Alternative to Hip Replacement: Options Worth Trying First

For anyone told a hip replacement is on the horizon — and wanting to know what's genuinely worth trying first, with an account of what helps a deep joint like the hip and what doesn't.

A hip replacement is a bigger idea to sit with than most operations. So it's natural to ask whether there's a way to hold it off, or sidestep it — and there are options worth trying, provided you're honest about what a deep joint like the hip needs.

The short version: As with the knee, surgeons often prefer to delay a hip replacement where they can, because implants don't last forever. The alternatives worth trying first: strengthening and physiotherapy, weight management, activity changes, injections, and supporting the joint. One honest caveat, covered below: the hip is a deep joint, so a topical works differently there than at a shallow knee or knuckle. Used within a broader plan — and alongside your surgeon's advice — these options can help you hold onto your own hip longer.

What You'll Find Here

• Why hip surgery is often less urgent than it first sounds

• The alternatives worth trying first

• An honest account of what a cream can and can't do for a deep joint

• The delivery science behind supporting the joint

• When a replacement is genuinely the right call

Surgery Is Often Less Urgent Than It Sounds

The same logic that applies to knees applies to hips: implants have a lifespan, revision surgery is complex, and so surgeons frequently prefer to delay a replacement where it's safe to — especially in younger, more active patients. "You'll need a new hip eventually" is rarely "you need one now." That gap is your window to keep your own hip working as well as possible.

The Alternatives, Honestly Laid Out

Physiotherapy and strengthening.

The evidence-backed foundation. Building up the glutes and the muscles around the hip stabilises and offloads the joint, and can substantially improve pain and function even in a worn hip.

Weight management.

The hip is weight-bearing, so reducing load eases the joint with every step and slows wear.

Activity and gait changes.

A stick used correctly, pacing, and swapping high-impact activity for swimming or cycling all reduce the pounding a hip takes.

Injections.

Image-guided cortisone or hyaluronic acid into the hip can ease symptoms and buy time, though they're more involved than at the knee because the joint sits deep.

Supporting the joint.

Worth doing — but for the hip specifically, it comes with an honest caveat, which is the next section.

An Honest Word About the Hip's Depth

Here's where we'll level with you, because the hip is different from the knee. A knuckle or a knee sits close to the surface, so a cream applied over it is working right above the joint. The hip is a deep ball-and-socket joint, buried under muscle — so a topical cream's main action there is local: easing the surrounding muscles, soft tissue, and inflammation that feed into hip pain, rather than reaching deep into the joint the way it can at a shallow finger joint.

For hip osteoarthritis, a glucosamine cream is best seen as one supportive part of a broader plan — with the strengthening, weight management, and activity changes doing the heavy lifting for a deep joint. If your osteoarthritis also affects shallower joints, such as the knees or hands, a cream's reach there is far more direct.

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The Delivery Science, Briefly

With that established, the delivery science is still worth knowing, because it's what separates a glucosamine cream that reaches tissue from one that just sits on the skin. Glucosamine is a genuine building block of cartilage, but swallowed it barely reaches any joint — the tissue has almost no blood supply — and most creams never get past the surface.

The cream we've come to rate, URAH Joint Health Omega-3, exists to solve exactly that. Its micellar carrier — developed by researchers at Nanyang Technological University with the national agency A*STAR — is built to move glucosamine across the skin rather than leave it sitting on top, pairing it with omega-3 to calm inflammation. In a peer-reviewed knee trial it was linked to an average 61% increase in joint space width over 12 weeks, an indirect measure of cartilage thickness, and absorption research puts its uptake far above the oral form. For a hip, treat it as a supportive layer in the plan; for accompanying knee or hand arthritis, it works more directly. Applied daily, no drug-style cautions, backed by a 60-day guarantee.

Picture keeping your own hip going — walking, gardening, getting in and out of the car in comfort — while you and your surgeon decide about surgery on your timeline. If that's the goal, this is worth a place in the plan.

Support Your Joints — Shop URAH →

Alternatives to Hip Replacement, Side by Side

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When Surgery Is Genuinely the Right Call

Talk to your surgeon, and don't delay, if hip pain is constant including at night, if you can't walk far or bear weight, if the hip is stiffening severely, or if quality of life has dropped despite a real attempt at everything else. A hip replacement is a highly successful operation when the time is right — the aim is to choose that time with your surgeon, not to avoid it out of fear.

When to See a Doctor

Seek prompt care for a hip that's suddenly very painful or can't bear weight, for pain following a fall (which can signal a fracture, especially in older adults), or for a joint that's hot and swollen with fever. Any decision to delay hip surgery should be made with your surgeon.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long can you delay a hip replacement?

It varies widely — some people manage for years with strengthening, weight management, activity changes, and injections, while others progress faster. Because implants wear out, surgeons often support delaying in younger, active patients where it's safe and you're monitored. The key is using the time well — building strength and reducing load — rather than simply waiting, and watching for red flags like night pain or an inability to bear weight.

Does a glucosamine cream work for hip arthritis?

The hip is a deep joint, so a cream's action there is mainly local — easing the surrounding muscle, soft tissue, and inflammation rather than reaching deep into the joint the way it does at a shallow knee or knuckle. It's best used as one supportive part of a broader hip plan. For accompanying knee or hand osteoarthritis, where the joints sit nearer the surface, a micellar glucosamine cream reaches them more directly.

Can you live with an arthritic hip without surgery?

Many people do, for a long time, especially with a strong programme of glute and hip strengthening, weight management, activity changes, and pain relief. How well it works depends on how advanced the joint is. If the hip becomes constantly painful, stiff, or unable to bear weight, surgery may offer the best quality of life — a decision to weigh with your surgeon rather than avoid on principle.

What's the best exercise for an arthritic hip?

Low-impact movement that strengthens without pounding the joint: swimming and water exercise, cycling, and targeted glute and core work guided by a physiotherapist. Strengthening the muscles that support and stabilise the hip is the single most effective non-surgical step, because it offloads the joint. A physio can tailor a routine to your hip and stage.

Further Reading

• Alternatives to Knee Replacement: What Actually Works Before You Go Under

• Best Cream for Hip Arthritis: What Actually Helps a Deep Joint

• Advanced Osteoarthritis of the Knee: Options When You're Told It's 'Bone on Bone'

• How to Manage Arthritis Pain Without Medication

References

1. Kolasinski SL, et al. 2019 ACR/Arthritis Foundation Guideline for the Management of Osteoarthritis of the Hand, Hip, and Knee. Arthritis & Rheumatology, 2020;72(2):220–233. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31908163/

2. Onigbinde AT, et al. Symptoms-modifying effects of electromotive administration of glucosamine sulphate among patients with knee osteoarthritis. Hong Kong Physiotherapy Journal, 2018;38(1):63–75. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30930580/

3. Liang K, et al. Micellar transdermal delivery — comparative glucosamine blood absorption, micellar cream vs oral (Supplementary Figure S7). BMC Research Notes, 2016;9:254. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13104-016-2047-x

Naomi Kim has over 7 years of experience in healthcare, including founding a health startup. She contributes to Umicellar's evidence-based approach to joint health and healthy ageing.

Medical Disclaimer: This article is for information only and isn't a substitute for professional medical advice. It doesn't claim any product replaces surgery or regrows cartilage. Always consult your surgeon before delaying recommended surgery, and don't delay needed care.