Fast access to treatment for hip pain in London
While many people will experience mild hip pain at some point in their lives, this will often ease and resolve itself naturally over time. If your hip pain is not getting better or is particularly sharp or severe, it can have a significant impact on your daily life. Particularly severe hip pain can be debilitating - making any movement hard, if not impossible.
Perhaps you are suffering with severe pain in your hip, or perhaps your hip problems are causing pain in your groin, buttock, thigh or knee. Whatever your symptoms, our experts can make a fast diagnosis and quickly recommend the treatment to help you take control of your pain, getting back to normal life again.
Located in East London, about two miles from Canary Wharf, the hospital is easy to travel to for anybody who lives or works in the City of London or Central London. We also see patients from across Greater London, as well as further afield in the UK, and even international patients travel to us to benefit from the expertise of our renowned hip specialists.
Our team of hip specialists are here to help you get the support you need without delay. They would be delighted to meet with you to ensure you get the pain relief you need as soon as possible. Call or book online and you can usually arrange an appointment within 48 hours.
When your hips are working normally, you barely notice them, as movement is free of pain or stiffness.
If something damages your hip - whether disease or trauma - you may find that it becomes stiffer and more painful. Pain in the hip is usually hard to ignore, particularly if it is sharp or severe, and you may find you are no longer able to do many of the things you enjoy.
At home, you may find climbing your stairs becomes more difficult, and even sitting or lying down might be uncomfortable. If your hip pain is bad enough to wake you up at night, that is a strong indicator you should see an experienced hip consultant for assessment and advice.
We asked Mr Vivek Gulati, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at The London Independent Hospital to describe the effects hip pain can have on daily life. Here is what he told us:
"Hip pain can be debilitating. It can cause problems getting dressed, putting shoes and socks on, getting out of a bath, walking, and sleeping. All these things can affect your global, physiological health, as we know steps and activity give us cardiovascular health.
"In a younger person, hip pain may cause gluteal imbalance, with one leg becoming weaker than the other. It is hard to recover that muscle even with mild hip pain. This highlights the importance of identifying any problems in the hip earlier, and then taking prompt action."
Hip pain isn't even always in the same place for everybody. For example, if you are struggling with hip pain, you may find that it:
In a similar way, people will experience hip pain at different times. Some will find that it is much more noticeable at night, while others will find it stays the same throughout the day. Many people find that certain exercises like jogging or cycling cause their symptoms to flare up, while others will experience hip pain during pregnancy.
With so many types of hip pain, it is crucial you get a proper assessment before any type of treatment is given.
We can provide you with a range of treatments for hip pain in London (which can be seen a bit further down this page), and you have the reassurance of your treatment being planned and monitored by your consultant to ensure it delivers you the best possible pain relief.
Due to our location, many of the people we see live or work in central London - although excellent transport links make it very easy to visit us from further afield should you choose.
We know how frustrating and debilitating hip pain can be, and we can help you whether you have:
If you are concerned about any type of hip pain, it is easy to book a private consultation with the consultant of your choice at The London Independent Hospital. You can do this online or by phoning our friendly bookings team on the number at the top of this page.
The most common cause of hip pain in adults in the UK is osteoarthritis, which is the most common type of arthritis. There is no one cause for this, but we do know there are a combination of genetic and biochemical factors that can contribute to it.
Pain on the outside of your hip may be caused by hip bursitis. Bursitis happens when the fluid-filled sacs that protect your joints become inflamed. This can result in pain and swelling in your joints.
Your gluteal (buttock) muscles are the largest muscles in your body. They attach outside your hip joint at a location called the greater trochanter. Small and often repetitive injuries to the gluteal muscles and tendons can cause greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS), characterised by pain along the outer side of your hip, thigh or buttock.
This most often happens in younger people as a result of repetitive strain from lifting too many weights or doing a lot of gym exercises, but it can also happen in older people if their gluteal muscles weaken as a result of advancing years. This can cause what is called gluteal tendinopathy.
If you feel your hip is catching or locking, or is giving you very sharp pain, you might be experiencing hip impingement. This happens when the ball of your hip has an extra portion of bone that ends up catching in the socket and damaging the membrane of the socket (labrum).
An MR arthrogram can help diagnose this - this can be arranged for you on-site at The London Independent Hospital if required.
If you are a keen runner and have been increasing your training volume in preparation for a marathon, you might develop a stress fracture because of your increased training volume.
Stress fractures can cause groin pain and it is very important these are identified quickly so that further damage (and pain) can be avoided. MRI is the best imaging test to do this, and again, is readily available on-site at the hospital.
Occasionally, hip pain may not be caused by a problem in the hip. It may come from another part of the body - commonly the spine, knee or ankle. This type of pain is known as referred pain.
While the above are the more common causes of hip pain seen by Mr Gulati and his colleagues at The London Independent Hospital, there are several other causes of hip pain that your consultant will look to rule out during their investigations.
For example, Mr Gulati suggests that any significant or chronic hip pain should be investigated with an MRI of the lumbar spine, and this can be easily arranged for you right here in London.
During your assessment at The London Independent Hospital, your consultant will arrange any diagnostic investigations needed to ensure the cause of your hip pain is correctly diagnosed.
Your consultant will talk with you about your hip pain and will want to know:
People experience hip pain and are affected by it in different ways. Because of this, your consultant will want to know if your hip pain is bad enough to stop you from doing any of your normal activities or exercises or limiting you in any other ways. This is useful for them to know as they think about treatment options that would be suitable for you.
If your hip pain is affecting your sleep - whether preventing you from falling asleep or even waking you up from sleep - it is important you tell your consultant, as this can be caused by advanced osteoarthritis in the hip.
Your consultant will carry out a clinical examination of your hip, looking at how easily and fully you are able to move it and whether any particular positions are more difficult for you.
They will also look to see if your hip pain is affecting the way you walk or making you unsteady on your feet.
The clinical examination and discussion may be all that is needed for your consultant to make a diagnosis, but often additional scans will be needed to confirm a diagnosis, or to help plan suitable treatment.
Our on-site imaging facilities include X-ray, CT, MRI and ultrasound, so this can be easily arranged for you if required.
When your consultant has the results of any investigations back, they will meet with you again to explain the results and discuss suitable treatment options with you.
If hip surgery is advised to get you out of pain, they will talk to you about the operation, including the benefits you should expect to see from it as well as any potential risks or complications you need to be aware of.
If you have any questions or concerns, this private consultation is your ideal time to raise them with your consultant, who will be happy to talk them through with you.
Hip injections available at The London Independent Hospital include:
These injections are all done in one of our three operating theatres and are done as a day case, meaning you will not need an overnight stay at the hospital.
Hip injections are given in an operating theatre because the sterile, safe environment helps reduce the risk of developing an infection in your hip. We also use a special dye and either ultrasound or X-ray imaging to make sure the injection is given at precisely the right point for maximum efficacy.
Sometimes, hip surgery may be the best course of action for treating hip pain and stiffness.
If surgery is advised, our surgical team can provide a range of options for you, including hip arthroscopy (keyhole surgery) and hip replacement surgery.
Our team of experienced consultant hip surgeons can help you get the most suitable treatment for your specific needs sooner. With consultant-directed care at every stage, you will be well looked after in The London Independent Hospital. And you won't be stuck on a waiting list for weeks or months. We can often arrange a private consultation for you within a matter of days.
We know just how demoralising and tough long-term hip pain can be to live with. Our leading hip consultants have helped thousands of people in London who were struggling with - and concerned about - their hip pain. They would be delighted to help you too.
When you choose to go private with Circle Health Group, you can expect:
If you want to get your hip pain managed and under control without unnecessary delay, you can book your appointment online today or call a member of our team directly to arrange your visit.
Reception: 020 7780 2400
Mon-Sat: 8am-8pm
No on-site parking. Paid street parking available.
