Hip Arthritis
The term arthritis literally means inflammation of a
joint, but is commonly used to describe any condition in which there is
damage to the cartilage. Hip arthritis is a major problem for many people;
it arises as a result of deterioration, whether normal or accelerated, by
rheumatoid arthritis, trauma, or joint collapse caused by a fault of blood
supply to the femoral head (the ball of the joint).
The hip is made up of a ball and a socket that is resistant to wear. Joint
surfaces are covered with smooth layer of cartilage, which functions as a
shock absorber together with the normal joint lubrication provided by the
joint lining. As a result, they provide smooth low friction surface. This
surface cartilage however, has a limited capacity to heal itself. As it
wears away, bone is exposed. Once the bone surfaces get in contact, they
cause pain while the cartilage has no sensation. The inflammation caused by
the wreckage of joint wear, causes pain and stiffness, and leads to a new
bone reaction of loss of motion. When this happens, hip joint replacement is
sometimes needed. This is most common with advancing age; however, there may
be cases where one may be subject to early or accelerated wear that requires
earlier replacement surgery.
Symptoms
Hip arthritis symptoms generally start slightly. Walking tolerance
diminishes over many years to the point where one or two blocks of walking
would require resting. The pain of hip arthritis is increased by activity
and cold damp weather. The arthritic hip loses range of motion slowly
especially rotation. Climbing or descending stairs or arising from a chair
is especially painful, activities of daily living becomes difficult.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is usually simple. Arthritis can be easily seen on plain X-rays.
Hip motion is generally limited and painful, and the pain is often in the
groin or radiates into the thigh or even to the knee. In cases where the
x-ray and physical exam does not match the pain complaints, other tests may
be done, such as MRI, bone, scan, or joint injection test to limit on the
cause and source of the pain.
Surgery
Replacing the worn joint through surgery is usually performed on both the
ball and the cup of the hip except in cases where there is a fracture
present. Generally, the cup of the hip is replaced with a metal shell which
is rough on its outer surface and encourages bone ingrowths. The femoral
stem is cemented into the marrow canal of the femoral shaft, pressing on to
this a metal ball with a hard plastic liner locked into the metal cup,
forming a stable joint that can be walked upon right away.
A patient who would undergo total hip replacement should be ideally greater
than sixty years old and with good health. There should be no history of
prior hip infection, because any chronic or recurrent infection elsewhere
may lead to late prosthetic infection.
Treatment of hip arthritis should begin with the most basic steps, like
weight loss, activity modification, walking aids, physical therapy,
anti-inflammatory medications and joint supplements. Treatments of hip
arthritis vary from patient to patient, and that is why discussion about
proper treatments with your doctor is always required.
This article
is provided courtesy of Roxanne Courtmanch. Please visit
www.thehelpingcircle.com for more articles on arthritis
as well as many other topics that may be of interest to you.
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