The Harborne Hospital
Mindelsohn Way B15 2FQ Birmingham
Hip replacement surgery
An operation to replace a hip joint with an artificial one. Hip replacement surgery can bring you great relief from chronic hip pain and improve your mobility.
What is hip replacement surgery?
If you suffer from hip pain that hasn't responded to other types of treatment, such as physiotherapy or steroid injections, your consultant may recommend a hip replacement. It is often the solution when your hip motion has become very limited and pain levels haven’t decreased.
Hip replacement surgery is one of the more common joint replacement surgeries. During this type of surgery, your hip joint is replaced with an artificial one known as a prosthesis. It may be metal, ceramic or plastic.
We are also using robotic technology in the planning of the surgery, to increase accuracy when determining the exact size, placing and positioning of the replacement implant. Our orthopaedic consultants have performed over 1000 robotically assisted surgeries to date which is helping to bring patients faster recovery times with less pain, which is helping them to return to an active lifestyle sooner. Here at HCA UK, we typically perform over 1000 hip replacements a year. The last figures provided by PHIN (Private Healthcare Information Network) reported HCA UK was the number one in London for private hip replacement surgery.
Length of stay at one of our hospitals for a hip replacement varies according to your personal health conditions; however, the average stay is approximately 3 days.
At HCA UK we provide a broad range of orthopaedic services and specific hip treatments across our various locations. In 2023, 99% of our patients said they are likely or very likely to recommend us to their family and friends for orthopaedic care. And 97% of our orthopaedic patients rated us very good or excellent (2023 patient satisfaction surveys).
Why would you need hip replacement?
Deciding when it’s time for a hip replacement will be made once you have explored options with your GP or orthopaedic consultant. Typical symptoms present when hip pain keeps you awake at night and your ability to do everyday tasks such as going up stairs or getting out of a chair are slow due to a lack of mobility. Your hip pain may be linked to a specific condition such as hip arthritis or osteoarthritis.
To help know when it might be time to consider replacement surgery, one of our leading consultants has prepared a guide to the 4 signs you may need a hip replacement.
Need to know – private hip replacement surgery
Like all procedures, there may be some risks and side effects involved. Your consultant will explain these to you. Your consultant will talk you through your surgery so you understand what's involved.
Before the operation, you can prepare to make your life easier during your recovery. You'll need to use crutches or a walker to move around after the operation. It's a good idea to arrange for a friend or a family member to help you with tasks such as shopping, bathing and laundry during this time. You may also want to consider installing handrails in your bath, shower and staircase at home to help during your recovery.
Before the operation, you can prepare to make your life easier during your recovery. You'll need to use crutches or a walker to move around after the operation. It's a good idea to arrange for a friend or a family member to help you with tasks such as shopping, bathing and laundry during this time. You may also want to consider installing handrails in your bath, shower and staircase at home to help during your recovery.
Hip replacement surgery is usually carried out under general anaesthetic. For some operations it is sometimes carried out after a spinal epidural (an injection to block the pain in your lower half).
During a hip replacement, your surgeon will remove the ball part of your hip joint, along with any damaged cartilage and bone. They'll then replace them with the prosthetic ball and socket. The whole procedure usually takes a few hours.
During a hip replacement, your surgeon will remove the ball part of your hip joint, along with any damaged cartilage and bone. They'll then replace them with the prosthetic ball and socket. The whole procedure usually takes a few hours.
You will be cared for in hospital for a few days following the operation. After surgery, our physiotherapy team will encourage you to stand up and walk a little with the help of crutches. They'll also give you exercises to practise to help strengthen your hip and legs.
When you go home you’ll need to use crutches, a walker or walking sticks for a few weeks. Your consultant will let you know when you can get back to your usual routine, including work or exercise.
Recovery varies from patient to patient, dependent upon various factors that include age, fitness levels regardless of whether you are working or retired and the condition of your joint and surrounding muscles.
Often patients like to know when can they drive again or when can I return to work. Both are possible within or around 6 weeks post operation, depending how your implant incision heals. The incisions for hip replacements are much smaller now and are closed up will be covered with a dressing. To reduce the risk of any infection, avoid swimming and taking baths.
When you go home you’ll need to use crutches, a walker or walking sticks for a few weeks. Your consultant will let you know when you can get back to your usual routine, including work or exercise.
Recovery varies from patient to patient, dependent upon various factors that include age, fitness levels regardless of whether you are working or retired and the condition of your joint and surrounding muscles.
Often patients like to know when can they drive again or when can I return to work. Both are possible within or around 6 weeks post operation, depending how your implant incision heals. The incisions for hip replacements are much smaller now and are closed up will be covered with a dressing. To reduce the risk of any infection, avoid swimming and taking baths.
Hip replacement Q&A
To answer many of the questions that patients have about hip replacement surgery, we interviewed various patients who were treated across our network. Read about Michael’s and Yvette’s replacement experiences.
Michael’s story
Michael realised he had arthritis in his right hip and his mobility was severely affected. A recommendation brought him to The Lister Hospital.
Yvette's story
Yvette started experiencing pain in her hip 7 years ago. She felt concerned about the growing discomfort impacting her quality of her life.
What are the lifetime precautions after hip replacement surgery?
The lifetime of a hip implant is 20-30 years which has increased as implants have improved over time. Advice for looking after your new hip will be dependent on lifestyle but taking care in the first three months is key. There are various tips to consider:
- Post operation, avoid applying pressure the wound eg avoid lying on the side of the replacement surgery
- Bending too far, avoiding more than 90 degrees
- Resisting the temptation to sit with crossed legs
- Repetitive and high impact activities that put stress on your hip joint. Those who enjoy fitness activities benefit from swapping out running for cycling
The Cost For Hip Replacement Surgery
Hospital stay and procedure
We offer self-pay patients fixed price packages for hip replacement procedures, for that extra peace of mind. Your consultant will advise you if one of the packages is suitable for your course of treatment, once you've had your initial consultation and any diagnostic scans have been reviewed. If you're eligible, there will be two options to choose from. We offer fixed price packages for both standard and robotically assisted replacement surgery.
The package cost for a hip replacement procedure are confirmed beforehand to give you the reassurance of knowing the costs that are covered. Here’s a list of the costs covered by the package:
- Standard prothesis
- Nurse-led pre assessment
- Medication
- Hospital accommodation (incl. meals)
- Inpatient nursing care
- Inpatient physiotherapy
Speak with you consultant who will confirm if a fixed price package is suitable for your treatment.
Our hospital locations
The Lister Hospital
Chelsea Bridge Road, SW1W 8RH London
The Wellington Hospital
8A Wellington Place NW8 9LE London
The Wilmslow Hospital
52-54 Alderley Road SK9 1NY Wilmslow
London Bridge Hospital
27 Tooley Street SE1 2PR London
The Princess Grace Hospital
42-52 Nottingham Place W1U 5NY London
Patient stories
How hip replacement changes after a decade: Eric’s story
Eric went from playing tennis frequently - and playing well - to barely being able to put his socks and shoes on in the morning.
A new hip and straight back into the spin of things
David’s gym video shows him repeatedly pushing up to 100kg on a single leg press – not particularly unusual for this keen cyclist, former competitive squash player and all-round fitness enthusiast. What is unusual is that 52-year-old David had hip surgery just 12 weeks earlier.
Yvette's story: From back pain to hip replacement surgery
Yvette (54) a journalist from Kent, started experiencing pain in her hip seven years ago in 2015. An ex-national gymnast who had been incredibly active and flexible her whole life, Yvette felt concerned about the growing discomfort impacting her quality of life, and so sought help from her GP.
Michael's MAKO hip surgery to treat his arthritis
73 year-old Michael, an avid walker and charity worker, was diagnosed with arthritis in January 2021. After facing long waiting times and increasing pain that was becoming more frequent, he started to look elsewhere for treatment.
Imaging centres
To help diagnose hip replacement treatment
At HCA UK we have over 20 diagnostic centres across our network which means we can offer imaging appointments on the same day of your consultation. Our diagnostic centres are located at the following locations:
LONDON DIAGNOSTIC CENTRES
Central: 16 & 30 Devonshire Street, 154 Harley Street, Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health (ISEH)
North London: Wellington Hospital Outpatients, Golders Green Outpatients, and Elstree Outpatients
The City: The Shard Outpatients, City Outpatients and Canary Wharf Outpatient centres
West London: Chiswick Outpatients
South London: Chelsea Outpatients and Sydney Street Outpatients.
LONDON HOSPITALS
The Princess Grace Hospital, The Wellington Hospital, The Lister Hospital and London Bridge Hospital.
BIRMINGHAM HOSPITAL
The Harborne Hospital
CHESHIRE HOSPITAL
The Wilmslow Hospital
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This content is intended for general information only and does not replace the need for personal advice from a qualified health professional.