Sound familiar?
- The pain sits in your groin or the side of your hip — and it's started showing up at night.
- Stairs, long walks, and getting up from low chairs all require a plan now.
- You've noticed the limp. So has everyone else.
Keep reading — this page walks you through what our surgeons would tell you in the exam room, before you ever book one.
Do I need a hip replacement?
A total hip replacement swaps the worn ball-and-socket joint for a smooth implant, relieving the deep groin and hip pain of bone-on-bone arthritis. It's one of the most reliably successful operations in all of medicine — and it's still the right move only after simpler treatments are used up.
The path most hips actually take
- Symptoms
Groin pain that spreads
Deep ache in the groin or outer hip, stiffness after sitting, pain that starts interrupting sleep and shortening walks.
- Diagnosis
An X-ray tells the truth
Standing X-rays show the cartilage space; "bone-on-bone" means the cushion is gone and the joint is grinding.
- First moves
Everything short of surgery
Activity changes, strengthening with our in-house therapy team, anti-inflammatories, injections when appropriate.
- The line
When surgery becomes appropriate
Night pain, a shrinking life despite conservative care, bone-on-bone imaging, and your own decision that the trade no longer works.
- The surgery
What actually happens
Roughly 90 minutes. Robotic assistance helps your surgeon position the implant precisely to a CT-based plan — precision that matters for leg length and stability. Many patients go home the same day from our surgery center at Woodforest.
- Recovery
Often faster than the knee
Walking day one; many patients ditch the walker within a week or two. Therapy with our own team, driving by weeks 3–6, and most people report the arthritis pain itself is simply gone.
Why patients choose Sterling Ridge for this
Fellowship-trained hip surgeons doing this every week, robotic-assisted precision, our own outpatient surgery center — where facility costs typically run below a hospital stay — and a 38-person rehab team that starts your recovery down the hall. And the honesty that makes the rest credible: if you're not ready for surgery, we'll say so. About a third of consults hear "not yet."
What does it cost?
Nationally, an in-network hip replacement bills in the same range as a knee — roughly $30,000–$60,000, dominated by facility and implant costs. We're in-network with major plans (Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Medicare, United Healthcare), and our outpatient center typically carries meaningfully lower facility costs than a hospital. Our team verifies your benefits and gives you a real estimate before you decide anything.
The proof
Common questions
How long does a hip replacement last?
Modern hip implants commonly last 20–25 years or more — registry data shows a large majority still functioning at the 20-year mark. For many patients, the first hip is the last.
Will my legs be the same length afterward?
Leg-length accuracy is one of the main reasons we use robotic assistance — the implant is positioned to a CT-based plan measured in millimeters.
Anterior or posterior approach?
Both are excellent in experienced hands, and the honest answer is that the surgeon's skill with their approach matters more than the approach itself. Ask us in the consult — we'll explain what's right for your anatomy.
Do I have to stay in a hospital?
Increasingly, no. Qualified patients have surgery at our outpatient center at Woodforest and sleep in their own bed that night.
I had my knee replaced by Dr. Flowers and I would like to thank the whole team at the Spring office.— Larry (Frank) Thomas · Google review
We serve the whole corridor — Conroe/Lake Conroe, Willis, and Magnolia — from the Woodforest campus, minutes away with everything on one campus.
The surgeons who replace hips here
Board-certified, fellowship-trained, and in the office every week — read their story, then decide.
Brian Flowers, MD, FAAOS
Rohan Gheewala, MDMedically reviewed by Keith W.V. Johnson, MD, FAAOS · Updated September 28, 2026