# What to ask about before choosing hip surgery *Options Before Surgery | Hip Pain Treatment Tempe* > Compare exercise, medicines, clinic procedures, and surgery while considering hip pain treatment Tempe for lasting soreness. Hayden Butte packs a steep climb into a short Tempe outing. That climb can hurt even when flat walking still feels fine. Lasting soreness doesn't mean surgery must come next. I'd ask your doctor where the soreness begins. Joint arthritis differs from soreness in the strong cord joining an outer-hip muscle to bone. During an exam, the doctor may watch you walk and check sore spots, strength, and movement. An X-ray may help when arthritis is suspected. It can't show how the soreness changes your sleep or daily life. ## What to try before surgery Your first choices may include easier activity, strength work, physical therapy, or a cane. You'll usually hold a cane on the side opposite the sore hip. Medicines may help, but stomach, kidney, and heart concerns matter. Check with the doctor or pharmacist who knows your medicines. Choose one result to watch, such as easier stairs, longer walks, or better sleep. Set a date with your doctor to review that result. If nothing improves by then, don't repeat the same care for months. Ask whether you need another exam, a different treatment, or a surgery talk. ## What to learn about cost and time Get the total cost before agreeing to care at a clinic. Find out whether the first visit, later care, and any added treatment have separate charges. Some care may be cash-pay, which means insurance pays nothing and you'll pay the full bill. Don't rely on one price until you know what it covers. Ask how long the visit will take and whether you'll need a ride home. Find out when you can walk and drive as usual. Ask how many later visits may be needed. Those answers help you compare clinic care with physical therapy or surgery. ## When to ask about hip replacement alternatives Tempe offers Talk about surgery when daily life keeps getting harder despite simpler care. Ask which exam or X-ray finding supports surgery and what may happen if you wait. Also ask what result is likely with your health and current soreness. Don't let fear or sales pressure make the choice. For another opinion, bring your X-ray report, medicine list, and notes on earlier treatments. Include what happened to your walking and sleep after each treatment. Ask about the cost and recovery time for every choice. QC Kinetix medical providers, the people responsible for checking your health and giving the treatment, can review hip surgery alternatives and biologic therapies such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and concentrated PRP; the clinic prepares both from blood it draws from you and places the prepared plasma at the sore area with a needle. ## Sources 1. The 2019 ACR/Arthritis Foundation guideline makes STRONG recommendations for exercise, weight loss in people with overweight or obesity, self-efficacy and self-management programmes, tai chi, cane use and oral NSAIDs across hand, hip and knee OA - but its strong recommendations for topical NSAIDs and for intra-articular glucocorticoid injection are specific to the KNEE, not the hip. Kolasinski SL, et al. — [2019 American College of Rheumatology/Arthritis Foundation Guideline for the Management of Osteoarthritis of the Hand, Hip, and Knee.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31908163/). *Arthritis & Rheumatology*, 2020. DOI: 10.1002/art.41142. 2. OARSI 2019 designates arthritis education plus structured land-based exercise as CORE treatments for hip OA, and explicitly states that intra-articular corticosteroids, intra-articular hyaluronic acid and aquatic exercise - Level 1B/2 treatments for KNEE OA - were NOT recommended for individuals with hip or polyarticular OA. Oral and transdermal opioids are strongly not recommended (Level 5). Bannuru RR, et al. — [OARSI guidelines for the non-surgical management of knee, hip, and polyarticular osteoarthritis.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31278997/). *Osteoarthritis and Cartilage*, 2019. DOI: 10.1016/j.joca.2019.06.011. 3. The AAOS evidence-based clinical practice guideline on Management of Osteoarthritis of the Hip states verbatim: STRONG evidence supports intra-articular corticosteroids to improve function and reduce pain in the SHORT TERM; STRONG evidence does NOT support intra-articular hyaluronic acid, because it does not perform better than placebo for function, stiffness and pain; STRONG evidence supports physical therapy for mild to moderate symptoms; STRONG evidence supports NSAIDs for short-term pain and function; and MODERATE evidence does not support glucosamine sulfate. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons — [Management of Osteoarthritis of the Hip: Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline.](https://www.aaos.org/oahcpg). *AAOS*, 2017. 4. A Bayesian network meta-analysis of 11 randomized trials (1353 patients) in hip osteoarthritis found that at 2-4 months and 6 months NO injectable - corticosteroid, hyaluronic acid or platelet-rich plasma - significantly outperformed a saline placebo injection for pain or function. Pooled change from baseline exceeded the minimal clinically important difference in every arm including placebo. Gazendam A, et al. — [Intra-articular saline injection is as effective as corticosteroids, platelet-rich plasma and hyaluronic acid for hip osteoarthritis pain: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32829298/). *British Journal of Sports Medicine*, 2021. DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2020-102179. 5. FDA states verbatim that regenerative medicine products including stem cells, stromal vascular fraction, umbilical cord blood, Wharton's jelly, amniotic fluid and exosomes have NOT been approved 'for the treatment of any orthopedic condition, such as osteoarthritis, tendonitis, disc disease, tennis elbow, back pain, hip pain, knee pain, neck pain, or shoulder pain.' The only FDA-approved stem cell products in the United States are blood-forming (hematopoietic progenitor) cells derived from umbilical cord blood, approved only for disorders affecting blood production. U.S. Food and Drug Administration — [Consumer Alert on Regenerative Medicine Products Including Stem Cells and Exosomes.](https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/consumers-biologics/consumer-alert-regenerative-medicine-products-including-stem-cells-and-exosomes). *FDA*, 2026. 6. Pooled analysis of national joint registries (Australia and Finland, 215,676 hip replacements) put 25-year all-cause construct survival at 57.9% (95% CI 57.1-58.7); pooled case series gave 77.6% (95% CI 76.0-79.2). The authors conclude patients and surgeons can expect a hip replacement to last 25 years in around 58% of patients. Evans JT, et al. — [How long does a hip replacement last? A systematic review and meta-analysis of case series and national registry reports with more than 15 years of follow-up.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30782340/). *The Lancet*, 2019. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31665-9. 7. In a cohort of 2953 hips followed 11-28 years, radiographic hip OA raised the hazard of total hip replacement 13-fold (HR 13.2, 95% CI 8.1-21) - but more than four in five hips with radiographic hip OA had still NOT had a replacement 11-28 years later. Franklin J, et al. — [Natural history of radiographic hip osteoarthritis: A retrospective cohort study with 11-28 years of followup.](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21557524/). *Arthritis Care & Research*, 2011. DOI: 10.1002/acr.20412. ## What to bring to a consultation Note the sore area, its start date, and the task that makes it worse. Add changes in sleep, walking, and past care. You'll also need your medicine list and any X-ray report. QC Kinetix can discuss non-surgical options for hip soreness. The nearby office for most Tempe residents is the Chandler location on South Dobson. Call (602) 837-PAIN to confirm the visit and current travel details. Schedule a free consultation: --- Know why it aches and what you can try. See where hip soreness may begin, what you can try, and when it can't wait. Plain help with sore spots, safe home changes, urgent signs, and questions for a Tempe visit. This Tempe field guide is operated by the local owners of the QC Kinetix clinics across the Phoenix area, who may benefit when readers schedule through its clinic links. © 2026 Tempe Hip Frequency. General education for planning better questions, never a diagnosis for one person's hip.