Hip Osteoarthritis
Find out more about hip osteoarthritis and how Torrance Pain Institute can help you manage your pain, improve your quality of life, and get back to doing the things you enjoy.
What is hip osteoarthritis?
Hip osteoarthritis is a form of degenerative arthritis, and commonly affects adults of advanced age. Nevertheless, it may still occur in younger people, especially those with hip damage. The hip is one of the largest joints in the entire body, and hip osteoarthritis causes considerable pain while trying to move this area. This condition is also called wear-and-tear arthritis, and it affects roughly 28 million Americans. It’s also a condition that gradually worsens with time, so it’s essential to diagnose and treat it before it can continue to get worse, making movement difficult.
What causes hip osteoarthritis?
The condition is degenerative and affects the elderly. The bone surface of the ball and socket have articular cartilage, which facilitates ease of movement. There is also a lining called synovium, which secretes a small amount of fluid. However, as we age, cartilage diminishes and loses its lubricating functions, wearing away and causing pain because the bone is rubbing on bone. Getting worse over time, the damaged bones may even grow outward and become bone-spurs, causing even more pain.
Hip osteoarthritis may also be caused by obesity (the person’s body weight adds stress to the hips, causing wear and tear), a previous injury (such as traumatic impact), or a family history of arthritis.
What are the symptoms of hip osteoarthritis?
– Pain in the groin or thigh: the pain radiates from the buttocks and can go all the way down to the knee.
– Joint stiffness: Normal activities such as getting out of bed or getting up from a seated position become difficult and painful
– A crunching sound or feeling: When the hip is moved, there is a distinct “crunching,” which is the sound of bone against bone.
– Decreased range of motion: the joint may “lock” or stick in a particular position, accompanying the grinding noise. Loose fragments of cartilage cause also cause this.
What is the treatment for hip osteoarthritis?
Intra-articular hip injection may alleviate the pain caused by hip osteoarthritis. It’s an injection of a steroid, a local anesthetic, or even a combination of specialized medication, directly into the hip joint. It brings pain relief and allows pain-free joint movement. Contact Torrance Pain Institute to learn more about this form of treatment.