Dr. Shwetabh Rai is a consultant orthopedic, joint replacement and spine surgeon in Varanasi who performs 10 to 12 surgeries every month at Shubhyash Hospital & Speciality Clinic, Bhojuveer, specialising in total hip replacement, partial hip replacement, revision hip replacement and hip fracture surgery, alongside knee replacement and trauma care. His approach is built on a clear diagnosis from your X-rays, an honest explanation of the options, and treatment matched to your age, bone quality and how you actually want to live.
He holds an MS and a DNB in Orthopaedics, an MCh, and a Diploma from SICOT (Société Internationale de Chirurgie Orthopédique et de Traumatologie), the international orthopaedic and trauma society based in Belgium. Over more than twelve years of practice he has combined Indian and international training in complex joint and spine work with modern trauma management, and he leads orthopaedics and trauma care at Shubhyash Hospital, where he performs 10 to 12 surgeries every month.
Patients and families value three things about his approach. He tries non-surgical treatment first and says so when surgery is not needed. He explains the X-rays and scans, the options, the risks and the costs in plain Hindi or English. And he gives every surgical patient a written plan with expected timelines, so recovery is measured rather than guessed.
Clear diagnosis, honest options, and a recovery plan you can measure.
Dr. Shwetabh RaiMS (Ortho) | DNB (Ortho) | MCh | Diploma SICOT (Belgium) | 12+ years of orthopaedic experience
These before-and-after images show hip replacement patients of Dr. Shwetabh Rai at Shubhyash Hospital, Varanasi, after total hip replacement, hip replacement for avascular necrosis and partial hip replacement for a femur fracture. Images are shared with each patient’s written consent, and results vary from patient to patient.
Before and after total hip replacement for advanced hip arthritis.
Before and after hip replacement for avascular necrosis of the femoral head.
Before and after partial hip replacement for a neck of femur fracture.
Individual results depend on the condition before treatment, the procedure performed, other medical conditions and how closely the rehabilitation plan is followed.
Total hip replacement surgery, whose medical term is total hip arthroplasty, removes the worn ball and socket of the hip joint and replaces them with an artificial ball, stem and socket, so that bone no longer grinds on bone. It is one of the most reliable operations in orthopaedics for pain relief, and it is performed when hip arthritis, avascular necrosis or a hip fracture has destroyed the joint surface beyond what medication and physiotherapy can manage.
The hip is a ball-and-socket joint. The ball is the head of the femur, your thigh bone, and the socket is the acetabulum in the pelvis. In a total hip replacement both are replaced: a stem goes down inside the thigh bone carrying a new ball, and a new cup is fixed into the socket. In a partial hip replacement, called a hemiarthroplasty, only the ball is replaced and the patient’s own socket is kept, which is usually the right operation after a neck of femur fracture in an older patient.
What a hip replacement does best is abolish the deep groin pain of a worn hip and restore the ability to walk, climb stairs, put on your own shoes and sleep through the night. What it does not do is make the hip behave like a twenty-year-old joint. Deep squatting, sitting cross-legged on the floor and extreme rotation are limited after surgery, and for many families in Purvanchal that is the single most important thing to discuss before the date is fixed rather than after.
Hip replacement surgery is needed when hip arthritis, avascular necrosis or a hip fracture has destroyed the joint surface and the resulting groin pain, stiffness and loss of walking distance no longer respond to medication, weight control and physiotherapy. Dr. Shwetabh Rai looks for these eight patterns at the consultation and matches each against your X-rays before any operation is proposed.
Deep pain in the groin that comes on after a few hundred metres of walking, and that may radiate to the front of the thigh or the knee, is the classic presentation of hip arthritis. When the distance you can walk keeps shrinking and ordinary errands become something you plan around, hip replacement surgery in Varanasi becomes a reasonable conversation.
Hip pain that wakes you when you roll over, or that does not settle with rest, signals that the joint surface is worn rather than simply irritated. Pain at rest and at night is one of the clearest indications that non-surgical treatment has reached its limit and that joint replacement should be discussed properly.
Difficulty reaching your own foot to put on a shoe or sock, cut toenails or pull on trousers is a loss of hip rotation, and it is often what patients notice before the pain becomes severe. This specific restriction improves reliably after hip replacement and is one of the changes patients remark on first.
A developing limp, or the feeling that one leg has become shorter, suggests the femoral head is collapsing or the joint is wearing unevenly. Leg length is assessed before surgery and the implant is chosen and positioned to restore it as closely as the anatomy allows.
Avascular necrosis, where the blood supply to the femoral head fails and the bone collapses, often affects younger adults and can follow steroid use, excess alcohol, sickle cell disease or a previous hip injury. Avascular necrosis treatment in Varanasi depends on the stage; once the head has collapsed and the joint surface is destroyed, hip replacement is the operation that restores function.
A fracture of the neck of the femur after a fall in an older patient is treated surgically, and the evidence is clear that operating early, ideally within 24 to 48 hours, gives the best chance of getting back onto the feet. Depending on the fracture pattern and the patient, this means fixation, a partial hip replacement or a total hip replacement.
Hip replacement is also performed for rheumatoid and other inflammatory arthritis, for post-traumatic arthritis after an old fracture, and for hips damaged by childhood conditions. These hips are often stiffer and more deformed, which is planned for in advance with additional imaging rather than discovered in theatre.
When medication, weight control, physiotherapy and a walking stick no longer keep the pain within limits you can live with, the joint has usually passed the point where non-surgical care can hold it. The decision to replace a hip is driven by how much function and sleep you have lost, not by the X-ray alone.
Many people with early hip arthritis do not need a replacement yet, so Dr. Rai starts with non-surgical treatment whenever the joint surface still has something left to protect. The aim is to keep you comfortable and mobile for as long as the hip allows, and to operate when the joint is genuinely worn rather than at the first sign of pain on an X-ray.
Avascular necrosis caught before the femoral head collapses, and hip pain coming from the soft tissues rather than the joint surface, are both treated differently. For ongoing joint pain without advanced arthritis, see joint pain management and hip arthroscopy in Varanasi.
Discuss your X-rays with Dr. RaiDr. Shwetabh Rai performs five types of hip replacement surgery in Varanasi, total hip replacement, partial hip replacement, bilateral hip replacement, revision hip replacement and hip fracture surgery, and which one you need is decided by your X-rays, your bone quality and whether the hip is worn or broken. Select each tab to see what the operation involves and who it suits.
The standard operation for a worn hip. Both the ball and the socket are replaced, with a stem in the thigh bone carrying a new head, and a new cup fixed into the pelvis.
Only the ball is replaced and your own socket is kept. This is usually the right operation after a displaced neck of femur fracture in an older patient with a previously normal socket.
Where both hips are badly worn, they can be replaced in one admission or staged a few weeks to months apart. Which is safer depends far more on your general fitness than on preference.
A second operation to replace an implant that has loosened, worn out, dislocated repeatedly or become infected. It is longer and more complex than a first replacement.
A fracture of the hip in an older patient is an emergency operation rather than a planned one. Early surgery, ideally within 24 to 48 hours, gives the best chance of walking again.
Total hip replacement replaces both the ball and the socket and is used for a worn arthritic hip, while partial hip replacement replaces only the ball and is used mainly after a neck of femur fracture in an older patient. The difference decides the length of the operation, the implant used and what recovery asks of you.
Usually advised for: patients whose joint surface is worn on both sides, who have groin pain at rest and a shrinking walking distance, and who are fit enough for the full procedure.
Usually advised for: older patients after a hip fracture whose socket was healthy before the fall, and patients whose general condition makes the shortest safe operation the right choice.
A hip implant has four parts, a metal cup fixed into the pelvis, a liner that forms the bearing surface, a new ball and a stem that sits inside the thigh bone, and the combination chosen depends on your age, bone quality and activity rather than on price alone. The NHS notes that a hip replacement is designed to last at least fifteen years, and the bearing surface is the part that determines wear.
1. Acetabular cupMetal shell fixed into the pelvic socket
2. LinerCross-linked polyethylene or ceramic bearing surface
3. Femoral headThe new ball, in metal or ceramic
4. Femoral stemSits inside the thigh bone and carries the headHip replacement surgery is performed in six stages, assessment and implant planning, anaesthesia and positioning, the approach to the joint, removal of the worn surfaces, fitting and stability-testing the implant, and closure with walking the same day or the next. The operation itself usually takes one to two hours. Follow the steps below to see what happens at each stage.
Before anything is booked
Dr. Rai examines the hip for movement, leg length and gait, and reads the X-rays to plan the implant size and position before the day of surgery. Blood tests, an ECG and a physician review confirm fitness for anaesthesia, and any dental or skin infection is treated first because it can seed an implant.
On the day of surgery
Most hip replacements are performed under spinal anaesthesia, often with sedation, which suits older patients well and reduces blood loss. You are positioned on your side or back depending on the approach, and an antibiotic is given before the incision.
First part of the operation
The incision is made over the hip and the muscles are separated along their natural planes rather than cut across wherever the approach allows. The worn femoral head is then dislocated out of the socket so that both surfaces can be seen and prepared.
The main step
The damaged femoral head is removed and the socket is reamed to a clean hemisphere of healthy bone. The thigh bone is then prepared to accept the stem. Accuracy here is what determines leg length, stability and how the hip feels for the next fifteen years.
Fitting the components
The cup is fixed into the socket, the stem into the thigh bone, and a trial head is used to check leg length, stability and range of movement before the final components go in. The hip is taken through the positions that risk dislocation to confirm it stays located.
Same day onwards
The wound is closed in layers and a dressing applied. A physiotherapist helps you stand and walk with a frame or crutches on the day of surgery or the next morning. You go home once you can walk safely, manage stairs and control pain on tablets, commonly one to three days.
The benefit of hip replacement surgery is the reliable removal of groin pain and the return of walking, sleep and independence, and it is one of the most predictable operations in orthopaedics for exactly that reason. Most patients walk with support within a day, return to work around six weeks, and keep an implant designed to last at least fifteen years.
The grinding pain of bone on bone is removed because the worn surfaces themselves are removed. Most patients describe the arthritic pain as gone from the moment they recover from the anaesthetic, with the remaining discomfort being surgical and temporary.
Patients who had reduced their world to the distance between chairs commonly return to walking for exercise and errands. The limp caused by pain usually settles quickly; a limp caused by weak abductor muscles takes structured physiotherapy to correct.
Hip pain that wakes you on turning is one of the most wearing parts of advanced arthritis. Replacing the joint surface usually restores unbroken sleep within the first weeks, which makes the rehabilitation that follows far more achievable.
Reaching your own foot to put on a shoe or sock, getting in and out of a car, and managing stairs without planning ahead are the changes patients mention most. For many families these matter more than any measurement taken in clinic.
The NHS states that a hip replacement is designed to last at least fifteen years. Modern cross-linked polyethylene and ceramic bearings wear more slowly than older materials, which is why the bearing surface is chosen against your age and activity.
After a hip fracture in an older patient, early surgery is what allows standing and walking to resume. The aim is not only to fix the bone but to prevent the chest infections, pressure sores and loss of confidence that follow prolonged bed rest.
Hip replacement surgery carries real risks, dislocation, infection, blood clots, leg length difference, nerve injury, fracture around the implant and eventual loosening, and serious complications are uncommon but never zero. Dr. Shwetabh Rai goes through each of these before you consent, because a decision made without them is not an informed decision.
The new ball can come out of its socket, most often in the early weeks while the soft tissues are still healing. This is why hip precautions are taught before you go home, and why the hip is stability-tested in theatre before the final components are fitted.
Wound infection is uncommon and reduced by antibiotics given before the incision. Deep infection around an implant is rarer but serious, and may need further surgery and prolonged antibiotics. Dental and skin infections are treated before surgery for this reason.
Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism are reduced by early walking, calf exercises, compression and blood-thinning medication where appropriate. Calf pain and swelling, or sudden breathlessness, must be reported immediately rather than waited out.
A small difference in leg length after hip replacement is common and is often not noticed once you are walking normally. Length is measured before surgery, planned on the X-ray and checked with trial components, and a shoe raise corrects the rare difference that does trouble you.
Injury to the sciatic or femoral nerve is rare and usually temporary. A fracture of the thigh bone around the stem can occur during insertion, particularly in soft osteoporotic bone, and may need fixation at the same operation.
No implant lasts forever. Over fifteen to twenty years the bearing surface wears and the implant can loosen, which may eventually need revision hip replacement. Younger and more active patients are more likely to need a revision in their lifetime.
Hip replacement recovery time runs from walking with support on the day of surgery to returning to most usual activities by around twelve weeks, with a hospital stay of one to three days, a return to desk work around six weeks and driving usually after at least six weeks. Open each stage below for what happens, what is restricted and what to watch for at home.
Preparation decides how smoothly the first fortnight goes. Blood tests, an ECG and a physician review confirm fitness for anaesthesia, dental and skin infections are treated first, and the home is set up before you need it rather than afterwards.
Most patients stand and walk with a frame or crutches on the day of surgery or the next morning, with a physiotherapist present. Hip precautions are taught before discharge and practised on the ward.
The first fortnight is about short, frequent walks, hip precautions and wound care rather than exercise. Stitches or clips are usually removed around ten days.
Physiotherapy focuses on the abductor muscles that control your gait, because weakness here is what leaves a limp behind after the pain has gone. Most desk-based workers return around six weeks.
By around twelve weeks most patients are walking without a stick and have returned to their usual activities, with the hip continuing to improve in comfort and confidence for several months more.
Physiotherapy after hip replacement begins on the first day in hospital and continues for about three months, because the operation removes the pain while physiotherapy rebuilds the abductor muscles that control your walking. Skipping it is the most common reason a technically good hip replacement leaves a patient with a persistent limp.
Physiotherapy goals by stage
Your physiotherapy plan is written down at discharge with the exercises and the timeline, so progress can be measured rather than guessed.
After hip replacement most patients stand and walk with a frame or crutches within a day, return to desk work around six weeks, drive after at least six weeks, and resume most usual activities by around twelve weeks, while following hip precautions in the early period. Dr. Rai confirms each of these timings for your hip at your reviews.
Hip replacement surgery cost in Varanasi starts from around ₹60,000 at Shubhyash Hospital, against roughly ₹1 lakh commonly quoted elsewhere in the region, and the final figure depends on six factors, total or partial replacement, one hip or both, the implant and bearing surface chosen, the room category and length of stay, your other health conditions and what the package includes. A written itemised estimate is given after consultation and X-rays, and Ayushman Bharat, health insurance and cashless TPA are accepted.
Shubhyash Hospital makes hip replacement affordable for families across Purvanchal by accepting Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY), all major health insurers and cashless TPA, and by pricing transparently, with hip replacement starting from around ₹60,000 against roughly ₹1 lakh commonly quoted elsewhere in the region. Every estimate is written and itemised, so cost is not the reason to delay a hip that needs replacing.
Choosing the best hip replacement surgeon in Varanasi comes down to six checks, joint replacement training and qualifications, how regularly they perform hip replacements, which implant they use and why, how clearly they explain your X-rays, what the written estimate contains, and who provides your physiotherapy afterwards. Ask these at the consultation rather than judging from a website.
Ask what the surgeon trained in and where. Dr. Shwetabh Rai holds an MS and DNB in Orthopaedics, an MCh and a Diploma from SICOT in Belgium, with more than twelve years of orthopaedic practice and 10 to 12 surgeries a month at Shubhyash Hospital.
Regular operating matters more than a long list of procedure names on a website. Ask directly how often the surgeon performs hip replacement, and who manages the complications when they happen rather than if they happen.
You should be told the make, the bearing surface and whether fixation is cemented or uncemented, with a reason tied to your age, bone quality and activity. An implant chosen without a stated reason is a question worth pressing.
You should leave the consultation knowing what your X-ray shows, whether the socket is worn, what your leg length is now and what the plan is for it. If the films are described only in general terms, ask to be shown them.
Ask for the estimate in writing with the implant, theatre, stay, physiotherapy and follow-ups listed separately. A single bundled figure makes it impossible to compare hospitals or to check what your insurance actually covers.
Hip replacement results depend heavily on abductor rehabilitation. Confirm who provides the physiotherapy, how many sessions are included, and who you call when something does not feel right in week three.
These Google reviews come from hip replacement patients treated by Dr. Shwetabh Rai at Shubhyash Hospital, Varanasi, and are reproduced in the patients’ own words. They describe the X-ray review, the operation and the physiotherapy that followed.
कूल्हे में दर्द के कारण चलना और बैठना बहुत मुश्किल था। डॉ. श्वेताभ राय ने जांच के बाद हिप रिप्लेसमेंट की सलाह दी। ऑपरेशन के बाद फिजियोथेरेपी शुरू हुई और अब पहले से बेहतर चल पा रहा हूँ।
घर में गिरने से कूल्हे की हड्डी टूट गई थी। परिवार बहुत परेशान था। डॉ. श्वेताभ राय ने इलाज के बारे में सब कुछ समझाया और ऑपरेशन किया। अस्पताल में अच्छी देखभाल मिली। अब सहारे से चलने में काफी सुधार हुआ है।
AVN की वजह से कूल्हे में काफी दर्द रहता था। ज्यादा देर चलना या बैठना मुश्किल हो गया था। डॉ. श्वेताभ राय ने मेरी रिपोर्ट देखकर हिप रिप्लेसमेंट के बारे में समझाया। इलाज के बाद दर्द में आराम और चलने में सुधार महसूस हुआ।
Reviews are published as written by the patient. Clinical results vary from patient to patient.
Shubhyash Hospital & Speciality Clinic at Kautilya Kon Road, near Vishal Mega Mart, Bhojuveer, Varanasi 221002 is the hip replacement hospital where Dr. Shwetabh Rai consults and operates, with an OPD open until 10:00 PM and a 24x7 trauma and emergency service, so consultation, X-rays, surgery, physiotherapy and follow-up all happen under one roof. Patients come from every part of Varanasi and from Chandauli, Ghazipur, Jaunpur, Azamgarh, Mau, Ballia, Mirzapur, Bhadohi, Sonbhadra and western Bihar; for out-of-town families the team tries to schedule consultation and X-ray review in a single visit. Areas we serve →
Hip replacement at Shubhyash Hospital follows six stops from your first consultation to rehabilitation, and non-surgical care is tried first where the joint surface still has something to protect.
Dr. Rai assesses hip movement, leg length and the way you walk, then reads the X-rays against those findings to decide whether the joint is genuinely worn out.
X-rays are templated to plan implant size and position. Blood tests, an ECG and a physician review establish fitness, and any infection is treated first.
Where the joint surface still has something to protect, weight control, physiotherapy, medication and a walking stick are tried before surgery is booked.
Usually under spinal anaesthesia. The worn surfaces are replaced, and leg length and stability are checked with trial components before the final implant is fitted.
A physiotherapist has you standing and walking with a frame or crutches within a day, and teaches hip precautions before you go home.
Stitches come out around ten days, physiotherapy runs for about three months focusing on abductor strength, and follow-up is commonly at six to twelve weeks.
These 16 answers cover when a hip replacement is needed, what it costs, how recovery works and how to book with Dr. Shwetabh Rai at Shubhyash Hospital, Bhojuveer.
Dr. Shwetabh Rai is an MS, DNB and MCh qualified orthopedic and hip replacement surgeon in Varanasi with 12+ years of experience, operating at Shubhyash Hospital, Bhojuveer.
He also holds a Diploma from SICOT, Belgium, and performs 10 to 12 surgeries every month. The right surgeon still depends on your hip, so apply these checks to anyone you consider.
A good hip replacement surgeon in Varanasi will answer all four at the first consultation.
Hip replacement surgery at Shubhyash Hospital in Varanasi starts from around ₹60,000, against roughly ₹1 lakh commonly quoted elsewhere in the region.
The final figure is confirmed in a written, itemised estimate after consultation and X-rays, and Ayushman Bharat, health insurance and cashless TPA are accepted.
When comparing hip replacement cost in Varanasi, ask whether physiotherapy and follow-up X-rays are included.
Yes, eligible patients can have hip replacement under Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY) at Shubhyash Hospital, with eligibility checked before a surgery date is fixed.
Health insurance and cashless TPA are also accepted, so patients without an Ayushman card can arrange pre-authorisation before admission.
Hip replacement under Ayushman Bharat in Varanasi is easiest to plan when your card is checked at the first visit.
Hip replacement is needed when a worn joint causes groin pain, stiffness and lost walking distance that no longer respond to weight control, medication and physiotherapy.
The decision rests on how much the hip is limiting your life and on what the X-rays show, and these findings usually tip it.
A hip replacement surgeon can assess these patterns with one examination and a set of X-rays.
A hip replacement usually takes about one to two hours in theatre, with longer away from the ward because of anaesthesia and recovery-room observation.
The stability checks made before the final implant goes in are a deliberate part of that time.
Your hip replacement surgeon in Varanasi will confirm the plan after reviewing your X-rays.
The planned hospital stay after hip replacement is usually one to three days.
Discharge depends on how you are managing rather than on a fixed date, so you go home once you can do the following.
Your expected stay at Shubhyash Hospital appears as its own line in the written estimate.
Most patients stand and walk with a frame or crutches on the day of hip replacement surgery or the next morning, with a physiotherapist present.
Your walking aid is then reduced in stages as your balance and hip muscle strength improve.
Physiotherapy after hip replacement in Varanasi continues for about three months.
Desk work commonly resumes around six weeks after hip replacement, and driving is usually allowed after at least six weeks.
Both timings depend on how your recovery goes, and Dr. Rai confirms them for your hip at your reviews.
Use a chair high enough to keep the hip above ninety degrees when you return to work.
Hip precautions are movement rules that protect the new joint from dislocating while the soft tissues heal, and they usually apply for the first six to twelve weeks.
Your physiotherapist will confirm exactly how long yours apply, because it depends on the surgical approach used.
Hip precautions are taught before discharge and practised on the ward.
No, deep squatting, sitting cross-legged and floor sitting are generally not advised after hip replacement, because they take the hip into its least stable range.
These positions are generally avoided for the life of the implant rather than only in the early weeks, which matters a great deal in Indian homes.
Hip replacement in Varanasi goes more smoothly when bathroom and seating are planned before surgery.
A hip replacement is designed to last at least fifteen years, according to the NHS, with the actual lifespan depending on your age, weight, activity and bearing surface.
No implant lasts forever. Over time the bearing surface wears and the implant can loosen, which may eventually need a revision.
Revision hip replacement in Varanasi is discussed honestly before a younger patient decides.
Total hip replacement replaces both the ball and the socket, while partial hip replacement, or hemiarthroplasty, replaces only the ball and keeps your own socket.
The choice follows the problem in the joint, so the two operations serve different patients.
Your hip surgeon in Varanasi will confirm which operation fits your X-ray.
Hip replacement is the treatment for avascular necrosis once the femoral head has collapsed, while earlier stages may be managed with other treatments.
The stage decides the plan, so an MRI matters more here than a plain description of your symptoms.
Bring any MRI you have to your hip consultation in Varanasi.
Yes, both hips can be replaced in one admission or staged a few weeks to months apart, depending on your general fitness rather than preference.
Each route has its own reason, so the decision is made after your fitness review.
Bilateral hip replacement in Varanasi is planned around your fitness for anaesthesia.
Age alone does not decide hip replacement, because the decision rests on your pain, lost function, X-ray findings and fitness for anaesthesia.
Patients at both ends of the age range can be good candidates, but the advice they receive differs.
A hip consultation in Varanasi should weigh these four points rather than your date of birth.
Call or WhatsApp +91 99567 61112 to book a hip replacement consultation with Dr. Shwetabh Rai at Shubhyash Hospital, Bhojuveer, where the OPD is open until 10:00 PM.
Bringing the right papers lets Dr. Rai review your hip at the first visit.
A hip replacement consultation in Varanasi should end with a clear answer on whether you need an operation.
Bring your X-rays to Shubhyash Hospital, Bhojuveer, and Dr. Shwetabh Rai will tell you plainly whether your hip needs replacing now, whether it can wait, and exactly what the operation would cost in writing.