Hip surgery

10 million people in the UK are living with joint pain. So it's no surprise that more and more people are 
seeking help and treatment for problems in their bones and joints. If you're living with hip problems, whether pain or stiffness, its time to take action. Don't let pain make life a daily battle.

At The Priory Hospital in Birmingham, you'll have a private consultation with a bones and joints specialist, also known as an Orthopaedic Surgeon, within 48 hours of booking. You can do this by submitting an online enquiry, using our online booking portal or contacting one of our friendly advisors on 0121 4402323.

Your Orthopaedic Surgeon will work with experts across a range of specialties at our private hospital in Birmingham. Our multidisciplinary team includes Radiologists, Pain Management Consultants, Anaesthetists and Physiotherapists. Together they’ll diagnose the cause of your symptoms and establish a treatment plan that best suits your needs.

We offer various non-surgical treatments at The Priory Hospital in Birmingham. You might be recommended oral or topical pain relief medications; steroid injections; or physiotherapy sessions. 

For some people, these treatments won’t be enough to combat the pain and discomfort they’re feeling in their hip. If this is the case for you, your Orthopaedic Consultant may recommend surgery. What surgery you are recommended will be based on your individual circumstances. Rest assured, we will only suggest surgery if we feel it’s the best treatment pathway for you.

Your Orthopaedic Surgeon at The Priory Hospital in Birmingham might consider surgery if you are suffering from the following symptoms:

• Severe pain, swelling or stiffness: Severe hip pain or stiffness can have serious consequences on your quality of life. Whether it’s affecting intimacy with your partner, disrupting your performance at work, or holding you back from social or family activities, chronic pain can be incredibly difficult to live with. Our Joint Pain Matters 2020 campaign, which surveyed 8,545 people with joint pain in the UK, found that 43.79% of respondents had missed work due to their symptoms. Meanwhile, nearly 50% report that their romantic relationships had been affected.
• Significant pain that impacts your quality of life: Pain can impact many different aspects of your life, from your mental health to your ability to perform your everyday activities. Your Orthopaedic Surgeon will suggest surgery if your pain is interfering with your quality of life.
• Limited or restricted mobility: As well as causing reduced movement in your hip, your symptoms could affect your leg by making it difficult to bear weight on your leg or stand up. However, surgery and physiotherapy sessions can encourage and restore movement in your hip and leg.
• Disrupted sleep: Joint Pain Matters 2020 found that more than a third of people with arthritis or joint pain struggle with disrupted sleep. There are several ways your symptoms could affect your sleep. They could make it difficult for you to find a comfortable sleeping position, or pain could cause you to wake up from your sleep. Moreover, sleep deprivation can interfere with your pain pathways, which can trigger an increased sensitivity to pain and make your pain feel worse the following morning. Poor sleep can leave you feeling irritable, moody and fatigued. Chronic or long-term sleep deprivation could even put you at risk of developing health conditions such as type 2 diabetes. 

Your Orthopaedic Surgeon might recommend a hip operation to treat the following conditions:

• Osteoarthritis: This is the most common form of arthritis in the UK with almost 9 million people affected. It occurs when the protective covering at the ends of your joint deteriorates, causing the bones to rub together, which can lead to pain and stiffness. Total hip replacement surgery can be used to treat severe damage to the surfaces of your joint from osteoarthritis.
• Rheumatoid arthritis: This impacts more than 400,000 patients in the UK. It is an autoimmune condition where your immune system wrongly attacks your synovium (the lining of your joints), causing irritation and inflammation. As a result, your inflamed synovium gives off chemicals that can damage the structures that surround your joint. Your Orthopaedic Surgeon could recommend a hip arthroscopy to remove inflamed tissue.
• Hip labral tear: The labrum is the cartilage that surrounds the socket of your hip joint. A tear in your labrum can cause pain and a locking sensation.
• Fracture: A hip fracture is a crack or break in your femur (thighbone) following a fall or an injury. In addition to creating bruising and swelling around the injured part of your hip, a fracture could affect your ability to move or bear weight on your leg. Your Orthopaedic Surgeon will likely recommend surgery to treat a hip fracture. This might include internal fixation, to hold your bone in place while it heals, or a hemiarthroplasty, where your femoral head (the top of your femur) is removed and replaced with a prosthesis.
• Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI): An impingement can be caused by abnormal contact between the bones that form your hip joint. These consist of your femoral head (the ball at top of your femur) and acetabulum (socket). This abnormal contact can occur due to excessive bone growth that can affect the shape of your bones and cause them to not fit properly inside your joint. Hip impingement surgery involves a keyhole operation known as arthroscopic hip surgery to reshape your bones.

You will be seen by an Orthopaedic Consultant at The Priory Hospital in Birmingham within 48 hours of booking an appointment.

At your initial consultation at The Priory Hospital in Birmingham, your Orthopaedic Consultant will take you to a private consulting room where they will discuss your medical history and symptoms, including when they first appeared and how they have been affecting your daily routine. Your Consultant will also perform a physical examination of the affected area, and could suggest an X-ray or MRI scan to take a closer look at the structures inside your hip.

Once a diagnosis has been confirmed, your Orthopaedic Consultant will work with our experienced team of Physiotherapists and Pain Management Consultants at The Priory Hospital in Birmingham to create a treatment programme that is tailored to your requirements. If pain relief medication, steroid injections and physiotherapy does not improve your symptoms, surgery could be considered.

Your Orthopaedic Surgeon will explain what your surgery will involve, including how to prepare for your operation and the risks and benefits that are associated with your surgery.

Preparing for private hip replacement, hip revision or hip arthroscopy

Prior to your operation at The Priory Hospital in Birmingham, you will be asked to attend a preoperative assessment. This will include a general health check where your Consultant or one of our Nurses will measure your height, weight and blood pressure. Your Nurse or Consultant will also collect a sample of your urine or blood and an electrocardiogram (ECG) could be recommended to assess your heart’s rhythm and activity.

In addition to this health screening, your Consultant will advise that you prepare for your operation by keeping active to improve your overall health and to strengthen the muscles around your hip. If you smoke, you could be advised to quit smoking ahead of your operation to support your recovery and lower your risk of developing anaesthesia-related complications. You will also be encouraged to lose weight before your treatment if your body mass index (BMI) is higher than the normal range. This will help remove pressure on your joints and minimise your risk of post-surgery complications.

On the day of your hip operation at The Priory Hospital in Birmingham, you will be taken to a COVID-secure operating theatre where you will be greeted by your Orthopaedic Surgeon. You’ll be asked to lie down on a comfortable bed and offered either general or local anaesthetic (depending on the procedure).

If you are given general anaesthetic, you will be asleep throughout your treatment. Local anaesthetic works by numbing just the part of your body where your operation will be performed, so you will be awake. The type of anaesthesia that is administered will depend on the surgery that you are advised to have. Your private hip surgery at The Priory Hospital in Birmingham could include any of the following operations:

Total hip replacement surgery starting from £11,940*

If you are advised to have a total hip replacement operation, your Orthopaedic Surgeon will first create an incision around the side of your hip. The ball at the top of your femur (thighbone) will be removed and your acetabulum (the socket in your pelvis) hollowed out and replaced with an artificial socket. A metal shaft (stem) that is attached to a ball is then placed into the hollow of your femur. This metal stem and ball will fit into the new socket in your pelvis to form your hip joint.

Partial hip replacement surgery (also referred to as hemiarthroplasty)

During a hemiarthroplasty, your Orthopaedic Surgeon will use an incision in your hip to remove and replace your femoral head (the ball at the top of your femur) with a prosthesis. It can be performed to treat an intracapsular fracture, which is a fracture (a break or crack) inside the socket of your joint.

Your artificial implant or prosthesis in a partial or total hip replacement operation could be formed of ceramic, plastic, metal, or a combination of these materials. This prosthesis might be covered in a special coating to allow it to fuse to your bone or it might be held in place using bone cement, which is often made of synthetic resin.

Hip arthroscopy starting from £6,714*

Your Orthopaedic Surgeon at The Priory Hospital in Birmingham will perform your arthroscopy by making two to four incisions around your hip joint. An arthroscope (a thin tube with a camera) is passed through one of these incisions to allow your Surgeon to view the inside of your joint on a video monitor. Specialised surgical instruments can then be passed into your other incisions to perform your arthroscopic hip surgery. This could include reshaping your acetabulum (socket) and femoral head (the ball at the top your femur or thigh bone), removing any loose cartilage or bone in your joint, or repairing any tears in your labrum (the cartilage around your socket).

Hip revision surgery

If you have undergone hip replacement surgery, your prosthesis may eventually need to be replaced. This treatment is carried out through a hip revision operation, in which your Surgeon will first make an incision on the side of your hip to remove your prosthesis. A bone graft (a section of bone from another part of your body or a donor) could be used to replace any lost bone. Your new prosthesis will then be inserted and secured to the bones that form your joint with bone cement or special coatings that allow it to fuse to your bone.

After your operation at The Priory in Birmingham, your incision(s) will be closed with stitches and a dressing will be placed over your wounds. The duration of your hip operation will depend on the treatment that you require.

*The prices listed above include the cost of your initial consultation, treatment and post-discharge care at our hospital. However, these prices are only an estimate, and the final cost of your treatment will be confirmed in writing after your consultation. Further terms and conditions apply.

Once your operation has been completed, your Consultant will transfer you to a recovery ward. A member of our nursing team will offer you refreshments or pain relief medication to reduce any post-operative pain or discomfort. You will also be visited by one of our Physiotherapists at The Priory Hospital in Birmingham, who will guide you through an exercise plan to support your recovery.

Your physiotherapy exercises after surgery could include circulation exercises, hip abduction exercises (where you will need to move the leg on the operated side of your hip outwards), or hip flexion exercises (which involve raising the leg on your operated side). As well as guiding you through these exercises, your Physiotherapist at The Priory Hospital in Birmingham could offer you crutches to assist with walking. They will show you how to put on your crutches and walk or climb any stairs with them.

Your private hip replacement surgery recovery timeline

You should be able to walk with the support of a walking aid within one to two days of your hip replacement surgery. However, it can take up to eight weeks to be able to walk independently and it will be around six weeks before you can drive.

You could be discharged from our hospital in Birmingham after three to five days. We actually encourage discharge as soon as it’s safe, because studies have shown that people recover better when they get back home as soon as possible.

How long will your hip replacement surgery recovery take?

It can take about a year for your body to become completely accustomed to your replacement and to feel the complete benefits of your operation.

Your arthroscopic hip surgery recovery timeline

If you have had a hip arthroscopy, you should be able to go home the following day. You could require crutches for the first couple of weeks following your operation.

But it can take around six to nine months to make a complete recovery.

Your hip revision surgery recovery timeline

After your hip revision surgery, you might need to stay at The Priory Hospital in Birmingham for about two to four days. You will also need to use a walking aid for around four to six weeks.

When can you drive and return to work after a hip operation?

You will need to avoid driving for at least six weeks after your hip operation. Moreover, you will need to have complete control over your vehicle to meet the legal standards for driving.

Your return to work could take between six and 12 weeks. If your role is mainly sedentary (sitting down), you might be able to return to work sooner.

Your Orthopaedic Consultant at The Priory Hospital in Birmingham will explain when it is safe for you to drive again and resume working.

How much swelling is normal after hip surgery?

It is normal to have some bruising or swelling after surgery. If you have had an arthroscopy or replacement operation, it could take up to three months for any swelling to settle.

As the largest private hospital in Birmingham, we are proud to serve our patients from Birmingham, the Midlands, and those who travel from other parts of the UK and abroad to receive treatment at The Priory Hospital.

With 98.4% of our patients likely to recommend us to their friends or family, you can be sure you're in safe hands.

There are several benefits when you choose private treatment at The Priory Hospital in Birmingham, including:

• Flexible opening hours that allow you to book an appointment at time that suits your schedule, including the evenings and weekends
• An in-house private physiotherapy service to support your recovery
• Personalised Consultant-led care at every step of your treatment journey
• Access to our nearby rehabilitation centre, Circle Rehabilitation Birmingham
• Free car parking space and easy hospital access via public transport for patients based in Birmingham and its surrounding areas
• High patient satisfaction rates with nearly 98% of patients reviewing their care as excellent or very good

Start your treatment for hip pain at The Priory Hospital in Birmingham by booking your consultation online or submitting an online enquiry. You can also speak to one of our friendly advisors by calling a member of our team on 0121 4402323.