Hip arthritis is a condition usually associated with advancing age. However, it may affect anyone at a young age, especially those who are overweight. Treatments vary depending on the patient’s age and the severity of the condition. From simple weight management for less serious cases to hip surgery for serious ones. Following medical advice is necessary; so does patient’s awareness of relevant issues on the disease. In hip surgery cases, for example, a recall was made last year by DePuy/Johnson & Johnson of its hip implant brand.
BBC Reports More Than 100 New DePuy Lawsuits in UK over the hip implant product. It is always good to know not just your treatment options but the inherent and potential risks involved as well.
Hip arthritis is caused by a wear and tear of the cartilage in the hip joint. The symptoms of hip arthritis may occur sporadically or may directly be affected by weather changes.
Hip Arthritis: Its Symptoms and Causes
The first signs of the disease may occur in the morning as stiffness and discomfort in your hip section. Common symptoms may also include pain or difficulty in such daily routines as walking, moving around, climbing stairs and others. The pain is usually felt in the groin, the buttocks or, sometimes, into the knee. The hip joints are likely to stiffen and get inflamed further aggravating the pain and disability if left for granted.
Wear and tear, inflammation, infection and injury could lead to arthritis.
Treatment of Hip Arthritis
For osteoarthritis, the effects cannot be reversed but pain and disability can be reduced with proper treatment. Moreover, it precludes the risks of surgery once it turns serious. Treatment may need certain modifications in one’s lifestyle to achieve recovery.
Initial treatment may include:
· Weight management for overweight patients.
· Hips must not be strained. Avoid unnecessary or vigorous activity that may strain the joint or muscle.
· Pain relief treatments.
· Low-impact aerobic exercises. Swimming is good exercise as the water buoyancy supports the body weight. Cycling is good for improving your strength and mobility.
· Use of assistive devices such as cane or walker.
· Enough sleep at night or morning naps.
· Good nutrition. Avoid food and drinks that trigger pain.
Surgical Treatment
Cedars-Sinai recommends osteotomy for the young and if the arthritis affects a small area only of the hip joint. In this procedure, the arthritic bone is rotated away from the hip joint to relieve it from weight strain. This provides long-term pain relief while at the same time, the patient gets to retain his hip joint and is spared from the risks of an artificial one. The disadvantages, however, are longer rehabilitation and the probability of arthritis developing in the newly aligned hip.
A total hip replacement surgery or arthroplasty may be recommended for advanced stages of hip arthritis. The damaged cartilage is replaced with an artificial joint. Post-operative rehabilitation follows to regain the flexibility and strength of the hip. Walking is a good post-operative exercise.
With the controversy and lawsuits generated by the
hip replacement recall, it is best to keep an open communication line with your surgeon and take initiative to know and understand your treatment options. In the end, any treatment would only be as good as the commitment patients give to their full recovery.
URL References:
cedars-sinai.edu/Patients/Health-Conditions/Arthritis-of-the-Hip.aspx
orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00213
cedars-sinai.edu/Patients/Health-Conditions/Arthritis-of-the-Hip.aspx
hipsandknees.com/hip/hipexercises.htm
