Hip Care

Depending on your needs, your team will include some combination of these specialists:

• Orthopedic surgeons
• Pain management specialists
• Physiatrists
• Physical therapists
• Radiologists

Your hip orthopedic doctor will take the time to get to know you, your condition and your health situation. This way, we can create a customized treatment plan that makes the most sense for you. Our experts are dedicated to getting you back to an active lifestyle.

The hip joint is the ball-and-socket joint where the ball-shaped top of the femur (the femoral head) fits into the socket (acetabulum) of the pelvis. This joint is surrounded by a joint capsule, muscles and ligaments. These body parts help increase stability of the joint and allow you to move.

Our team provides treatment for these and other hip conditions:

• Arthritis in the hip
• Athletic hip injuries
• Avascular necrosis
• Femoroacetabular impingement, or FAI (ball and/or socket of the hip joint are unusually shaped)
• Greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS)
• Hip dislocation
• Hip dysplasia (ball-and-socket of the hip don’t fit together properly)
• Hip flexor tendonitis
• Hip impingement
• Hip labrum tears and chondrosis
• Osteonecrosis (death of bone that causes collapse)
• Snapping hip syndrome
• Soft tissue injuries, including:
  • Contusions
  • Hip bursitis, such as trochanteric bursitis
  • Sprains 
  • Strains  

Your specialist will begin by completing a physical exam, including asking you questions about your symptoms and health history. Depending on your symptoms, we may also order imaging tests, such as:

• Electromyography (EMG). Your specialist can use this test to rule out nerve compression.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This imaging test uses a computer and specialized magnets to create detailed images of the inside of your body.
• Ultrasound. This type of test uses sound waves to create images of the inside of your body.
• X-ray. During this test, a specialized machine takes pictures of the inside of your body.

Your hip specialist uses the results of these tests to diagnose your condition and create your treatment plan. 

The treatment your specialist will recommend depends on your diagnosis, your overall health and other factors. In most cases, your specialist will start with more conservative treatment options. Our hip preservation program focuses on early treatment to spare more invasive treatments down the road.

Non-Surgical Treatment for Hip Conditions

Your specialist may try one or a combination of these treatments:

• Ice. Your doctor may recommend that you apply ice to your hip at home.
• Injections. Your specialist may recommend targeted image-guided cortisone injections to help you get relief. 
• Medications. Your doctor may recommend over-the-counter or prescription anti-inflammatory medications to help reduce your pain and hip stiffness.  
• Physical therapy. Working with a physical therapist can help strengthen your hip and core muscles. It also can improve your hip, pelvic and lower spine dynamics and posture.
• Rest. You may need to rest your hip to avoid worsening your condition. If you have an injury, resting the hip can allow it to heal.

Surgical Treatment for Hip Conditions

If conservative treatments are not enough to manage your hip condition, your hip specialist may recommend surgery. Your hip specialist will explain which hip procedure may be best for your situation.

Hip Realignment Surgery

Teenagers and young adults with hip dysplasia usually need surgery to re-align the hip joint. If hip dysplasia goes untreated, it will worsen over time and ultimately require full joint replacement surgery. Early hip preservation surgery can help postpone joint replacement surgery.

In mild cases, your surgeon may be able to perform this surgery arthroscopically. This means that they’ll use specialized tools and cameras inserted through small incisions (cuts). In more severe cases, your doctor might suggest an osteotomy, such as a periacetabular osteotomy (PAO). In this procedure, the surgeon cuts the hip socket free from the pelvis and re-positions it so it is better aligned with the ball of the joint.

Labral Tear Surgical Repair 

Without surgery, this impingement could lead to more degeneration and osteoarthritis with pain in the hip. This could cause the need for a total hip replacement. In most cases, your surgeon can perform this procedure arthroscopically. This means that they’ll use tiny incisions with specialized tools. You’ll need physical therapy after this procedure. During these sessions, you’ll focus on regaining the range of motion in your hip and strengthening muscles.

Hip Flexor Tendonitis Surgery

In most cases, your surgeon can perform this procedure arthroscopically. This means that they’ll use tiny incisions with specialized tools. You’ll need to undergo physical therapy after this procedure. During these sessions, you’ll focus on regaining your function and strengthening muscles.

Hip Replacement

If you have a severe or advanced hip condition, your hip doctor may recommend hip replacement surgery. During this procedure, the surgeon removes your damaged hip and replaces it with a surgical-grade metal or plastic hip joint.

New England Baptist Hospital is nationally recognized for our hip replacement expertise. Our team has received the prestigious Gold Seal of Approval for Advanced Certification for Total Hip Replacement from The Joint Commission. We’ve also earned a High Performing rating from U.S. News & World Report for hip replacement. These awards show that we have the training and experience to offer you the best care available.

We offer complete support for those who need a hip replacement, including a pre-operative virtual class.

New England Baptist Hospital is the first hospital in Massachusetts to use the Pivot Guardian Distraction System. This is a new surgical table for hip arthroscopy. Traditional tables have a post positioned between the patient’s legs. The pressure from this post can cause complications in the groin area. These can last several weeks, months or, in rare cases, be permanent.

Instead of using a post, our new table positions you on your back with the table slightly tilted and your feet over your head. This creates a gravitational pull from your upper body to open up the hip joint rather than needing the post.

Benefits of the Pivot Guardian Distraction System

There are several benefits to using this system:

• Better positioning for surgery
• Blood flows away from the hip, allowing for better operating conditions with less blood loss
• More blood flows toward the patient’s brain, reducing the risk of anesthesia-related complications
• Lower risk of groin complications traditionally associated with hip arthroscopy