Hip surgery

 Are you struggling with pain or stiffness in the hip?  

Here at Bishops Wood Hospital in Northwood, Middlesex, experienced Consultant Hip Surgeons provide expert assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of problems in the hip for people aged 18+. They would be delighted to help you too. 

Hip pain is a common problem in adults, one with the potential to have a significant impact on daily life.  

If your hip pain is relatively mild, you may yourself able to ignore it most of the time. More severe hip pain can be far harder to ignore. In fact, pain in the joint can make many everyday movements and activities far harder, if not impossible, to carry out. You may find that even simple movements like standing and sitting, walking up and down stairs, or bending down to put on a pair of shoes, become much more challenging. 

Hips can become damaged by injury or disease. The most common cause of pain in the hip joint is osteoarthritis. If your hip is damaged in some way, you may experience pain, stiffness, and reduced flexibility. 

Hip pain can be debilitating, and incredibly frustrating to live with. However, there are a range of treatments available, both non-surgical and surgical, that can help to successfully manage your pain and get you back to better, easier movement.  

A private appointment with an experienced Consultant will help bring clarity to what is causing your pain, and how best to treat it. Why not contact us now to book your visit? 

Many people with ongoing hip pain will often see their GP for help first. A GP may arrange initial treatment, often pain relief medication and/or a course of physiotherapy. These treatments can be helpful for many people, particularly those who are in the earlier stages of osteoarthritis but may be of limited value if the joint has more extensive damage. 

Unfortunately, many people struggling with hip pain are currently experiencing longer-than-normal delays in seeing their GP, or in being referred to their local hospital for further assessment and treatment.  

If you would appreciate being seen at a much earlier date, the Consultants are Bishops Wood Hospital will be very happy to see you for a review prior to any consultation with your GP. 

Many causes of hip pain can be successfully managed without the need for surgery. These non-surgical (conservative) treatments may include: 

• Pain relief medication (analgesia) 
• Physiotherapy 
• Exercise and / or weight loss 
• Hip joint injections 

If these non-surgical treatments do not relieve your symptoms sufficiently, you may require surgery. The most reliable surgical treatment is Total hip replacement, which involves removing the damaged hip joint and replacing it with a new artificial one (a prosthesis). Total hip replacement is normally needed when osteoarthritis in the hip has caused such extensive damage to the joint that pain is severe, and mobility is extremely limited.  

If you have previously had a total hip replacement, and are in pain once again, you may need revision hip replacement to replace your prosthesis. Modern technologies and materials mean that a hip prosthesis can be expected to last for a long time, but just as our natural joints wear over time, a prosthesis will also experience wear, and some may need to be replaced eventually.  

Some hip symptoms and conditions can benefit from joint preservation treatment. This can help to maintain and protect hip function and may help delay (or remove) the need for more invasive surgery like a total hip replacement. 

Whatever is causing your hip pain, your Consultant will ensure you receive the most suitable treatment as soon as possible to help get you out of pain and back to better mobility. 

Before any treatment can be planned and started, an accurate diagnosis must be made. This begins with your first private appointment. 

When you first meet with your Consultant at Bishops Wood Hospital, they will want to determine what is causing your hip pain. Is it coming from the joint itself, the surrounding soft tissue, or is a problem in your back causing referred pain in your hip? 

To help them in this, they will take your medical history and ask you about the symptoms you have.  

They may ask you questions like: 

• When did you first notice your hip pain? 
• Do you have any other symptoms? 
• Have your symptoms been getting worse? 
• Do any activities or movements make your symptoms worse? 
• Where exactly is your pain, and what type of pain is it? 
• Have you received any treatment already? If so, was it helpful? 
• How is your general health? Do you have any underlying health conditions?   

They will normally carry out a physical examination of your hips. As part of their examination, they may also check your knees and back, as pain can sometimes be referred from a problem in these areas.  

Your Consultant may arrange further tests to help confirm a diagnosis, must usually an X-ray, MRI, or CT scan. (Please note that MRI and X-ray are available here on-site, while MRI will be carried out at our sister hospital, The Clementine Churchill Hospital.) 

Once a diagnosis has been made, your Consultant will discuss suitable treatment options. If you have any questions or concerns, they will be very happy to talk through them with, so that you have clarity and peace of mind about the next steps. 

Most people we see are local to Northwood and the surrounding areas. However, good road links make it easy to visit us from further afield if you prefer.  

When you choose Bishops Wood Hospital for help with your hip pain, you will benefit from: 

• Rapid access to a hip expert – With over 4 million patients on NHS waiting lists, it’s good to know that we can help you get the treatment you need sooner. We can arrange a private appointment for you with an experienced Consultant without delay, at a time that is convenient to you.  
• Tailored treatment – Everybody has hips that are shaped slightly differently. A bespoke approach to treatment means that everything is optimised for your specific condition and biomechanics. We can treat you properly and get you back to better hip health sooner.  
• Remote appointments available – While private appointments are normally carried out on-site at the hospital, we can arrange remote appointments by telephone or online video call if required. 
• Excellent post-operative support – After any hip surgery, a good rehabilitation programme plays a vital role in your recovery and helping you to see the greatest possible benefits. Our dedicated physiotherapy team will support you throughout your time with us, helping you regain strength, mobility, and function in your hip safely and at the right pace for your abilities and circumstances.  
• Implant availability - Many NHS trusts limit the use of more expensive ceramic implants to younger patients (often those aged under 55). Instead of using your age as the primary guide to plan your treatment, we can provide you with a bespoke hip implant, one suitable for your lifestyle needs and bone quality,  
• An experienced team – From experienced Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeons to physiotherapists, nurses, anaesthetists, and radiologists, we offer fast, simple access to a wider team of specialists.