Long-term or severe hip pain can have a significant impact on everyday life, but the right treatment can help manage, reduce, or eliminate the problem.
We asked one of our orthopaedic consultants at The Mount Alvernia Hospital in Guildford to describe how the right treatment for hip pain can transform someone’s life. Here’s what they told us:
“Everyone is aware that hip pain can start to limit walking distance. But it can become constant, present even when sitting still, and disturbs sleep. Hip surgery predictably relieves pain and restores mobility. It enables young adults to continue to work, look after their children, and participate in sports; and elderly patients to stay mobile and maintain their independence.”
Mr Seb Sturridge, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
At The Mount Alvernia Hospital in Guildford, we treat people based in Guildford, Cranleigh, Haslemere, Horsham, and further afield. If you would like to find out more about our orthopaedic services, you can call us or book an appointment with one of our specialists online.
* If you live elsewhere in the UK, Circle Health group has the UK’s largest network of private hospitals, making it easy to find a hospital near to you.
Hip pain in Guildford: a growing problem
In 2017, the Office for National Statistics estimated that the resident population of Surrey was 1,185,300, with the population of Guildford put at 147,8001.
According to figures from Surrey County Council, 52,065 people in the county have osteoarthritis in the hip2. Of these, 14,203 are estimated to have severe osteoarthritis in the hip.
With the population of Surrey projected to increase by 11% over the next 25 years1, the number of people in Guildford who will need some form of treatment for hip pain (whether non-surgical or surgical) will also rise.
These statistics show there are many people in Guildford in need of help for hip pain right now. If you are one of those people, you’ve landed in the right place. At The Mount Alvernia Hospital in Guildford, we have a broad range of treatment options for hip pain. These will be carried out by dedicated consultants and tailored to your exact needs.
Living with hip pain
Like the knees and ankles, your hips are weight-bearing joints, involved in many hundreds of different movements and functions each day. Every time you stand, sit, walk, or run, your hips are active and play an important role in your mobility.
When your hips are healthy and functioning normally, they move freely and without any pain. If your hip is damaged by disease or trauma, such as osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, movement in your hip can become stiff and painful. In more severe cases of hip damage, any type of movement in your hip may be virtually impossible, and the pain can be both excruciating and constant.
Even relatively mild hip pain can prevent you from doing many of your normal daily activities like going to the shops, exercising, or even driving your car.
As hip pain gets worse, you might find your movements start to become slower and more difficult. When this happens, many people start to get worried about what this reduced mobility will mean for their independence in the future. Will they still be able to get around by themselves, or will they need to rely on other people helping them to get out and about?
While these thoughts can be distressing, there are many treatment options available for hip pain, helping reduce people’s symptoms and get them back to doing the things they love.
When people are talking with their consultant at their first private consultation in Mount Alvernia, they will often describe their hip pain with one or more of these words:
- Throbbing
- Aching
- Sharp
- Stabbing
Some people will talk about how their pain gets noticeably worse after certain types of exercise, like walking, jogging, or cycling. Others will complain that their pain is much worse at night. Sometimes, hip pain may occur during pregnancy.
Hip pain isn’t always in the same place for everybody. It may be:
- In either your left or right hip
- Radiating from the hip down the leg
- In the groin
- On the inside of the hip
- On the outside of the hip
While your GP or physiotherapist will often be able to help ease mild hip pain, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon is always be the best person to see for help with long-lasting or severe pain. If you are concerned, it is easy to book a consultation with one of the experienced consultant hip surgeons here at Mount Alvernia.
The most common cause of hip pain in adults is osteoarthritis. Other causes include:
- Hip impingement
- Hip bursitis: also known as trochanteric bursitis or greater trochanteric pain syndrome
- Referred pain: a trapped nerve in your spine or a problem in your knee can both cause referred pain in the hip
- Age
- Weight
- Genetics
- Trauma
- Overactivity/overuse
Other conditions can also cause hip pain. Your consultant will carry out any diagnostic investigations needed to ensure you get an accurate diagnosis. Our hospital in Guildford offers fast access to diagnostic equipment including X-ray, CT, MRI and ultrasound.
Whatever is causing your hip pain, expert assessment and treatment is available for you at Mount Alvernia Hospital in Guildford. With an experienced team of hip specialists, we will get you the support you need.
Private consultations are available at dedicated clinics five days a week, so you won’t find yourself waiting long for an initial consultation.
When you first meet with your consultant, they will talk with you about your hip pain and carry out an examination of your hip, leg, and possibly back. If any diagnostic tests are needed, these can be easily arranged for you on-site.
For most people, non-surgical treatments are often able to successfully manage or resolve their hip pain. This may be through physiotherapy, gentle exercise like swimming, pain relief medication, anti-inflammatory medication, or steroid hip joint injections. All of these are available at Mount Alvernia.
If surgery is needed, our surgical team can provide fast access to hip arthroscopy (keyhole surgery) and hip replacement surgery.
Many of the people we see here in Guildford have been referred to us by their GP, physiotherapist, sports physiotherapist, or osteopath.
If you are struggling with any type of hip pain, we can help you get quick, easy access to an experienced consultant orthopaedic surgeon for expert assessment and treatment.
Mount Alvernia Hospital is in Guildford and very easy to travel to. With a team of experienced consultants, you’ll be seen quickly, and because everything is consultant-led, your diagnosis and treatment will be much faster than is available elsewhere.
Having seen and helped thousands of people in Guildford who were struggling with various degrees of hip pain, we know just how tough it can be and how challenging it can make every aspect of daily life.
Our team are here to make sure you get the treatment you need as soon as possible, so that you can get out of pain and back to better, easier movement and function.
When you choose to go private with Circle Health Group, you can expect:
- Flexible appointment times to fit your schedule
- The freedom to choose your hospital and your consultant
- Bespoke, consultant-led treatment plans tailored to your individual needs
- Private en-suite rooms as standard
- Tasty and nutritious meals cooked on-site to your dietary requirements
- Support from the same compassionate clinical team from beginning to end
- Affordable, fixed-price packages with aftercare included
- Flexible payment options to help spread the cost of your care
If you want to know more about hip replacement surgery and find out if it's the right treatment for you, book your appointment online today or call a member of our team.
Content reviewed by Mr Seb Sturridge in July 2022. Next review due July 2025.
1 The Surrey Context, Surrey-i: https://www.surreyi.gov.uk/jsna/surrey-context/
2 Joint Strategic Needs Assessment, Surrey-i: https://www.surreyi.gov.uk/jsna/long-term-conditions/
