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Hip Osteoarthritis
What is osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition that causes the joints to become painful and stiff. It is the most common type of arthritis in the UK.
The severity of osteoarthritis symptoms can vary greatly from person to person, and between different affected joints. For some people, the symptoms may be mild and may come and go, whereas others can experience more continuous and severe problems.
The hip joint is one of the commonest joints to be affected by osteoarthritis, because it is a weight bearing joint. People with osteoarthritis of the hip usually have difficulty with walking, climbing stairs, getting in and out of the car or putting on shoes and socks.
How do we treat hip osteoarthritis at the Mansfield Clinic?
Osteoarthritis is a long-term condition which cannot be cured, but it doesn't necessarily get any worse over time and it can sometimes gradually improve. A number of treatments are available to reduce the symptoms. Dr Allfree may choose to use one or more of the following treatment strategies to help your joint pain:
- painkilling medication
- a structured supervised exercise plan
- steroid injections into the affected joints can help
- in osteoarthritis of mild to moderate severity, hyalgan injections into the affected joint may be beneficial
- In a small number of cases, where the above treatments haven't helped or the damage to the joints is particularly severe, surgical advice may be required, to determine whether joint replacement is warranted.
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What causes hip joint osteoarthritis?
There are a number of factors that may contribute include joint injury, age and being overweight.
Other factors may also be important:
- There may be abnormalities in the normal development of the hip joints. If the shape of the ball and socket joint is not perfect, then this can predispose to osteoarthritis in later life.
- There may be inherited defects in the cartilage.
- Intensive weight-bearing sports, or jobs that put excessive stress on the hip joints, may have an important adverse effect on the joints.
What are the symptoms of osteoarthritis of the hip?
Symptoms of hip joint osteoarthritis include:
- Stiffness when getting out of bed
- Stiffness after prolonged sitting
- Pain in the hip joint, which tends to be felt in the groin, and radiates down towards the knee.
- A feeling of bone rubbing against bone - called “crepitus”
How is osteoarthritis of the hip diagnosed?
Dr Allfree will take your medical history, and then examine your hip joint. If necessary, he will suggest an x-ray to confirm the diagnosis, although sometimes x-rays can be misleading and look relatively normal when in fact there is osteoarthritis present.
How is osteoarthritis of the hip treated?
Hip joint osteoarthritis cannot be cured, but there are treatments that can help significantly. The aim of treating osteoarthritis of the hip is to improve the person's mobility and lifestyle. Treatment may involve any or all of the following:
- Rest
- Use of a walking stick
- Losing weight
- A structured exercise plan
- Painkillers such as paracetamol and ibuprofen
- Gentle osteopathic mobilisation techniques
- Occasionally Dr Allfree may suggest a steroid injection into the hip joint to improve the pain by reducing the inflammation within the joint
If these simple measures fail, then hip replacement surgery may need to be considered. If a surgical opinion is required, Dr Allfree will help you with the arrangements.