Hip replacement surgery in Glasgow

Hip replacement surgery is one of the most successful operations in medical history. At Ross Hall Hospital in Glasgow, our team of experienced Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeons perform around 100 hip replacement operations every month.

If you are considering private hip replacement surgery in Glasgow or have been advised by a consultant that surgery is a sensible option, you will probably have several questions. 

This page has been written with help from our consultants at Ross Hall to explain:

• The anatomy of your hip and why you might need hip replacement surgery
• How hip replacement surgery is carried out
• What to expect your recovery to be like
• Key reasons people choose to have hip replacement surgery at Ross Hall Hospital

Please note that many of the details on this page are specific to Ross Hall Hospital. If you don’t live in or near Glasgow, it is easy to find and contact your local Circle Health Group hospital for rapid access to expert care. Click the ‘Hospitals’ link in the grey bar near the top of this page to locate the Circle hospital near you.

Your hip is a weight-bearing joint, formed by the thighbone (femur) and pelvis. The top part of the femur (known as the head offemur) sits inside the acetabulum, a shallow socket in the pelvis. The hip is a deep joint, surrounded by layers of muscles that help keep it securely in position.

In a healthy hip, the head of the femur can move easily and freely against the surface of the acetabulum due to a lining of articular cartilage on the surface of each bone. This cartilage reduces friction in the joint, allowing the bones to glide smoothly over one another.

When a hip is affected by osteoarthritis, the articular cartilage starts to become worn, causing friction in the joint as it is moved. This friction makes the hip feel stiff and painful.

Over time, as the osteoarthritis progresses, the cartilage may eventually become completely worn, causing the femoral head and acetabulum to start grating directly on one another every time the hip joint is used. This causes severe pain and stiffness and will often cause mobility problems.

When the hip has been damaged this extensively, many non-operative treatments will be less effective and hip replacement surgery may be advised. As the name implies, this operation replaces a natural hip that has been damaged by osteoarthritis with an artificial one (known as an implant).

The new hip joint means that people are able to move around more freely and easily again, without being limited by debilitating pain and stiffness in their hip.

Hip replacement surgery is nearly always classed as ‘elective surgery’, meaning it is scheduled in advance (not surgery carried out in an emergency). This means that you will know in advance the date of your surgery and can plan your diary around the operation and subsequent recovery period.

The surgery is normally planned using special orthopaedic templating software and current X-rays or scans. Your consultant uses these to make sure that your implant will be the right size and length for your leg and give you movement that feels natural. (If you don’t have up-to-date scans, these will be arranged for you at Ross Hall by your consultant.)

The surgery may be carried out using a general anaesthetic (meaning you will be fully asleep) or with a spinal anaesthetic (where you are awake, but your legs and pelvis are numb) and sedation. Some people may be better suited to one of these, while others will have personal preferences. You will be able to discuss the different options with an anaesthetist beforehand.

Once you have been taken into the operating theatre at Ross Hall, your pelvis and leg will be covered in sterile drapes and the skin cleaned with the application of a sterile wipe. Your consultant will then make an incision (cut) in the skin to give them access to the hip joint.

They will carefully remove any remaining cartilage from the joint and then position and fix the new artificial socket into the acetabulum. A spike will then be positioned into the femur and a ball placed on top of it. This will become the new ‘ball’ of the artificial ‘ball and socket’ hip implant.

Once the implant has been positioned properly, your consultant will test it and carry out any final adjustments needed to ensure it will be an appropriate match for your natural biomechanics.

The skin will then be carefully closed with sutures and covered with a sterile dressing. The muscles surrounding the hip help to keep the implant securely in position.

Hip replacement surgery will usually take around an hour and half, but exact timings depend on a range of factors.

Once the operation has been done, you will be taken into a dedicated theatre recovery area, where our theatre staff will closely monitor you as the anaesthetic wears off, and you start to wake up more fully.

Once they are happy that you are well enough to return to the ward, you will be taken back to your private room to rest. Your nurse will check in on you at regular intervals, but if you need help with anything at any point, you can use the call button on your bed.

At Ross Hall Hospital in Glasgow, we’re privileged to have a team of highly experienced Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeons providing hip replacement surgery. We asked one of them to tell us how arthritis in the hip can affect daily life and the difference surgery can make. Here’s what they told us:

“Hip pain due to arthritis can have a significant effect upon the day-to-day life of our patients. People will often experience restricted mobility due to their symptoms. It can also affect their employment and recreational activities. It has been shown that hip pain can have significant effect on psychosocial aspects.

Hip replacement surgery has been shown to significantly improve their quality of life. Patients generally feel that this surgery has been a life-changing experience."

Mr Sanjeev Patil, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon

Before hip replacement surgery is ever considered, non-operative treatments will normally be used, as many people find their symptoms can be successfully managed with these.

If you have been struggling with pain or stiffness in your hip due to osteoarthritis, you may have already had some of these non-operative treatments arranged for you through your GP). These include:

• Pain relief medication
• Physiotherapy
• Gentle exercise like swimming
• Joint injections

If you haven’t already received any type of treatment, your consultant at Ross Hall will discuss suitable options with you to determine the most appropriate treatment(s) for you.

While the non-operative treatments listed above can be very effective at relieving symptoms, they are usually more helpful in the earlier stages of osteoarthritis when the hip joint has not been damaged too extensively.

Where osteoarthritis has progressed and caused more extensive damage to the joint, they often become less effective. When this happens, you may be advised by your consultant to consider hip replacement surgery as the most suitable way to get you out of pain.

If this is the situation you are in, your consultant will discuss the operation with you. They will explain:

• How the operation is done
• What to expect as you recover from the surgery
• Any risks or possible complications you need to be aware of

This discussion is an important part of the treatment process and is collaborative, meaning you and your consultant will talk through options together.

Your consultant will give you their expert opinion, but the decision to have hip replacement surgery (or not) will always be yours.

Many people find they have some questions at this point, and your consultant will always be very happy to talk through these with you.

Recovery times differ for everybody, but most people will feel the full benefits of their operation with 6 – 12 months.

Your consultant and physiotherapy team will guide you through your recovery, and it is important that you give yourself adequate time to rest, take any pain relief medication and follow your physiotherapy exercises throughout this time to help promote recovery.

When you first leave Ross Hall, you will probably need to use crutches or a walking aid for the first few weeks to help you move around safely. You will be able to move up and down stairs, use the bathroom and walk around the house, although you may find you are moving slightly slower than normal with these.

You will also be given advice about the best position to sleep during the first few weeks of your recovery.

Hip replacement surgery is a significant operation, and it is normal to feel some pain and discomfort for a while afterwards as you recover and begin to adjust to the new joint.

Painkillers for the first six weeks after surgery will often help to manage any pain, and these will be arranged for you by your consultant at Ross Hall before you are discharged.

After 4 – 6 weeks, most people will find they are able to move around without walking aids, and their pain will often have significantly eased by then.

After 6 weeks, you will be able to return to driving if you are no longer having to use walking aids and your pain is being controlled.

You will also probably be able to return to work at this point (although if you have a job that is very physical, you may need a bit longer to fully recover).

Guide prices for all the treatments offered at Ross Hall Hospital can be seen on the treatment prices page.

You will always receive written confirmation of the fixed-price fee following your consultation and after any diagnostic tests needed have been carried out.

If you live in or around Glasgow or are happy to travel from further afield for your treatment, we believe you will find no better place to come for hip replacement surgery than Ross Hall Hospital.

Here are just five of the main reasons people choose to have their private hip replacement surgery with us:

1. Expertise – As the largest private hospital in Scotland, we’re grateful to have a number of leading orthopaedic surgeons working on-site. By keeping up to date with the latest techniques and advances in hip replacement surgery, they will always be able to provide you with the very highest standards of care using the most appropriate surgical options. The hip implants used in the hospital are reliable and trusted around the world, performing well in National Joint Registries.
2. Fast access – You won’t be waiting months to see a consultant for an initial consultation. We can arrange a private consultation at a time that is convenient to you, often within 48 hours. If treatment is needed, this will be scheduled as soon as possible. Our streamlined process ensures your wait will be kept as short as possible. (As a guide, we are normally able to arrange hip replacement surgery for most people within 4 – 8 weeks of their consultation, but exact times will vary.)
3. Superb facilities – Ross Hall is the largest private hospital in Glasgow (and Scotland!), offering fast access to an experienced team of hip specialists, advanced diagnostic equipment, surgical options and an enhanced recovery programme.
4. Choice - When you have hip replacement surgery at Ross Hall Hospital, you can choose the surgeon you see for consultations and for your surgery. All the consultants working with us are experienced, but if you wish to choose somebody based on reputation or recommendation, you can do so. (This type of choice is not usually available on the NHS.)
5. Enhanced recovery programme – Hip replacement surgery will normally mean that you need to stay in hospital for one or more nights. One of our physiotherapists will visit you during this time to help you move safely into and out of bed, and to show you how you can move safely up and down stairs.

For your reassurance, when you are first discharged from the ward, you will be given a number to call if you have any concerns at any time.

Post-operative physiotherapy sessions are highly recommended to help you as you recover, and these will be arranged for you here at Ross Hall.

Your consultant will see you for a follow-up appointment about six weeks after your surgery to make sure that your recovery is going as expected. If you have any questions at this time, they will be very happy to discuss them with you.

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 onsite 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 directly on 0141 300 5009.

We provide hip replacement surgery in Glasgow for people with private health insurance and those who choose to self-pay to get the help they need sooner.

Whether you have only recently noticed pain and stiffness in your hip and would like some expert advice, or you have been struggling with a hip problem for many years and have been told that hip surgery is now an appropriate option, we are here to help you.

Our Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeons have helped thousands of people in Glasgow to get out of pain and stiffness in their hip and back to better, easier movement once more. They would be delighted to help you too.

We know just how challenging long-term pain and stiffness in the hip can be, and how much it can limit you in so many aspects of life. However, we also know from experience just how helpful and liberating the right treatment can be.

As Mr Patil was quoted as saying previously on this page, hip replacement can be “a life-changing experience.”

If you would like to book a private consultation with one of our hip specialists in Glasgow to discuss hip replacement surgery, you can do so quickly and easily:

1. Online - by clicking the ‘Book an Appointment’ button at the top of this page.
2. By phone - If you would prefer to speak directly with us, please call our friendly bookings team on the number at the top of this page.