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Hip surgery
Hip pain changes how you walk, sleep and live. This section explains the common hip conditions I treat, what can be done without surgery, and what modern hip replacement really involves.
Conditions + treatments
Common hip problems
Each guide follows the same honest format: what the condition is, what helps before surgery, what an operation involves, the real risks, and a week-by-week recovery timeline.
Hip osteoarthritis + total hip replacement
Groin pain, stiffness, a shrinking walking distance. When the joint surface is worn out, hip replacement is one of the most reliable operations in surgery. Full guide with recovery timeline.
Read the complete guide →Robotic-assisted hip replacement
A CT scan of your hip becomes a surgical plan, and the MAKO robotic arm keeps the bone preparation and implant position to that plan. I use it where it serves your result, not as a selling point.
Guide coming soonHip impingement + labral tears
Pinching groin pain in younger, active hips. Assessment, targeted strengthening, and arthroscopic options where appropriate.
Guide coming soonTrochanteric pain + gluteal tendinopathy
Outer hip pain, worse lying on that side. Usually managed without an operation; surgery has a role in selected cases.
Guide coming soonRevision hip surgery
When an existing hip replacement becomes painful, loose or unstable, careful investigation comes before any decision to re-operate.
Guide coming soonHip pain without a diagnosis yet
Groin, buttock or thigh pain can come from the joint, the tendons around it, or the lower back. The first job is working out which, with an examination and the right imaging.
Assessed at your first visitSigns it is worth an assessment
- Pain that wakes you at night or stops you lying on that side
- A walking distance that keeps shrinking
- Difficulty with shoes, socks and getting in and out of a car
- A limp that other people have noticed
- Pain that no longer responds to simple measures
- A previous hip replacement that has become painful or feels loose
Before any operation
Surgery is never the first recommendation
Most hips I see do not need an operation yet. When yours does not, you will hear that clearly, with a plan that actually helps in the meantime.
For most hip arthritis the first steps are activity modification, a strengthening program, weight management where it is relevant, simple anti-inflammatory medication, and in selected hips a targeted injection. These are not a delay tactic: many people get years of good function from them.
When those measures have been tried and the hip is still limiting your life, that is the point at which hip replacement is worth a proper conversation. You will get the real numbers and the real recovery before you decide.
What happens at your first visitHow I operate
My approach to hip replacement
Ask Dr Cooper
Hip questions answered
Short video answers to the hip questions patients actually ask. Each card becomes a playable answer with a transcript as it is completed.
When is it time for a hip replacement?
Anterior vs posterior hip replacement: what actually differs?
How long does a hip replacement last?
Not sure where you stand?
Is it time to see someone about your hip?
If hip pain is waking you at night, limiting your walking, or no longer responding to simple measures, an assessment gives you answers either way. Seeing me does not commit you to surgery.