Hip arthritis treatment

Arthritis could affect several joints of the body including the joints in the hips. Hip arthritis is a common problem especially to the older generation ages 65 and above but this condition can still be found in younger patients. Hip arthritis treatment is a process to treat the pain and the discomfort that a patient would experience due to the symptoms exhibited by the arthritis. Symptoms of these conditions are pain felt in the hip area that is constant and throbbing and stiffness of the hips that would cause minimal range of motion. The pain from the hip may travel to the legs, buttocks and the knee which would hinder the walking ability of the patient or may cause a limp. Bending over can be a real issue when one has hip arthritis.

Hip arthritis treatment

Hip arthritis treatment could be done by natural ways, non-surgical options and surgical options to address the symptoms. The natural way would refer to losing or maintaining a specified weight so as not to add pressure to the hips. Eating lots of vegetables would reduce the joint inflammation and the pain since most vegetables can regulate pain and lessen the swelling of the joints. Vegetables would also have vitamins that would repair the damage tissues and make bones stronger so that there will be minimal joint and cartilage damage.  The non-surgical option for hip arthritis treatment would refer to the prescribed medicated drugs that are anti-inflammatory in nature and pain relievers. Use of walkers, braces and canes could be very beneficial to the patient since these would help to support the weight being carried by the hips. Therapeutic and targeted exercises devised by a physical therapist would help the hips recover its movement and prevent joint damage as well.  Swimming in sea water is a good therapy because there would be no impact to the hips in the water while the minerals in the sea water could help the bone regain its strength.

The surgical option in hip arthritis treatment is a part of the last resort and would only be done when necessary, especially in severe and aggravated cases of hip arthritis. Surgical treatment includes arthroscopy, osteotomy, traditional hip replacement and minimal invasive hip replacement. Arthroscopy is the simple process of inserting the thin instrument called the arthroscope to the hip joint and cleaning the joints, getting rid of chipped bones, damages tissues and affected cartilage. This is considered as a minor surgery. Osteotomy is done by repositioning the hip joints and may call for cutting the hip joint or the thigh bone to minimize the pressure in the joint area.

When it comes to hip replacement the patient will have the option to choose to go for the traditional hip replacement surgery or with the minimal invasive hip replacement. The traditional hip replacement surgery would at least take a maximum of 5 days for the patient to be dismissed from the hospital while with the minimal invasive hip replacement surgery would only have a maximum of 2 to 3 days before being discharge by the attending doctor.