The USB ports can be replaced with new ones by someone with soldering skills. It sounds to me like the solder joints have failed on the board. While the USB ports are relatively sturdy, being as small as they are, there is only so much abuse that they can take. Replacing them should resolve the reported problem.
Note: I have replaced 100s of these over the years (as well as other components like this) and can say that limiting stress on these connectors is the best way to prevent this type of problem. For example, don't let the cable hang off of a table from the side of the laptop. Make sure that there is minimal stress on the connector. This holds true for anything connected to the laptop ports, even flashdrives. Charger connections used to be the most common failure before manufacturers got smart and changed the way the ports were supported internally.
Hope this helps,
Dan