What Is Osteoarthritis Of The Hip
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, and the hip is the second most commonly affected joint.
Everyones joints go through a normal cycle of wear and repair during their lifetime. As your joints repair themselves, their shape and structure can change. If this happens in one or more of your joints, its known as osteoarthritis.
A joint is a part of the body where two or more bones meet. Your hip joint consists of a ball at the top of the thigh bone, which fits into a socket in your pelvis.
The ends of both bones in a joint are covered by a smooth slippery surface, known as cartilage. This is the soft but tough tissue that allows the bones to move against each other without friction.
Osteoarthritis causes the cartilage in your hip joint to become thinner and the surfaces of the joint to become rougher. This can cause swelling, pain and stiffness, but not everyone will have these symptoms.
The exact cause of osteoarthritis is often not known, as there can be quite a few reasons why a person develops the condition. These include the genes inherited from your parents.
Osteoarthritis usually starts in people over the age of 45 and is more common in women than men.
Research has shown that injuries, and jobs that involve heavy lifting or long periods of standing up, are associated with an increased risk of developing hip osteoarthritis.
Being overweight can also be a factor, as it increases the load on your joints.
Exercises For Arthritic Hips
With specific exercise, you can strengthen your hip muscles and support joint movement. It is important to note that when you do these exercises, you should follow them precisely. You may experience muscle aches and some pain. Some of this is normal and you should allow time before changing your routine, as long as your doctor approves.
Perform all exercises slowly and with care, three times daily. You can select between three to four exercises for every session. Dont forget to stretch and warm up, as well as spend time cooling down. It is suggested to take an easy walk for a few minutes before starting your exercises. This helps get your muscles ready to exercise and improves circulation. Dont forget to take a slow walk at the end of your exercise to help your heart rate slow back down.
Suggested exercises for arthritic hips are:
1. Flexor Stretch
First stand with in a walking position. Both hands in front of you for support, lean and bend your knee from the forward leg. Push hips forward while keeping back straight. Youll feel the stretch from front hip to thigh through back leg. 20-30 second hold and repeat about five times.
2. Static Gluteals
Lie with your legs and back straight. Tighten your butt muscles by clenching and hold for ten seconds. Repeat 10-15 times.
3. Bridge
Lie with back with knees bent and squeeze your butt, lifting it from the floor. Dont arch the back. Relax and return to start. Ten repeats for a rep.
4. Active Hip Flexion
5. Active Hip Abduction
How Is It Diagnosed
If you see your physical therapist first, the therapist will conduct a full examination that includes your medical history, and will ask you questions such as:
- When and how frequently do you feel pain and/or stiffness?
- What activities in your life are made difficult by this pain and stiffness?
Your physical therapist will perform special tests to help determine whether you have hip OA, such as:
- Gently moving your leg in all directions
- Asking you to resist as the physical therapist tries to gently push your leg and hip in different directions
- Watching you walk to check for limping
- Asking you to balance while standing
- Testing the mobility of the hip joint
- Watching how you climb stairs, how you move from one position to another, etc.
Your physical therapist may use additional tests to look for problems in other parts of your body, such as your lower back. The therapist may recommend that you consult with an orthopedist, who can order diagnostic testing such as an X-ray or MRI to confirm the diagnosis.
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When To See A Doctor
Most of the time you can treat your hip pain yourself with simple self-help treatments. If your pain is extremely bad or hasnt improved after two weeks of regularly taking painkillers, you should see your doctor.
You should see your doctor straight away if:
- youve had a fall or injured your hip
- the pain is getting worse
- youre having difficulty with daily activities, for example walking, going up stairs or leaning forwards when sitting
- you feel feverish or unwell, or youve been losing weight.
Massage Helps Relieve Tight Hips By:
- stretching tissues that cannot be reached by foam rollers
- breaking down scar tissue
- increasing blood flow to tissues
- releasing endorphins to reduce pain
- relaxing the muscle through heat generation and circulation
Having hippain is a problem in this world and is really uncomfortable but following these steps will help get rid of hip pain or relief your hip pain. I use to have hip pain all the the time it wasnt until I learned why I was having hip pain that my hip pain went away. Now i never have hip pain and Im happy then ever before.What Can I Do For Arthritis Pain In My Hip
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How Will Osteoarthritis Of The Hip Affect Me
While many people wont have symptoms, those who do can have a wide range of experiences. Being diagnosed with osteoarthritis doesnt mean your condition will get worse, as there are things you can do to improve your symptoms.
In hip osteoarthritis, the pain comes on gradually over a period of months or years. However, it could also be triggered by a recent injury. You might find symptoms come and go and that the pain is worse at the end of the day.
The painful areas are usually the lower back, buttocks and groin. Some people also feel discomfort from the top of their thigh down to the knee. Sometimes it can even be felt all the way down to the ankle. This can be known as referred or radiating pain.
If your hip is badly affected, walking, standing up or bending down can suddenly become much more difficult. Your hip might also lock for a few moments.
If you have advanced hip osteoarthritis, the muscles around the hip can become smaller and weaker due to not using them. This then puts even more strain on the joint.
The best thing you can do at home for hip osteoarthritis is exercise, as it will strengthen the muscles that support your hip joint.
Sometimes the effects of osteoarthritis can make people feel depressed or anxious. It can also affect your sleep pattern and even your relationships. Its worth speaking to your doctor about these problems.
Remaining In One Position For Too Long
Regardless of whether you sit, stand or bike for extended periods of time, it may be that the amount of time in one position is the issue, more so than the activity itself. Do you experience stiffness when getting up from a chair? Try getting up more frequently. You could set a timer for every 30-45 minutes and just get up to walk a few steps. The overall amount of discomfort may be reduced over time.
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How Do I Treat Arthritis In The Hip
There is no magic cure for this. But there is a number of ways to reduce the pain, and take your lifestyle back.
They include:
- Exercise: Low impact strength training like aerobics or tai chi
- Weight loss: Aim to lose 5% within a 20-week period
Walking Aids
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs
- Topical NSAIDs
- Opioid and narcotic analgesics *
Surgical
Some physicians may suggest joint lavage and arthroscopic debridement. However, the medical community is divided on how effective either of these procedures may be.
The joint lavage comes from the French word for clean, and as you can imagine the procedure involves the cleaning and flushing of the joint with a sterile solution. Results have been mixed.
Whereas, arthroscopic debridement involves your surgeon removing loose tissue fragments from your hip joint. Again, results have been mixed.
Both procedures have been described as both a good short term solution to pain, as well as criticized as a mere placebo.
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How Does Osteoarthritis Affect The Hip Joint
Patients who have osteoarthritis of the hip sometimes have problems walking. Diagnosis can be difficult at first. That’s because pain can appear in different locations, including the groin, thigh, buttocks, or knee. The pain can be stabbing and sharp or it can be a dull ache, and the hip is often stiff.
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Exercise And Physical Therapy
Exercise is essential for reducing the risk of osteoarthritis and slowing its progress. Exercise not only helps you manage your weight, but it also improves strength, flexibility, and mobility.
Low-impact exercises are less likely to put strain on a damaged joint. Experts strongly recommend tai chi for people with hip osteoarthritis.
Other options include:
Regular stretching can help relieve stiff, achy, or painful joints. Here are some tips to help you stretch safely:
- Start by asking a physical therapist for suggestions and guidance.
- Do all stretches gently and build up flexibility slowly.
- Stop if you feel pain.
- Increase intensity slowly.
If you dont feel pain after the first few days of an activity, gradually spend more time on it. At first, you may find it hard to stretch very far, but your flexibility will increase over time, as you practice.
Here are a few possible stretches:
Forward fold
Start with your feet shoulder-width apart or sit in a chair. Slowly lean forward, keeping your upper body relaxed. You should feel the stretch in your hips and lower back.
Knee pull
Lie on your back. Pull your bent knee up toward your chest until you feel a stretch. If your body allows it, use your other leg to deepen the stretch.
Extended leg balance
This is the same exercise as the knee pull, but you start from a standing position. Place one hand along the wall for support.
Cobra
Here are some other stretches you can ask your healthcare provider about:
- standing hip flexors
What Should You Expect After Surgery
Most people get out of bed with help on the day of surgery or the next day. You will start physiotherapy right away. You will do special exercises and may need crutches for several weeks. It usually takes people 2 to 3 months to get back to doing their usual activities. But it may take a little longer than that for some people. A full recovery may take 6 to 12 months.
After you have recovered, you will probably be able to do your daily activities more easily and with less pain. You may find it easier to climb stairs, walk without getting tired, and do other activities that you did before surgery.
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Tight Hips May Also Be Caused By:
- standing after long periods of sitting
- A tipped pelvis, which creates a structural imbalance
- Postural habits like leaning over into one hip or leaning forward into both hips when standing
- sleeping all night on the same side of the body
- having one leg longer than the other
- Tight hips may also flare up when you perform lower body exercises, like squats and deadlifts.
Hip Exercise: Bodyweight Squat
Progression from the sit-and stand to help strengthen thighs and buttocks
- Stand with your feet shoulder-distance apart, or a little wider. If needed, hold on to something stable, like the back of sturdy chair or kitchen sink.
- Keep your chest lifted and shift your weight back into your heels while slowly pushing your hips back, as is you were sitting down into a chair.
- Keep your feet flat and lower yourself as far as youre comfortable .
- Push through your heels and bring your body back up to standing.
- Repeat the sequence 3 times gradually build up to more reps.
Tip: Keeping your feet a little wider than shoulder-distance apart is better for balance when you are struggling with hip pain, says Shroyer.
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Conditions With Similar Symptoms
A number of conditions that are not actually related to the hip joint can cause hip joint pain and symptoms in the “hip” area. These include:
Spinal stenosis This condition most commonly causes pain in the buttock, low back, and back of the upper thigh . Spinal stenos is a lower-back problem, not a hip problem. Spinal stenosis causes pain in the buttock area that some identify as part of the “hip.”
Greater trochanteric bursitisThis causes pain over the point of the hip . It also causes tenderness and sensitivity to pressure. Although this seems like a hip problem, it is a problem well away from the joint itself and is related to an inflammation in a lubrication point called a bursa. Greater trochanteric bersitis is not a joint problem .
Non-orthopedic conditionsVery occasionally, non-orthopedic conditions can cause pain in the groin that masquerades as hip joint symptoms ovarian cysts, hernias, and other intra-pelvic conditions can sometimes cause pain that is mistaken for hip joint pain.
Other types of arthritisOther forms of arthritis can cause similar symptoms to osteoarthritis of the hip in particular, post-traumatic arthritis and avascular necrosis are almost indistinguishable in many cases from osteoarthritis of the hip.
The diagnosis of osteoarthritis versus rheumatoid arthritis can be made by a physician with experience in treating conditions of this type.
Signs It May Be Time For A Hip Replacement
When is it time to consider a hip replacement? The at University of Maryland Medical Center may recommend to patients who, after non-surgical treatments for , continue to suffer and have the following symptoms.
You can make an appointment with one of our hip specialists by calling or .
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Arthritis In Certain Parts Of The Body Can Make It More Difficult To Walk Heres How To Deal With These Changes In Your Gait And Remain Mobile
Having arthritis in your hips, knees, ankles, or feet can making walking harder a side effect that can have consequences for your daily well-being and quality of life. I found myself limping to avoid pain, arthritis patient Lisa H. told us on Facebook. It got to the point where my daughter would imitate my walk, which made me realize I needed some help.
Managing the underlying disease, physical therapy to help correct your movements, and possibly using assistive devices or shoes can help you minimize changes to your gait and retain your independence and mobility.
What Does An Arthritic Hip Feel Like
Because of the damage to the cartilage, people with arthritis may feel as though their hip is stiff and their motion is limited. Sometimes people feel a catching or clicking within the hip. The pain usually gets worse when the hip joint is strained by walking long distances, standing for a long time or climbing stairs.
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The Best Exercises For Hip Arthritis
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , arthritis affects 54 million Americans, up to 24 million of whom experience limited mobility and discomfort. If you are one of these people, the idea of doing physical activities may seem counterintuitive, especially when you have hip arthritis and youre in pain. However, did you know that a lack of exercise can actually exacerbate your condition?
Although it may seem painful and uncomfortable, exercise can provide you with relief in the long run. Regular exercise can help strengthen your muscles and make your hip joint more stable, which is why orthopedic specialists recommend it as a crucial part of hip arthritis treatment.
Here are the best exercises for hip arthritis that you should discuss with your bone and joint specialist. Make sure to start with very little intensity and increase it slowly.
+ Best Exercises Recommended For Hip Arthritis
Hip osteoarthritis is the medical term for the more commonly known hip arthritis. The degenerative disease, osteoarthritis causes cartilage to break down. This makes the bones rub together which creates bone spurs, pain and stiffness. With osteoarthritis of the hip, you may not exercise because of the pain. It becomes a vicious circle because the lack of exercise may contribute to muscle atrophy and osteoarthritis. It is suggested to enjoy physical activity regularly to help keep muscles strong, promote balance and keep your hip joints healthy.
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Finding The Best Hip Arthritis Treatment In North Dakota
Dont let the symptoms of hip arthritis render you unable to do the things you enjoy. Exercise is your most effective pill-free treatment to alleviate the pain and symptoms of hip arthritis. You can consult any one of our board-certified, highly skilled orthopedic surgeons. They are experts in treating hip arthritis and can help you determine the exercises that best meet your needs. They can devise a treatment plan for you to reduce pain, maintain function, and prevent the progression of your condition.
Call us today at The Bone & Joint Center at 946-7400 / 900-8650 to schedule an appointment or use our online request form. We look forward to being your healthcare partner!