Are you experiencing discomfort or pain in your hip or the front of your thigh? If so, this could indicate the early stages of hip osteoarthritis. Although arthritis affects any joint, it typically affects weight-bearing joints such as the hip.
That’s why it is essential to seek medical attention if you are experiencing persistent pain or stiffness in these areas to determine the cause and appropriate treatment. A study has reported that the condition affects 10% of women and 7% of men over 45.
The pain and stiffness in your hip joints often get in the way of performing your everyday tasks. However, an early diagnosis and a dedicated treatment plan reduce hip pain, maintain function, and prevent the condition’s progression. Scroll down to discover more about the effective management of hip joint osteoarthritis.
What Exactly is Osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis of the hip is the most common form of arthritis and is referred to as the inflamed tissues that cushion the hip joints. It occurs due to cartilage’s natural wear and tear, which is the soft protective tissue at the bones’ end.
A hip is a large ball and socket joint with a cartilage layer that promotes good mobility without causing direct contact or damage. As the hip cartilage diminishes, the bones come in direct contact, resulting in pain, stiffness, movement loss, and bone spurs formation.
That said, it’s essential to discuss the causes and risk factors of hip pain due to osteoarthritis is essential. So, let’s look at them below.
Causes and Risk Factors
Generally, hip pain occurs suddenly and worsens over time if not treated. Below are some potential hip osteoarthritis causes and risk factors you must know.
- Hip Joint Abnormality: Genetically inherited poor bone structure or hip alignment might result in this condition.
- Trauma or Injury: A broken joint or cartilage in the hip due to a sudden impact will cause traumatic injury, which can resurface after many years.
- High-Impact Activity: According to health professionals, repetitive or prolonged high-impact activity increases the chances of hip osteoarthritis.
- Age: As you age, the hip cartilage weakens and becomes more susceptible to wear and tear, leading to osteoarthritis.
- Obesity: Being obese or overweight will accelerate the progression of osteoarthritis symptoms.
Symptoms and Diagnosis
Identifying the symptoms to facilitate the treatment process is essential. Some common hip osteoarthritis symptoms you must know are provided below:
- Persistent Pain
Initially, the discomfort in the hip area will be a mild, persistent ache that is only noticeable when the joint is in motion. However, as the condition worsens, the pain increases, even when kept at rest.
- Stiffness
The stiffness in and around the hip region worsens in the morning or after prolonged rest.
- Decreased Range of Movement
The effect of hip osteoarthritis affects your movements making it difficult to perform simple tasks like walking or bending. Moreover, such hip movement can also cause clicking noise or sensation.
Your doctor may diagnose hip pain based on your symptoms and physical examination results. Diagnostic tests such as X-ray is one of the commonly suggested imaging procedures to confirm the presence of osteoarthritis.
In certain cases, CT scans, MRI scans, and even blood tests are requested for further internal evaluation to detect the infection.
Management of Hip Pain from Osteoarthritis
Currently, osteoarthritis has no cure. However, when managing hip pain from osteoarthritis, you must focus on comprehensive treatment options to achieve long-term relief and improved quality of life. Some of them are listed out below.
Conservative Treatment Options
- Physiotherapy
Physical therapy for hip pain includes various techniques and stretches to help you increase your flexibility and range of motion. Regularly following the exercises strengthens the legs and hip muscles, improving mobility.
- Weight Management
Maintaining a healthy weight often helps alleviate the painful symptoms of hip pain caused by osteoarthritis. If you are obese, losing some excess pounds will relieve the pressure on your joints when doing strenuous activities like climbing the stairs.
- Lifestyle Changes
Taking corrective measures in your lifestyle modification, like eating nutritious foods, managing blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and following a regular exercise regime, will alleviate the symptoms and prevent the spread of osteoarthritis.
- Assistive Devices
Opting for assistive devices like walking sticks or canes reduces the stress on your hip region and effectively decreases the pain. Hence, you must wear bracing devices with the suggestion from your healthcare professional to alleviate the stiffness, and you will find yourself moving more steadily than before.
Medications
- Analgesics
Analgesics are commonly prescribed to relieve hip pain from osteoarthritis and avoid further damage. While taking this medication, follow the instructions to avoid serious side effects.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
NSAIDs are among the most common medications to treat pain from hip osteoarthritis. Some of them are ibuprofen and naproxen, which help reduce the inflammation in the injured area and ease the pain.
- Corticosteroids
Corticosteroids are also efficient anti-inflammatory drugs usually administered orally or by injection. They reduce the pain and inflammation in the hip joints temporarily.
- Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs (DMARDs)
DMARDs are used to prevent or reverse the progression of osteoarthritis. They help regenerate damaged cartilage tissues and preserve joints by blocking inflammatory reactions.
- Hyaluronic Acid Injections
The hyaluronic acid injection can improve your joints’ function while reducing stiffness and pain caused by hip osteoarthritis.
Surgical Options
- Hip Replacement Surgery
A hip replacement surgery is usually suggested when the osteoarthritis doesn’t respond to other treatments such as physiotherapy or steroid injections. The damaged cartilage and bone are improved and replaced with prosthetic elements.
- Hip Resurfacing
Hip resurfacing is another form of hip replacement surgery where the doctor uses implants to ease the pain and stiffness caused by osteoarthritis. The implant is a good replacement option for injured cartilage, enabling better fluid movement.
Tips for Managing Hip Pain from Osteoarthritis
Leading your life with hip osteoarthritis can be a stressful experience. However, implementing certain strategies will help you cope with the circumstances.
- Exercise Regularly
Studies show that exercise is the most effective method to alleviate the pain and other symptoms caused by hip arthritis. Strengthening and range of motion exercises will enhance muscle strength, stabilize joints and improve overall fitness.
- Maintain a Good Posture
Maintaining a good posture while standing, walking, or sitting helps prevent hip joint pressure or stress, effectively reducing the pain.
Conclusion
People often associate their aching hips caused by osteoarthritis as a part of growing older. However, you can experience dull throbbing and debilitating stiffness at any age. As the wear and wear from day-to-day life increases your chronic pain, you don’t have to accept it as a part of the condition.
Consult with your healthcare professional to follow an effective treatment plan, manage the symptoms, and treat hip pain from osteoarthritis, lessening its impact on your life. Besides, experts will help you build tailor-made management strategies to enjoy enhanced mobility and a healthy, fulfilling life.