Hip surgery in Blackburn

Hip pain and loss of mobility are the most common reasons a patient might come and see one of our orthopaedic consultants. When it starts to affect your hobbies and your lifestyle, preventing you from doing the things you love, you’ll understandably want answers, as well as relief from your symptoms.

Sometimes, the pain is so bad, even simple day-to-day tasks might be getting more and more difficult.

At a consultation with one of our hip specialists at The Beardwood, we can accurately diagnose your problem, starting your personalised treatment plan without delay to get you back on your feet as soon as possible.

You may even have pain in another area of your body, as issues relating to the hip joint can result in pain in the groin, running down your leg towards your knee. Sometimes this means our consultants see patients who believe they have a knee problem, and are surprised to discover the source of the pain is in their hip.

Clearly, an accurate diagnosis is needed, regardless of your symptoms, and this is all available to you at The Beardwood, with support from an expert team with vast experience in Orthopaedic concerns.

Joint replacements are one possible solution to severe hip pain, as this can dramatically improve quality of life, if you are a suitable candidate. We see many patients who assume that they will need a hip replacement because of their condition. However, this kind of extensive surgery is not always necessary, and is usually a last resort. 

A common cause of hip pain is arthritis. This may feel worse in the morning and after periods of inactivity. Depending on how far the arthritis has progressed, it can often be managed with steroid injections. These can be administered in our consultation rooms, and repeat injections can be organised if they have proved effective.

Some hip pain is even known to improve on its own without intervention. If your consultant believes rest will help your condition, our dedicated physiotherapy team can guide you in exercises that will help keep you mobile while you recuperate.

Occasionally, patients may need a hip arthroscopy to diagnose their problem. This is a form of keyhole surgery, where a thin, flexible tube with a tiny camera and light attached to it is passed through a small cut in your hip, which transmits a live feed to a screen, allowing your consultant to see inside the joint. Many issues discovered during the investigation can then be corrected at the time of the surgery, such as an impingement or tear of the cartilage.

To begin, your consultant will take a medical history, and then ask you about your symptoms. They will most likely want to know:

• What symptoms have you been experiencing?
• How long have you had these symptoms?
• Can you describe the pain? Is it a sharp, stabbing pain or radiating pain?
• Have your symptoms become progressively worse?
• Is your pain localised to your hip or does it spread down to your knee?

Most consultants will also want to perform a comprehensive physical examination of the entire limb, depending on the symptoms you present with. This usually consists of various exercises to bend and/or lift the leg, and your consultant will be looking for signs of ligament injury, as well as testing your stability. If you are presenting with pain in your knee, this will also help to indicate if that pain is referred from the hip joint.

This examination is often supplemented with an x-ray to help your consultant see the bone structures of your hip and the hip joint itself. This is the typical scan used to diagnose arthritis, allowing your consultant to see how far the arthritis has progressed.

With a diagnosis in hand, you and your consultant can then discuss options on how to proceed. Your consultant will outline all available treatment options, allowing you to make an informed decision on how to proceed.

If your symptoms haven’t responded to initial treatments, your consultant may wish to send you for further diagnostic scans at our on-site Imaging unit, such as an MRI scan if surgery is being planned. They may also consult with colleagues from other specialities, such as Neurology, in order to eliminate any other factors that may be of concern, such as back pain. Whatever may be needed, you’ll get clarity on the next steps towards recovery.

In cases where you need a hip replacement, your damaged hip joint will be replaced with an artificial implant. Implants used at The Beardwood are state-of-the-art, and all operations are monitored by the National Joint Registry, ensuring our excellent level of care is maintained across the board.

By choosing to have your treatment at The Beardwood, you’ll be able to take advantage of all these great benefits:

• Assessments ASAP – If your quality of life has been affected by the amount of pain your hip condition is causing you, you’ll want to be seen by a consultant without delay. By seeing patients rapidly, our consultants can get you started on the right course of treatment as soon as possible.
• Patient Satisfaction – 98.1% of other patients in 2019 said they would happily recommend the Beardwood Hospital to friends and family in an independent report, and we’re confident that you’ll agree. 98.6% also said that the quality of care here at Beardwood Hospital was either ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’. We aim to make your stay with us as comfortable as possible, and these results highlight our continued efforts to ensure this is achieved.
• Personalised care – We believe in a bespoke approach to treatment, tailoring each experience to our patients’ needs and whatever may be best for you.
• Remote Consultation – All our consultants have remote access to scans, and this has made the world of difference for both patients and consultants alike. If your consultant is working at one of our other sites and needs to see your latest scan, you won’t have to wait for an on-site consultation or clinic, reducing wait times and ensuring you can be contacted for an ad hoc appointment to get advice at any point through your treatment plan.
• A Multidisciplinary Approach – Our teams at The Beardwood work in tandem with each other to provide you with the best possible care from start to finish. Working closely with physiotherapists and neurologists, as well as a dedicated team of radiographers, anaesthetists, and nurses, you have support from medical professionals every step of the way during your treatment.
• Convenient appointments – With appointments available between 8am and 8pm Monday-Sunday, you are sure to find an appointment slot that suits your needs and availability.
• Free Parking – We know that parking should be the least of your worries when attending hospital, so to make life easier our car park is free of charge. In order to validate your parking, all you need to do is register your details with us at reception when you arrive.

If you have been suffering from significant hip pain, why not get in touch with our reception team today to book a consultation? Our consultants can organise the necessary diagnostic tests to investigate your symptoms, and outline all treatment options for you promptly, arranging any further scans or surgery if required.

For peace of mind and expert care, book an appointment online now.