Patient education · 15 articles · about 112 min

My hip journey.

This page will help you navigate your journey with Professor Rodda. Not all patients with hip pain need surgery, but getting the correct diagnosis and understanding your options is the first step to reclaiming the life you want to lead.

Watch

What to try before hip surgery

Professor Rodda on the non-surgical options worth trying before you consider a hip replacement.

Articles by phase

My hip journey, in order.

Each phase tells you who is responsible, what you should walk away with, and roughly when. Not everyone with hip pain needs surgery, and the early phases exist to work out whether you do.

Orientation

Arranging an appointment, what to bring, and what it costs.

Orientation · 6 min read

Booking Your First Appointment

How to arrange a consultation, with or without a referral, including telehealth for regional patients.

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Diagnosis

Working out what is actually causing the pain.

Diagnosis · 8 min read

Where Is Your Hip Pain Coming From?

Groin, buttock or outer hip: what the location of your pain suggests, and why hip arthritis is often confused with the back or the tendons.

Read

Reviewing hip imaging at Sunshine Coast Radiology

Diagnosis · 8 min read

Understanding Hip Arthritis

What it is, what causes it, how it's diagnosed, and why imaging and symptoms often disagree.

Read

Treatment Options

Working out what to do about it, including not operating.

What to try before hip surgery, film cover

Treatment Options · 9 min read

What to Try Before Surgery

Exercise, weight, activity modification and medication for hip arthritis, what actually helps, and what the evidence supports.

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Bone marrow aspirate concentrate preparation

Treatment Options · 8 min read

Injections for Hip Arthritis

Corticosteroid, hyaluronic acid, PRP and stem cell injections, what each involves and what the evidence actually shows.

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Treatment Options · 7 min read

What Is Hip Bursitis?

Greater trochanteric pain syndrome: what it feels like, why it is often mistaken for hip arthritis, and how it is managed.

Read

Treatment Options · 9 min read

How is an Anterior Total Hip Replacement Performed?

How the anterior approach to total hip replacement differs from other techniques, what the operation involves, and who it is suitable for.

Read

Preparation

Getting you ready, if you decide on surgery.

Your surgery day is coming up, film cover

Preparation · 7 min read

Your Preoperative Journey

What happens between deciding on surgery and the day of the operation: pre-admission assessment, medical optimisation, prehabilitation, and practical preparation at home.

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Professor Rodda talking a patient through the options

Preparation · 9 min read

Understanding the Risks

Every risk of hip replacement surgery, with how common each one actually is, what is done to reduce them, and which apply to you specifically.

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Intervention

The operation itself, to the plan you already agreed.

Intervention · 6 min read

What to Expect on the Day of Surgery

A step-by-step guide from arrival and admission through anaesthesia, the operation, and your first steps afterwards.

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Intervention · 9 min read

How is an Anterior Total Hip Replacement Performed?

How the anterior approach to total hip replacement differs from other techniques, what the operation involves, and who it is suitable for.

Read

Recovery

Getting you moving, and back to what you had stopped doing.

Recovery · 10 min read

Recovery, Week by Week

Day of surgery through twelve months, with what varies between people.

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A patient suite at Maroochy Private Hospital

Recovery · 8 min read

What's Normal, and When to Call

Pain, swelling, sleep, the week-three mood slump, and the warning signs.

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The terrace at Maroochy Private Hospital

Recovery · 9 min read

Getting Back to Life

Driving, work, travel, and sport.

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Recovery · 15 questions

Recovery, Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers to the questions people ask most about hip replacement recovery.

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Detailed clinical information

Longer reference articles on fees, timing, suitability and the individual procedures. Not part of the journey above, and not needed to get started.

Fees & Informed Financial Consent

A joint replacement generates four separate bills. What each one covers, and what you should have in writing before you commit.

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What is a Total Hip Replacement?

What the operation involves, who it is for, what the implant is made of, and what recovery looks like.

Read

Is It Time for a Hip Replacement?

There is no X-ray appearance, age or pain score that decides this. What actually does.

Read

Am I Too Old for a Hip Replacement?

There is no upper age limit. What decides it is fitness for an anaesthetic and what the operation would give you back.

Read

Nutrition and Joint Replacement

Protein, iron, vitamin D and blood sugar. What the evidence supports before surgery, and what it does not.

Read

Recovery & Rehabilitation

The milestone reviews, what is normal, what is not, and when to call the rooms.

Read

Returning to Sport

What you can do, what needs judgement, and what is worth avoiding, with the reason attached.

Read

Common questions.

Do I need a referral to see Professor Rodda?

If you have a GP referral, it comes straight to us and someone will call you within two business days. If you do not, call the rooms on (07) 5493 8038 and speak with our nurse practitioner, who can see you in person or by telehealth and arrange your appointment with Professor Rodda. A referral is still needed to claim the Medicare rebate on the surgical consultation, and the nurse practitioner can provide it.

Do I need surgery if I have hip arthritis?

Not necessarily. Many people with hip arthritis are managed well without surgery, using exercise, weight management, activity modification and medication. Surgery is considered when non-surgical options no longer control your symptoms and your quality of life is affected. The articles in each phase of this page walk through that decision in detail.

How long is the wait for surgery?

Once you and Professor Rodda agree on surgery, a date is usually scheduled between six and twelve weeks away. This allows time for pre-admission checks, imaging and preparation. Sooner dates may be possible in urgent cases.

How long will I be in hospital?

Most patients stay in hospital for two to four days after a hip replacement. The exact length depends on your recovery, your medical fitness, and how comfortably you are mobilising with the physiotherapy team before discharge.

When can I drive after hip surgery?

Most patients can return to driving around six weeks after surgery, provided they are off strong pain medication and can safely control the vehicle. This is discussed with you individually, as it can depend on which side was operated on and your recovery progress.

What health funds does Professor Rodda have no-gap arrangements with?

Professor Rodda participates in no-gap joint replacement arrangements with several health funds, including Medibank, Bupa, HCF and nib. What is covered varies by fund and by level of policy, and is best confirmed with the practice and your insurer before surgery.

Self assessment

Oxford Hip Score

A twelve-question survey used internationally to measure how much a hip problem is affecting daily life. It is not a diagnosis and it does not indicate whether surgery is appropriate, but the result is a useful thing to bring to a consultation. It takes about three minutes and nothing you enter leaves your browser.

Complete the Oxford Hip Score Preparing for surgery

0 to 19 Severe

Significant daily limitation. Night pain usually present. Difficulty with basic tasks such as dressing, washing, and walking. A consultation with an orthopaedic surgeon is strongly recommended.

20 to 29 Moderate to Severe

Pain and stiffness regularly interfere with daily activities and sleep. A consultation with an orthopaedic surgeon is recommended to discuss your options.

30 to 39 Mild to Moderate

Some limitation in daily activities. Consult your GP for further assessment and to discuss non-surgical management options.

40 to 48 Satisfactory

Joint function is generally satisfactory. If you are still experiencing pain or stiffness, consult your GP for further assessment.

Maroochy Private Hospital, Maroochydore, seen face on from the street

Where your surgery happens

Purpose-built facility.
Heart of the Sunshine Coast.

Professor Rodda consults and operates at Maroochy Private Hospital in the Maroochydore CBD, developed by Fortius Hospitals, the company he founded and is Chief Medical Officer of. The hospital was purpose-built for orthopaedic surgery, following international experience showing that procedures like joint replacement are moving away from large acute hospitals that treat everything, toward smaller specialised centres that do a few things extremely well. Maroochy Private is one of those centres.

The entire joint replacement journey is integrated within the one facility. Sunshine Coast Radiology operates its flagship musculoskeletal imaging centre in the building, so your scans happen where your surgeon works. Two allied health providers, Fortius Allied Health and Sports & Spinal, deliver physiotherapy and rehabilitation on site, and the University of the Sunshine Coast's clinical trials headquarters is in the building as well. The six operating theatres carry the latest integrated technology and were designed substantially larger than a standard theatre, specifically with orthopaedics in mind: room for surgical robots and advanced imaging equipment, and circulation space laid out to minimise potential contamination.

Professor Rodda consults from the Sunshine Coast Orthopaedic Group suite on Level 9, co-located with the ward. During your stay he is often just minutes away, consulting on the same floor you recover on.

“This hospital is about wellness, not about sickness.”

Professor Daevyd Rodda

The hospital team was handpicked. It includes many of the most experienced orthopaedic nurses and clinical staff from the Sunshine Coast and beyond. They were selected as much for their clinical acumen as for their positive mindset, contribution to team culture, and passion for caring for their patients.

The ward sits on the top floor of the building, and most patient suites have panoramic views of the Sunshine Coast. The best floor in the building went to the patients.

The same thinking runs through the rest of the building, down to the car park: nearly 300 spaces within the building itself, so patients with painful hips and knees walk metres from their car to the lift, not across a street.

The most important tenancy, though, is John Kyle Cafe on the ground floor. Your recovery starts with a barista-made coffee on the morning after your surgery.