Alternatives To A Hip Replacement

Common alternatives to a hip replacement

There are other treatments you can try first before having a hip replacement.

Treatments that may be tried first

Before having a hip replacement, your GP or doctor will talk to you about non-surgical treatments to help with your hip pain and stiffness.

These may include lifestyle changes and some types of pain relief, such as:

weight loss to reduce the strain on your hip if you're overweight (find out about managing your weight)
low-impact exercise such as swimming, walking or cycling, and muscle strengthening in the hips - a physiotherapist may advise and support you with exercising
using walking aids
wearing special footwear or insoles for your shoes
pain relief medicines, gels or creams
hydrocortisone (steroid) injections - an injection into the hip joint to help with pain and swelling

If you've tried these and they have not helped, your doctor may talk to you about having a hip replacement.

Sexual Health Advice

Throughout this series we have help and advice on staying healthy, dealing with Sexually Transmitted Infections, the risks of each type of the most popular gay sex and what to do if the sex you have is not consentual. The topics covered in this series include:

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