Hip Joint Arthritis
Hip Joint Arthritis
If you have chronic hip joint pain, it can come from a number of different areas. Unfortunately, it can take a good bit of testing before your doctor actually homes in on the cause of you problems. During that time, you may become very frustrated when your doctor comes up with solutions that do not work, as well as ones that cause damage to other parts of you health.
When you first report hip joint pain, your doctor will probably ask you to have x-rays done. Depending on the results, you may need to follow up with a bone scan and MRI. As may be expected, if you have bone tumors, fractures, or other reduced blood flow to the hip joint, your doctor will select treatments aimed at resolving those issues. Before you agree to these procedures, you should always do your own research, and find out what other options are available. Today, there are a number of new procedures that can help you, as well as herbal supplements.
Even though you may not be aware of it, diabetes and obesity can easily cause severe hip pain. Regardless of whether you have nerve damage or muscle damage, diet and exercise management will be vital elements of getting rid of your pain. Under these circumstances, even if you have arthritis, hip replacement or other forms of surgery will not be of much help.
Many people with chronic hip joint pain are actually suffering from pinched nerves, or other problems in the lower spine. Therefore, if your doctor wants to do a hip replacement without checking this out, you should ask for additional testing. At the very least, you can have peace of mind knowing that you have ruled out this particular issue. Even though it may take some effort to rule out all of the reasons why your hip hurts, you should make sure that your doctor explores every option before accepting the first diagnosis that comes along.
What are the newest procedures for hip joint arthritis?
I would like to avoid the radical procedure.
The newest treatments for severe advanced osteoarthritis are all variations of surgical treatments called total hip arthroplasties or hip replacements plus one surgical treatment that does not require the removal of the femoral head. The surgery itself is not much different than it ever was but these variations include new bearing materials such as ceramic/ceramic. Other bearing combinations are metal/poly, metal/metal, and ceramic/poly. The other variables involve the incision size and new techniques are being used in some cases which involve smaller incisions than was previously the case. The surgery that preserves the femoral head is called resurfacing. In this surgery, the femoral head is not removed and is covered with a metal ball. The socket in the pelvic bone is reamed out in the same manner as with a conventional hip replacement and a cup is inserted. It is done more in Europe than in the US and until recently the technique was in clinical trials in the US. It is now approved but not many surgeons do it. All of the above are treatments that involve major surgery.
In addition to surgery, recent studies have demonstrated some benefit for patients who take glucosamine. This is an OTC (rather expensive) dietary supplement, unregulated by FDA. The benefit perceived by some of the patients was pain relief.
OA is treated conservatively with acetominophen, NSAIDS, weight loss if needed, joint preservation, assistive devices (such as canes, walkers, orthotics, etc.), physical therapy, synvisc injections (approved for knee OA), and finally, when pain becomes severe, opiates. This is the point at which most consider surgical treatment.
I recommend this website, developed by an ortho surgeon in Sweden (and in sometimes slightly fractured translation) for patients. It covers all aspects of joint replacement and contains a wealth of information.
http://totaljoints.info/
The Hip Joint
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