Hip replacement surgery in Kent

Hip replacement surgery is a procedure during which your consultant removes your painful hip joint and replaces it with an artificial hip (also known as a prosthesis). This is usually made of metal, ceramic, or plastic material (or a combination of the three).

A private hip replacement is offered when conservative treatment, such as local anaesthetic (steroid) injections, oral painkillers, and physiotherapy, have not helped alleviate your hip pain.

At Chelsfield Park Hospital, our team of specialist orthopaedic consultants are highly experienced in delivering tailored treatment for hip pain. We offer our bespoke treatment and services to those who live in Kent, Bromley, Sevenoaks, and further afield. To find out more about our services, call us on or book an appointment with one of our specialist Consultants online today.

Why might you need total hip replacement surgery?

One of the most common reasons for having a private hip replacement is osteoarthritis, a bone disease that causes the cartilage in your hip joint to slowly break down, leading to further joint destruction. Other common reasons for needing hip replacement surgery include:

• Pain in your hip
• Pain at night or when resting
• Loss of movement in your hip
• Swelling and tenderness around the joint
• Pain when having sex
• Pain when exercising

These symptoms can be caused by many joint pain conditions other, including:

Rheumatoid arthritis: Rheumatoid arthritis is a painful inflammatory joint condition caused by an autoimmune process, which happens when your body attacks its healthy cells by mistake. This often causes pain, swelling, and inflammation in your joints.

Hip bursitis: Bursitis happens when the fluid filled sacs (known as bursa) that cushion and protect your joints become inflamed. This can result in pain and swelling in your joints. Usually, it presents as a dull, aching pain that can persist even when you take traditional painkillers or try gentle stretching.

A hip fracture: Hip fractures happen when cracks occur at the top of your thigh-bone (femur) in your hip joint. They are usually caused by a traumatic injury such as a contact sports injury, but they can sometimes be caused by a condition that weakens your hip bone, such as osteoporosis.

These symptoms can have a significant impact on your quality of life, making simple tasks like tying your shoelaces feel like an almighty challenge. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Hip replacement surgery can significantly reduce your pain and improve your mobility.

During your initial consultation, your consultant will assess your medical history, examine you carefully, and arrange for an X-ray of your hip if needed.

A consultation will assess the severity of your symptoms and whether surgery is the right treatment option for you. Sometimes, your consultant will suggest weight loss, physiotherapy, or pain relief medication before they do surgery.

This depends on which treatment options you have already tried and whether these have been effective. If you need hip replacement surgery, your consultant will arrange this for you.

After your initial consultation, your consultant and multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals will ensure you understand the next steps in your journey and how to prepare for hip replacement surgery, if needed.

Your hip joint consists of two hard, moving parts – the hip socket (acetabulum) and ball (femoral head). Between these surfaces, there’s a lining of protective cartilage, allowing a streamlined, fluid movement of your hip joint as the head moves in the socket.

Total hip replacement surgery (also known total hip arthroplasty) is an orthopaedic surgical procedure that involves replacing the damaged and diseased ball-and-socket knee joint with artificial implants (prosthesis).

Typically, there are five people in the theatre during surgery – a consultant anaesthetist, the operating department practitioner, your surgeon, an assistant nurse, and a scrub nurse. A runner is also available to collect additional instruments if required.

Your consultant will begin by making an incision with a specialist instrument across your hip joint. They will then remove your damaged or worn hip joint and fit trial implants to match the size you need. Next, they will replace the trial implants with prosthetic implants from sealed, sterile boxes. Your skin will be closed with surgical glue and dissolvable stitching before placing a waterproof dressing on the wound.

At Chelsfield Park Hospital, our consultants replace your femoral head with a high-quality ceramic ball, and your hip socket with a metal shell on a polyethylene plastic liner. These modern surfaces offer durability and minimum friction, allowing each part to glide smoothly over the other.

Your anaesthetic plan

Before drawing up an anaesthetic plan, your anaesthetist will take you through the anaesthesia options, risks, and benefits. They will then administer either a general anaesthetic where you are asleep, or a spinal anaesthetic (spinal block) to provide complete numbness in your lower body. In some cases, you can have a combination of a spinal and general anaesthetic.

How long does a hip replacement take?

The operation(s) typically take one to two hours to perform, and patients are remarkably comfortable after the surgery, to the extent that if they have surgery in the morning, they are usually out of bed and walking later in the afternoon (with the help of crutches). 

With any hip replacement, it’s a shared responsibility between the surgeon, patient, and physiotherapist to get you back on your feet and rehabilitated quickly.

After you have awoken from surgery, your nursing team will look after you by ensuring you have everything you need to feel comfortable. Physiotherapy sessions and mobilisation will start immediately to prepare you for returning home. The aim is to send you home within 24-48 hours of your hip replacement surgery. Your physiotherapist will give you detailed instructions on how to recover safely at home. You will return home with crutches to use as a walking aid. You will need these for around six weeks into your recovery.

After six weeks, you will have a follow-up appointment with your consultant. At this stage in your recovery, you can enjoy leisure activities such as long walks and gentle swimming. You should avoid high-impact sport or strenuous activity. You should also follow the specialist exercises set by your physiotherapist to improve strength and mobility in your hip. You can usually return to work after six weeks (if you have an office job).

Six to 12 weeks after hip replacement surgery, you should be well on the way to a full recovery and able to carry out everyday activities with ease.

Accordion: What is the cost of a hip replacement at Chelsfield Park Hospital in Orpington, Kent?

Your hip replacement cost in the UK will differ depending on where you receive treatment and the procedural options chosen by your consultant.

The final hip replacement cost will be confirmed in writing following your consultation and any necessary diagnostic tests. 

We offer many flexible, easy payment options. These help you spread the cost of your payment over a time that suits your needs. To find out more about the cost of hip replacement surgery at Chelsfield Park Hospital, you can speak to a trusted member of our advisory team.

It is important to remember that complications from hip replacement surgery are rare and that complications can occur during any surgery, not just hip replacement surgery.

Potential complication during a surgical procedure include:

• Hip pain
• Infection in the surgical wound
• Excessive bleeding
• Scarring
• Blood clotting
• Chest infection
• Difficulty passing urine
• Stroke

Specific complications that can occur during a hip replacement surgery include:

• Split in your femur
• Damage to your nerves
• Damage to blood vessels
• Infection in your hip
• Bone forming in the muscles around your hip replacement
• Persistent pain around your greater trochanter (the tip of your femur)
• Loosening of your joint
• Hip dislocation
• Leg length discrepancy

Serious complications as a result of hip replacement surgery are rare. If you have any concerns about these, speak with your consultant.

They will be able to discuss their likelihood with you in more detail and put your worries at ease.

When you choose to go private with Chelsfield Park Hospital in Orpington, Kent, you can expect:   

• Flexible appointment times and locations to fit your routine  
• The freedom to choose which hospital and consultant suit your needs  
• Personalised, consultant-led treatment plans tailored to your individual needs  
• Comfortable and safe private facilities maintained by expert multidisciplinary teams  
• Support by the same compassionate clinical team from beginning to end  
• Affordable, fixed-price packages with aftercare included  
• Flexible payment options to spread the cost of your care
• Exceptional ratings, with 99% of patients likely or extremely likely to recommend us to their friends and family

If you would like to learn more about this procedure, book your appointment online today, or call a member of our team directly.