Hip pain and injuries range from a muscle strain that settles in a few weeks to a fracture that needs urgent surgical treatment. Dr. Juilee Mhatre Nair assesses the cause of your hip symptoms and guides you through the right combination of rest, rehabilitation, and — when genuinely needed — surgical care.
What hip care and injury recovery covers
The hip is a deep ball-and-socket joint supported by strong muscles, tendons and ligaments, and lined with cartilage that allows smooth movement. Problems here range from soft-tissue injuries like strains and bursitis, to structural issues like labral tears, to serious trauma such as fractures and dislocations, to degenerative conditions like /osteoarthritis/. Hip care and injury recovery covers the full spectrum — from preventing problems in the first place to rehabilitating after surgery.
Who this suits
This page is relevant if you have hip pain from a fall, sports injury, or road traffic accident, ongoing pain with walking or climbing stairs, a limp that has developed gradually, or you are recovering from a recent hip fracture or surgery elsewhere and need a structured rehabilitation plan. Older adults with reduced bone density are at particular risk of fracture from relatively low-impact falls and should be assessed promptly after any fall involving hip pain.
Common hip injuries and their symptoms
- Hip strain — pain, swelling and bruising from overstretched or torn muscles/tendons, often after sudden movement or overuse.
- Hip bursitis — pain on the outer hip, worse when lying on that side, walking, or climbing stairs.
- Hip fracture — severe pain in the hip or groin with inability to bear weight, usually following a fall; this needs urgent assessment.
- Hip labral tear — deep hip pain with clicking, catching, or a locking sensation and reduced range of motion.
- Hip osteoarthritis — gradually worsening joint pain and stiffness, typically worse with activity and improved with rest.
Severe pain with inability to move the leg or bear weight after a fall, especially in older adults, warrants urgent medical attention rather than a routine appointment — this pattern is consistent with a possible fracture.
Non-surgical management first
Most hip strains, bursitis, and early-stage arthritis respond well to conservative care: rest and activity modification, targeted physiotherapy to strengthen the muscles supporting the hip, anti-inflammatory medication, and sometimes a corticosteroid injection for persistent bursitis or inflammation. The clinic's /physiotherapy-services/ are built around this kind of graded strengthening and mobility programme, often the first and sometimes the only treatment needed.
The surgical option and what it involves
Surgery is considered when conservative care has not resolved symptoms, when there is significant structural damage such as a labral tear causing mechanical symptoms, or when trauma — particularly a hip fracture — makes surgical fixation or replacement necessary for safe mobility. Options range from hip arthroscopy (a minimally invasive procedure to repair a labral tear or remove loose fragments) to fracture fixation, to /hip-replacement-surgeries/ for advanced arthritis or certain fracture patterns. Dr. Juilee Mhatre Nair will explain which option, if any, applies to your specific injury.
What robotic or precision-assisted approaches change
Where relevant — for example, in hip or knee replacement performed for post-traumatic arthritis — imaging-based planning and, where available, robotic-assisted techniques can help with precise implant alignment. This is a planning and precision tool, not a change to the fundamental surgery or a promise of a specific outcome; your surgeon still performs and controls the procedure throughout.
Preventive hip care
Alongside treating injuries as they occur, general hip care matters for reducing your risk of future problems. Maintaining a healthy weight reduces load on the hip joints, and regular low-impact activity such as walking, cycling or swimming supports joint health without excessive strain. Strengthening exercises for the muscles around the hip — including the glutes and hip flexors — improve joint stability, while attention to posture and body mechanics during lifting or prolonged sitting reduces unnecessary strain. For older adults in particular, fall-prevention measures at home and attention to bone health can meaningfully reduce the risk of a hip fracture in the first place.
Recovery phases
Recovery from a hip injury or surgery generally moves through an early phase of protecting the injury and managing pain, a middle phase of progressive strengthening and mobility work guided by physiotherapy, and a later phase of returning to normal or sport-specific activity. For fracture patients, especially older adults, this phase-based approach is combined with attention to fall prevention and bone health to reduce the risk of a further injury.
Risks, discussed honestly
Any hip surgery, from arthroscopy to fracture fixation to replacement, carries risks including infection, blood clots, nerve or vessel injury, and — particularly after fracture surgery in older adults — a period of reduced mobility that needs careful management. These risks are discussed individually based on your health, age, and the specific procedure being considered.
What influences the cost
Costs for hip injury treatment and surgery are influenced by the type of procedure (arthroscopy, fixation, or replacement), the implant used where relevant, the hospital setting and length of stay, and the rehabilitation plan afterward, along with insurance or cashless coverage. We do not publish a fixed figure — call or WhatsApp the clinic for a personalised estimate once your case has been assessed.
What a consultation involves
A consultation includes a review of how the injury happened (or how your pain has developed), a physical examination of hip movement and strength, and imaging review or referral where needed. Dr. Juilee Mhatre Nair consults at /spine-and-knee-clinic-kharghar/ and at Mhatre Accident Hospital via /spine-and-knee-specialist-panvel/, a location with particular experience in trauma and fracture care. Learn more on the /dr-juilee-mhatre-nair/ page.
Frequently asked questions
Common presentations include hip fractures (particularly in older adults with reduced bone density), hip dislocations, muscle or tendon strains around the hip, and labral tears of the cartilage surrounding the joint socket. The right treatment depends heavily on which structure is affected and how severe the injury is, which is why a proper clinical and imaging assessment is the first step.
Most hip fractures in adults do require surgical fixation or replacement, because the hip needs to bear weight reliably and fractures in this region generally do not heal well enough with rest alone to restore function. The specific procedure — fixation with screws or plates, partial hip replacement, or total hip replacement — depends on the fracture pattern, your bone quality, and your overall health, which Dr. Juilee Mhatre Nair will assess individually.
Pain on the outer side of the hip that worsens with lying on that side, walking, or climbing stairs is a common pattern in hip bursitis, an inflammation of the fluid-filled sacs that cushion the joint. It can usually be managed conservatively, but persistent or worsening pain should be assessed to rule out other causes such as a labral tear or early arthritis.
Dr. Juilee Mhatre Nair manages orthopaedic trauma and fracture care, including complex presentations, as part of her practice. Depending on the severity and the facilities required, care may be provided at NAIR Spine & Knee Clinic in Kharghar or at one of the partner hospitals in the NAIR Spine & Knee Clinic network. Call or WhatsApp the clinic to discuss your specific situation.
This depends entirely on what was injured and how it was treated — some fixation and replacement procedures allow early weight-bearing with support from a walker or crutches, while others require a period of protected weight-bearing to allow healing. Your surgeon and physiotherapy team will give you specific guidance for your injury rather than a generic timeline.
Talk to a spine and joint specialist
Share your symptoms, reports or scans and our team will help you book a consultation with Dr. Vishnu Vikraman Nair or Dr. Juilee Mhatre Nair at the Navi Mumbai location most convenient for you.