When is a hip replacement necessary?

What do patients experience as their hip deteriorates over time?

Hugh: Well, what are the typical symptoms that people come to me with when they’ve got a problem with a worn out hip? What generally happens is people have symptoms which progress over a period of time. So, they might start off with fairly minor symptoms - maybe, just finding that it’s a bit hard to put their shoes and socks on. And then gradually as things slowly progress, they might find that they can’t walk quite as far as they would like and if things get more serious, then they tend to find they can’t sleep.

94.6% of Hugh Apthorp's patients report feeling 'Much better' 6 months after surgery vs 87.1% - the average for all other surgeons. Get in touch for more information.

What are the symptoms of a deteriorating hip and how do patients adjust?

Hugh: People’s symptoms vary hugely - so sometimes people will get more stiffness, and sometimes people will experience more pain - there’s no one symptom that people will get. But the common thing that people see is a reduction in their quality of life. And they often start to try and cover it up a little bit, if you like, by saying ‘I won’t walk to the shop, I’ll drive there and park as close as I can’. And what people start to do is live within their symptoms a bit.

That's when we recommend people come and visit us in clinic.

So, they learn how not to twist so it doesn’t make it painful, and people will carry on like that for quite a long time. But at some point, people will generally wake up and say to themselves ‘I’ve had enough of this, I need to do something about it, I want a better quality of life, I want to get back to doing sport, or I want to be able to play with my grandchildren’. These are the sorts of things that they lose when their hip symptoms get worse. And that's why hip replacement is such a fantastic operation, giving people back their quality of life.

And that's why hip replacement is such a fantastic operation, giving people back their quality of life.

Will replacement surgery stop pain?

Hugh: Hip replacement, cataract surgery, cardiac surgery are the three surgeries that have the best quality of life improvements in medicine. It’s a really dramatic thing that we see - when somebody comes in and they can’t walk, they’re limping, they’re in pain all the time, and they start to get ratty with their friends and their family - and then they're relieved of their pain. So, frequently people will say ‘I didn't realise how bad it had got’.

They’re finding their painkillers don’t work, they’re getting constipated because of the tablets they’re taking, they’re not sleeping - and it has an effect on them, on their families, everyone’s affected by it. And then when their pain is relieved and they’re walking better, and they regain their independence and their fitness, it rebuilds their lives - and it’s a fantastic thing to watch.

They regain their independence and their fitness. It rebuilds their lives - and it’s a fantastic thing to watch.

Mr Hugh Apthorp has among the highest success and satisfaction rates in the UK for hip replacement surgery (source NJR, patient reported outcomes measures). His revision rates (failure of primary procedure) have to be one of the lowest in the country.