Governor will travel to Mayo Clinic for hour-long procedure

ST. PAUL, MN - Today, Governor Mark Dayton announced that he will undergo hip surgery next week on Thursday, February 6th at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. The surgery is expected to take approximately one hour.

"I have the utmost confidence in the medical professionals at Mayo and am confident that this surgery will ensure greater mobility," said Governor Dayton. I want to assure Minnesotans that there is nothing about this procedure that will affect my capacity to fulfill my duties as Governor or outweigh my passion for serving the people of Minnesota. I look forward to a full recovery and aggressively seeking reelection this fall.

A Mayo Clinic team will perform Governor Dayton's surgery at 7:00 a.m. and will take approximately one hour, during which time Governor Dayton will be under general anesthesia. The procedure will reattach the major hip tendons to the bone around the hip joint. Several tests have revealed that these tendons have become detached from the bone, and the muscle shows early signs of disuse atrophy. According to Mayo, surgery is the most effective option to help with pain, prevent further muscle atrophy, and restore functionality and mobility.

Mayo physicians have informed Governor Dayton that, after the surgery, he will have to wear a protective brace for up to three months, to immobilize the hip area and permit the muscle to reattach completely to the bone. While the brace will restrict some travel, it will still allow him to effectively carry out his duties as Governor.