Bones. We’re all born with them. Some are big, some are little. Some break often and some grow crooked. As we age, they show their age just like the rest of our body. Our hips and knees are often the first thing to wear out. But how will you know when you need a hip replacement?

4 Signs Which Show You May Need a Hip Replacement

Your hip is a ball and socket joint. It helps you to move your legs and can move in many ways. The ball of the joint is the top of your femur or thigh bone. The socket is the hollow in your pelvis where the ball sits. There is a capsule made of fibrous material which holds the bones together. This is filled with synovial fluid which helps keep the joint moving freely. Muscles are responsible for helping rotate and move this joint.

Things don’t often, but they can go wrong. The reasons why people need a hip replacement vary, but here are four signs which show one may be on the cards:

1. You have pain in your hip almost all the time. It may keep you awake at night.
2. Your hip is stiff. You might be unable to get your shoes and socks on or off easily. It is hard to bend down or even stand up sometimes.
3. Your mobility is limited. You find it hard to walk to the letterbox anymore, or can’t do the long dog walks you used to. Mobility differs for everyone, but if you can’t do what you used to, you may be needing a hip replacement.
4. Pain relief is no longer working, nor are assistive aids such as walkers or walking sticks.

But before you speed dial your GP, stop. There are two things to consider. Firstly, you may not be ready for surgery just yet because:

• Your hip pain slows you down, but you can still do what you want to do
• You can still undertake all the activities you enjoy doing, even though you can’t do the strenuous ones anymore
• You haven’t tried less invasive treatments such as therapy or medications yet

Now I also mentioned you’ll need to consider a second thing: you’re probably going to have to wait. Our public health system remains under pressure. Hip replacements are an elective surgery, which means they get bumped down the list. You can end up waiting for years and still need to wait more.

Unless you’ve planned ahead. Taking out medical insurance when you’re healthy may seem like gambling. You don’t know if you’re going to need that insurance, but you still have to pay regardless. Yes, that’s true. However, I can tell you about many clients who took out medical insurance policies also not knowing, but later on were so glad they had. They were able to have the surgery they needed to replace their hip or knee when they needed it. Free of pain and with a better quality of life, they can now start enjoying life again.