What is a hip ultrasound?
A hip ultrasound is a scan of the soft tissues around your hip: the tendons, bursae, muscles and joint lining. It shows the common causes of pain on the side of the hip, fluid in the joint and snapping tendons, uses no radiation and lets the specialist watch the hip move.
What does a hip ultrasound show?
A hip ultrasound can show:
- Gluteal tendinopathy and tendon tears on the outside of the hip
- Trochanteric and iliopsoas bursitis
- Fluid or inflamed lining in the hip joint
- Snapping hip tendons
- Groin hernias and lumps
What causes pain on the side of the hip?
The most common cause is greater trochanteric pain syndrome: irritation of the gluteal tendons and the bursa over the bony point of the hip. It is especially common in women over forty and is often worse lying on that side, climbing stairs or after sitting. Ultrasound confirms it.
What is hip bursitis?
Hip (trochanteric) bursitis is inflammation of the small fluid-filled sac on the outside of the hip, usually alongside gluteal tendon irritation. It causes pain on the side of the hip and tenderness when pressed. Ultrasound shows the inflamed bursa and tendons, and can guide an injection.
What is gluteal tendinopathy?
Gluteal tendinopathy is damage to the tendons that attach the buttock muscles to the outside of the hip. It causes side-hip pain, often at night, and is now recognised as the main cause of what used to be called hip bursitis. Exercise-based treatment is usually effective.
Does hip bursitis go away?
Usually, yes, though it can take months. Exercises to strengthen the hip muscles, avoiding lying on the painful side and not crossing your legs help most people. A guided injection can ease stubborn pain while rehabilitation works. The scan confirms the diagnosis so the right plan can start.
Can hip bursitis cause groin, back or leg pain?
Side-hip pain from bursitis or gluteal tendinopathy can spread down the outside of the thigh towards the knee. Groin pain more often comes from the hip joint itself, and pain into the buttock and down the leg can come from the lower back. Ultrasound helps separate a local hip cause from one that needs a different test.
Can ultrasound show a hip labral tear?
Not reliably. The labrum, the rim of cartilage around the hip socket, is deep inside the joint, so ultrasound may show fluid or other clues but cannot rule a tear in or out. An MRI, often an MR arthrogram, is the right test, and your specialist will advise if you need one.
Can ultrasound show hip arthritis?
Ultrasound can show fluid and inflamed lining in the hip joint, but the bone and cartilage changes of arthritis are best seen on an X-ray. If arthritis is likely, your specialist will recommend an X-ray.
Why does my hip click or snap?
A snapping hip is usually a tendon flicking over a bony point as you move, on the outside of the hip or in the groin. It is often painless. Ultrasound can show the tendon snapping in real time, which confirms the cause.
When should I see a doctor for hip pain?
See a doctor if hip pain lasts more than a few weeks, wakes you at night, or limits walking. Go to A&E after a fall if you cannot put weight on the leg or the leg looks shortened or turned out, especially in older people, as this can be a broken hip.
Does a hip ultrasound hurt?
No. The probe rests gently on the skin with warm gel, and any movement is only as far as is comfortable.
How long does a hip ultrasound take?
Around twenty minutes, including a short chat, the examination and time to explain the findings.
How much does a hip ultrasound cost?
At Harley Street Ultrasound a private hip ultrasound costs £280, all fees inclusive: the examination, the specialist’s time, your written report and images. Same-day or next-day appointments are usually available.
What if you find something?
Your specialist tells you in the room, in plain English, and explains exactly what it means. You will never be sent home to wait for a letter. Most findings are benign and need nothing more than a sensible review date.
Anything that does need attention gets a clear, objective recommendation in your report: monitor, test further, or refer. Follow-up tests can usually be arranged at 99 Harley Street, often the same week, and those results are also explained to you personally.
Do I need a referral?
No. Harley Street Ultrasound is a private clinic, so you can book a hip ultrasound in London directly online or by phone. No GP letter, no waiting list, and same-day or next-day appointments are usually available. If you are searching for a hip ultrasound near me from anywhere in central London, we are at 99 Harley Street, a short walk from Regent’s Park and Oxford Circus stations.
If you are wondering how much a private hip ultrasound costs, the answer is published before you book: £280, all fees inclusive: the examination, the specialist’s time, your written report and your images. Insured patients should bring a referral or authorisation number if their policy requires one.
How soon will I have the written report?
Usually the same day: a Harley Street hip ultrasound comes with same-day results as standard, and you will already know the findings, because they are explained to you on screen during the appointment.
The written report is prepared by the specialist team and published to your secure patient portal together with your images, with measurements and a clear recommendation, ready to share with your GP or specialist.
What happens after the scan?
Nothing special: there is no aftercare needed. You can eat, drive and go back to work straight away. Diagnostic ultrasound at these intensities has no confirmed adverse effects, which is why it can be repeated safely for monitoring. If your results suggest a next step, your specialist explains it before you leave.
Can I still use the NHS afterwards?
Yes: completely. Coming to us privately never affects your NHS care. Our job is to get you answers quickly; if anything needs urgent attention, your specialist writes to your NHS GP recommending an urgent appointment, so you re-enter the NHS pathway with a diagnosis already in hand rather than joining the queue from the start.
