Hip Arthritis

What is Hip Arthritis?

Hip Arthritis or Hip Osteoarthritis causes the degeneration and breakdown of the hip’s cartilage, either due to inflammation or injury to the hip. Arthritis of the hip is also called degenerative arthritis or age-related arthritis of the hip, as it is also an age-related disease.

What are the Types of Hip Arthritis?

The several types of arthritis that result in the hip region are:

Osteoarthritis – The hip joint is a type of ball and socket joint and to ensure a smooth movement, the end of the bones is covered with cartilage. But with time, this cartilage might wear off resulting in the grinding of the bones against one another. However, osteoarthritis can also occur as a result of some structural problems in the hip or even obesity.

Secondary Osteoarthritis – In this case, osteoarthritis of the hip is secondary to any of the following conditions. The femoral head loses its shape in diseases like Avascular necrosis of the femoral head, Childhood Perthes disease. Sometimes Acetabulum loses its shape due to childhood developmental dysplasia of the hip or due to an old healed fracture of the acetabulum. In either case, the hip joint becomes osteoarthritic after a few years. This is called secondary osteoarthritis.

Rheumatoid Arthritis – The synovial lining on the joint of the hip helps in the smooth movement of the bones by the synovial fluid which acts as a lubricant. The synovial lining swells resulting in pain and deterioration of the bones and cartilage. This type of arthritis is not limited to any age. It can occur in adults and children alike. When the condition occurs in children it is termed as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

Ankylosing spondylitis – The point where the spine meets the pelvis is known as the sacroiliac joint and when this joint along with the spine undergoes an inflammation, it is called ankylosing spondylitis. The problem can occur to people of all ages and is common in the age group 17 to 30.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus – This condition is also called lupus in short. This a type of autoimmune disorder and when it happens in the hip, there is damage in the joint along with some inflammation.

Psoriatic Arthritis – This arthritis is related to skin problems. When people develop psoriatic arthritis, they often develop psoriasis as their initial symptom.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of hip arthritis is normally made clinically by your surgeon along with the help of some X-rays and blood tests.

The most important help to diagnose the condition is a simple X-Ray.

Treatment Options

Although there is no cure for osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, all patients do not require surgery immediately. Some early stages can be managed by.

Lifestyle Modification – Activities that are strenuous on the hip joint are to be avoided, weight reduction helps in decreasing the load on the joint and can help decrease the pain during movements.

Physical Therapy – Early physical therapy has been shown to improve long-term pain relief and help maintain the overall health of the joint and the person. Daily exercise at home can also be performed once the patient learns the correct method of exercise.

Medication – There are several medications that can be used for the treatment of arthritis. NSAIDs are the most common drugs which are used for the treatment of osteoarthritis.

Surgery – If the pain and decreased movements become unbearable and can no longer be tolerated, surgery becomes inevitable. Hip Replacement surgery is one of the most commonly performed surgeries in India and the world. In this surgery, the joint is replaced by artificial devices (prosthesis)