Hip Surgery
Hip Surgery (along knee surgery) is one of the most common types of orthopaedic surgery performed at North Downs hospital in Surrey.
From head to toe, you have different kinds of joints around your body, some that work like a hinge others that pivot and many more.
One of the largest and most important joints in the body is the hip joint – this is a ball and socket type of joint meaning it is also one of our most flexible joints. Whether you are standing, walking or running, the hip joint acts as a support for your upper body and assists in particular movements (bending for example).
There are many strong ligaments surrounding the hip joint as a well as cartilage (type of tissue) – they help to both reduce friction in the joint and support the joint.
Whether through arthritis, a fall or anything else that may cause pain to your hip joint, surgery may be needed to ease the pain and discomfort.
At North Downs, we have a team of experienced and specialised surgeons who can perform a range of hip surgeries to suit your unique circumstances.
Here are the different variations of hip surgery that we offer
Hip Replacement Surgery
As we get older our hip joints can begin to wear out and, although this can often be treated with painkillers, further steps may need to be taken such as a hip replacement, should conditions worsen.
However you may find yourself struggling with a painful hip, perhaps a fracture or you may have a form of arthritis (osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis), a hip replacement can relieve pain, improve movement, function and quality of life.
The procedure involves replacing your hip joint with an artificial hip joint (either metal, ceramic or plastic replacements).
Read more about hip replacement surgery
Revision Total Hip Replacement
Although a hip replacement should usually last between 10 and 20 years, you may be required to have a revision total hip replacement.
This can be for various reasons, for example you may dislocate/fracture or even simply wear out your artificial hip joint or it could become infected meaning a new artificial joint will need to replace your existing one.
Read more about revision total hip replacement surgery
Hip Arthroscopy Treatment
If you find your hip problem is not responding to nonsurgical treatments (physiotherapy and painkillers, for example) then your doctor may recommend you have a hip arthroscopy.
The procedure involves inserting a small camera (anthroscope) into your hip joint allowing the surgeon to view and examine the joint so they can therefore make a diagnosis and treat the problem. Depending on the diagnosis, your surgeon may make more incisions to insert the instruments needed to treat the hip.
Hip Block Injection
Sometimes, the symptoms of a hip problem may not be severe enough to treat with a hip replacement or any other type of major surgery. For example, you may be experiencing the early stages of osteoarthritis – causing you minor discomfort and pain – therefore a major surgery such as a hip replacement would not be necessary at this point.
A hip block is an injection (under x-ray control) used to ease the pain as it contains a small volume of both local anaesthetic and a synthetic steroid.
A hip block can also be used to identify the source of the pain before any other stages of surgery.
Our Consultants
We are very proud to be working alongside some excellent orthopaedic consultants who are highly respected in their speciality and come highly recommended by previous patients. All of our consultants go through regular validation to ensure that they work to the highest possible standards and remain up to date with current practice.
At North Downs hospital in Caterham you can feel confident that our surgeons can give you the advice and guidance you need to help you make an informed decision on the most appropriate treatment for your hip.
