As one of the anon comments suggested "Miss Queen of the Universe would rather wheel her ass to Starbucks & get her own coffee than wait in her car for a hood rat to get one for her.  Not buying it".