Total Hip Replacement Adelaide
Total Hip Replacement
When the hip decides what your day looks like.
A total hip replacement removes the worn ball and socket of the hip and replaces them with an artificial joint. For most people with advanced hip arthritis it settles the pain and gives back the movement the arthritis has taken.
Book a ConsultationKey points
- A total hip replacement replaces both halves of the worn joint: a stem and new ball in the thigh bone, and a metal cup with a hard-wearing liner in the socket.
- Every hip replacement is planned before the day of surgery from a CT scan of your hip and pelvis, so implant size, position, leg length and offset are decided on a model of your own anatomy.
- That plan is delivered with the Stryker Mako robotic system. Both hospitals Dr Mooney operates at have one, with the latest generation at Eastwood Private Hospital.
- The joint is reached through the direct anterior approach in most cases, so the hip is stable straight away and there are no restrictions afterwards on bending, crossing your legs or sleeping position.
- Consultations in Adelaide, Tea Tree Gully, Woodville, Naracoorte and Mount Gambier. Surgery at Eastwood Private Hospital and Calvary Adelaide Hospital.
What is a total hip replacement?
The hip is a ball and socket joint. The ball sits at the top of the thigh bone, the socket is part of the pelvis, and both surfaces are lined with cartilage that lets the joint glide. In hip arthritis that cartilage wears away, bone rubs on bone, and the joint becomes painful and stiff.
A total hip replacement replaces both halves of the joint. The worn ball is removed and a stem is fitted inside the thigh bone with a new ball on top. The socket is resurfaced with a metal cup and a hard-wearing liner. What you are left with is a new bearing surface that moves without the grinding of worn cartilage.
For most patients Dr Mooney uses a ceramic or metal ball running on a hard-wearing plastic liner, known as cross-linked polyethylene. It is the combination the Australian joint registry has tracked for decades, and the one with the longest published record behind it.
When is a hip replacement worth considering?
There is no single moment at which a hip needs replacing. The decision usually makes itself when three things are true at once:
- The pain is running your day: groin, buttock or thigh pain that interferes with walking, sleep, stairs, or putting on shoes and socks
- Non-surgical treatment has stopped working: physiotherapy, activity changes, weight management, simple pain relief and injections have been tried and are no longer holding things
- The X-ray matches the symptoms: the wear visible on imaging explains what you are actually feeling
Age on its own is rarely the deciding factor, and it is a question worth asking properly rather than assuming. Most hip replacements are done for osteoarthritis, but the operation is also used for inflammatory arthritis, avascular necrosis, hip dysplasia and arthritis that follows a fracture.
How Dr Mooney plans and performs a hip replacement
Every hip replacement Dr Mooney performs is planned before the day of surgery from a CT scan of your hip and pelvis. The scan becomes a three-dimensional model of your own anatomy, and implant size, position, leg length and offset are decided on that model rather than judged by eye during the operation.
For most hip replacements that plan is then delivered with the Stryker Mako robotic system. The robotic arm holds the plan during surgery and confirms implant position, leg length and offset in real time. Both hospitals Dr Mooney operates at have a Mako system, with the latest generation at Eastwood Private Hospital, so the robotic route does not depend on where your surgery is scheduled. There is more detail on the Robotic Hip Replacement page.
The joint itself is reached through the direct anterior approach in most cases, working through a natural gap between the muscles at the front of the thigh rather than cutting through them. Because the stabilising muscles are left intact, the hip is stable straight away and there are no restrictions afterwards on bending, crossing your legs or sleeping position. The Direct Anterior Approach page explains what that means for recovery.
Surgery is usually performed under spinal anaesthetic with a nerve block, and takes around 60 to 90 minutes. Dr Mooney operates at Eastwood Private Hospital and Calvary Adelaide Hospital.
What to expect after surgery
Frequently asked questions
There is no fixed point. Most people reach the decision when hip pain is limiting walking, sleep and everyday tasks like putting on shoes and socks, when non-surgical treatment has stopped helping, and when the X-ray shows wear that matches the symptoms. Dr Mooney will review your imaging and examination and give you a straight answer about whether surgery is the right step.
Australian joint registry data shows that more than 90 per cent of total hip replacements are still in place at 15 years, and modern implants are expected to last 20 to 25 years for most patients. Accurate implant positioning, body weight and activity level all affect how long a hip replacement lasts.
Most patients are up and walking with a frame or stick within hours of surgery and go home within two to five days. Walking aids are usually gone by four to six weeks, driving returns at around four weeks, and most daily activities are back by six weeks. Full recovery takes six to twelve months as strength rebuilds.
Most patients go home two to five days after surgery, and some are ready sooner. What matters is that you are safe on your feet, comfortable on tablets rather than injections, and have somewhere suitable to go home to. Dr Mooney and the ward physiotherapists work that out with you rather than to a fixed timetable.
Yes, for a while. Most patients use a frame for the first few days, move to a stick within one to two weeks, and are walking unaided at home by four to six weeks. Physiotherapy guides that progression, and rushing it tends to slow recovery down rather than speed it up.
Hip replacement is a well-established operation, but no surgery is without risk. The main risks are infection, which occurs in under one per cent of cases, blood clots, dislocation, a difference in leg length, fracture around the implant, and loosening over time. Dr Mooney uses antibiotics, clot prevention and CT-based planning to reduce these risks, and will discuss the ones relevant to you at your consultation.
Most hip replacements are performed under spinal anaesthetic, usually combined with a nerve block and light sedation, so you are comfortable and generally drowsy rather than fully asleep. A general anaesthetic is used where that suits you better. The anaesthetist will discuss the options with you before surgery.
Walking, swimming, cycling, golf and bowls are all encouraged once you have recovered, usually from around six weeks for low-impact activity and around three months for golf and bowls. Running and high-impact sport are generally discouraged long term, because repeated impact shortens the working life of the implant.
The direct anterior approach for most hip replacements. It reaches the joint through a natural gap between the muscles at the front of the thigh rather than cutting through them, which is why there are no restrictions afterwards on bending, crossing your legs or sleeping position. Some situations, particularly complex revision surgery, call for a different approach.
For most hip replacements, yes. Every case is planned first from a CT scan, and the Stryker Mako robotic arm then holds that plan during surgery and confirms implant position, leg length and offset in real time. Both hospitals Dr Mooney operates at have a Mako system, so it does not depend on where your surgery is scheduled.
Fees are based on AMA recommended rates. What you pay depends on your health fund and level of cover, and on whether your hospital and procedure are covered in full. Call the rooms for a written estimate before you commit to a date, or see the Fees page. Eligible HCF members may pay no out-of-pocket costs at Eastwood Private Hospital.
From the blog
Dr Luke Mooney
Dr Luke Mooney is an Adelaide orthopaedic surgeon who has built his surgical practice around hip and knee surgery. He trained in robotic-assisted joint replacement in Perth, one of the first surgeons in Australia to complete a dedicated robotic fellowship, and has since performed hundreds of hip and knee procedures at Orthopaedics 360 in Eastwood.
Dr Mooney is a Clinical Senior Lecturer at the University of Adelaide. He holds the qualifications MBBS, FRACS, and FAOrthA. When you see Dr Mooney, you see Dr Mooney: at every appointment, at surgery, and at every follow-up.
About Dr Mooney →- MBBS · FRACS · FAOrthA
- Clinical Senior Lecturer, University of Adelaide
- Orthopaedics 360, Eastwood SA
Gap free hip and knee replacement for HCF members
Eastwood Private Hospital is the only South Australian hospital in HCF’s No-Gap Joints Program. Eligible members pay no out-of-pocket surgeon, anaesthetist or hospital costs.
Ready to take the next step?
Call the rooms or submit an online enquiry. A GP referral is required for Medicare rebate purposes. Dr Mooney’s team will be in touch to confirm your appointment.