Hip & groin insights

Articles, patient insights and clinical explainers

Practical reading from Professor Paul Lee and the Lincolnshire Hip Clinic team — across hip replacement, Arthrosamid, ChondroFiller, PRP and the wider world of hip and groin pain.

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When hip OCA is considered before hip replacement

hip preservation

23 May 2026•Eleanor Hayes

When hip OCA is considered before hip replacement

Hip osteochondral allograft transplantation is a selective hip-preservation option for younger patients with a focal cartilage-and-bone defect of the femoral head, most often after trauma or osteochondritis dissecans. Evidence remains limited, with mid-term graft survivorship around 62.7% at 10 years and roughly a third of cases later converting to total hip replacement. It is not a like-for-like alternative for diffuse hip arthritis, and recovery is demanding — weight-bearing usually returns near 10 weeks and full activity by about 10 months.

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Private or NHS hip replacement and recovery

Hip replacement surgery

23 May 2026•Eleanor Hayes

Private or NHS hip replacement and recovery

Private and NHS hip replacement differ mainly in access, not in surgery itself: NHS pathways begin with a GP referral and an 18-week maximum wait, while private care can start in 4 to 6 weeks and may not need referral. Recovery follows shared milestones — discharge in 1 to 3 days, driving from about 6 weeks, return to work around 6 weeks — but side-sleeping rules and early precautions vary by surgical approach and individual suitability, so what a package covers and how aftercare is run matter more than headline speed.

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Hip replacement walking and stair milestones

Hip replacement recovery

22 May 2026•Eleanor Hayes

Hip replacement walking and stair milestones

After hip replacement, progress is better judged by how the hip works in walking, stairs, balance and strength than by which week has passed. A mild early limp often reflects pre-operative habits and continuing weakness rather than a problem, and improvement shows in even weight-bearing over 5 to 10 minutes, smoother turns, and controlled stair use with less reliance on the handrail. Stronger signs of recovery are cleaner loading, pain-free weight-bearing, better range of motion for daily tasks, and steadier abductor and glute strength. Worsening pain or swelling, or a limp that grows with fatigue, signals that distance should be trimmed or the hip reassessed.

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Do I need hip replacement and which approach fits

Hip replacement surgery

22 May 2026•Eleanor Hayes

Do I need hip replacement and which approach fits

Hip replacement makes sense when pain, stiffness and reduced movement are life-limiting despite non-operative care, with function and confirming the hip as the pain source mattering more than X-ray findings or age alone. Recovery usually starts walking within 1 to 3 days, with crutches at first and home exercises soon after. SPAIRE is a muscle-sparing posterior approach designed to preserve the small posterior rotator tendons, suiting straightforward primary cases that prioritise stability and early mobility, while awkward anatomy or reduced femoral offset may favour another approach. Anterior, posterior and lateral techniques mostly show similar longer-term outcomes.

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hip cartilage repair

22 May 2026•Eleanor Hayes

Hip cartilage repair or hip replacement

Hip cartilage repair is worth considering only when damage is a focal, symptomatic defect in a still-viable joint, mainly in younger adults: once Tönnis grade reaches 2 or higher, restoration is generally ineffective. AMIC has largely supplanted older microfracture for full-thickness defects of 2 cm² or more, with 92.9–100% survival reported and far fewer conversions to total hip replacement. ChondroFiller is a one-step scaffold with smaller, less mature evidence. When the joint is globally worn, stiff and losing space, hip replacement is usually the more reliable route, and the size of one defect on its own does not decide the choice.

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Hip pain

22 May 2026•Eleanor Hayes

Is your hip pain serious

Hip pain is rarely dangerous, but severe sudden pain, a hot or swollen joint, fever, or inability to bear weight after a fall needs urgent NHS or A&E care to rule out fracture, dislocation or infection. Pain that lasts beyond 2 weeks of home care, disturbs sleep, or cuts walking, stairs or work warrants planned specialist review. Location is a useful clue but not a diagnosis — groin or front-of-hip pain points to the joint itself, outer-hip pain often reflects greater trochanteric pain syndrome, and buttock pain may be referred from the lower back. Hip osteoarthritis is judged more by symptom pattern than X-ray, and hip replacement is usually considered only after conservative treatment has failed.

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Hip injections

22 May 2026•Eleanor Hayes

Hip injection choices and recovery

Hip injections can ease pain or add diagnostic clarity but do not reliably prevent hip replacement: corticosteroid gives short-term relief averaging about 6.7 weeks, PRP has the most encouraging 6-month signal in earlier osteoarthritis, and hyaluronic acid evidence is the weakest. After a cortisone injection gentle walking is usually fine, but heavy exercise should wait 24 hours, and severe pain, redness, fever or worsening weight-bearing need urgent review. Ultrasound-guided technique improves accuracy, and when relief windows keep closing the hip needs reassessment rather than another injection.

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Lincolnshire Hip Clinic

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Led by Professor Paul Lee

Start with a free, non-medical discovery call with our team. We will tell you, honestly, which of our pathways — surgical or non-surgical — fits your situation. No GP referral, no pressure to proceed.

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What we offer

Hip replacement (SPAIRE) — £17,800 fully inclusive
Arthrosamid for hip arthritis — £2,995 per injection
ChondroFiller for hip cartilage — £2,995 per injection
PRP for groin pain — £1,200
Free discovery call, no GP referral needed