Hip Arthritis: Osteoarthritis Symptoms, Causes and Treatment
Hip arthritis is pain and stiffness in the hip caused by the breakdown of the joint. The most common form is osteoarthritis, sometimes called degenerative joint disease, where the smooth cartilage that cushions the hip gradually wears away. As that cushion thins, the bones begin to rub, which leads to the pain, stiffness and reduced movement that make everyday activities like walking, bending and getting up from a chair harder. While the cartilage cannot be regrown, there is a lot that can be done to ease the pain and keep you moving.
If hip or groin pain and stiffness are slowing you down, it helps to understand what is happening in the joint. The board-certified and fellowship-trained hip specialists at Resurgens Orthopaedics diagnose and treat hip arthritis at locations across metro Atlanta, with a full range of options from non-surgical care to joint replacement.
Overview
- What Is Hip Arthritis?
- What Causes Hip Osteoarthritis?
- Hip Osteoarthritis Symptoms
- How Hip Arthritis Is Diagnosed
- Hip Arthritis Treatment
- Schedule an Appointment for Hip Arthritis Care
What Is Hip Arthritis?
The hip is a ball-and-socket joint. The ball is the top of the thighbone, called the femoral head, and the socket is a cup in the pelvis called the acetabulum. Smooth cartilage covers the surfaces where these bones meet, letting them glide easily and cushioning the joint. In hip arthritis, the cartilage breaks down. In osteoarthritis, the most common type, it wears away gradually with age and use. As the cartilage thins, the protective space between the bones narrows, the bone can form rough growths called bone spurs and the joint becomes painful and stiff.
Osteoarthritis is not the only kind of hip arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune condition, can inflame and damage the hip joint, and post-traumatic arthritis can develop years after a hip injury. This page focuses on osteoarthritis, the most common form, but a hip specialist can identify which type you have and tailor treatment to it.
What Causes Hip Osteoarthritis?
Hip osteoarthritis develops slowly, and it usually results from a mix of factors rather than a single cause. Common causes and risk factors include:
- Age, since cartilage naturally wears with years of use
- A family history of osteoarthritis
- A previous hip injury, such as a fracture or dislocation
- Conditions that change the shape of the hip, such as hip impingement or hip dysplasia
- Extra body weight, which adds stress to the weight-bearing hip joint
Because conditions like impingement and dysplasia can lead to arthritis over time, treating those problems earlier may help protect the joint.
Hip Osteoarthritis Symptoms
Symptoms of hip osteoarthritis usually come on slowly and tend to worsen over time. Common signs include:
- Pain in the groin, thigh or buttock, sometimes radiating toward the knee
- Stiffness in the hip, especially in the morning or after sitting for a while
- A reduced range of motion that makes bending or putting on shoes harder
- A grinding or catching feeling as the joint surfaces rub
- A limp or trouble walking as the arthritis progresses
Please Note: Hip arthritis tends to progress gradually, so it is easy to put off having it looked at. Seeing a hip specialist earlier, while symptoms are milder, gives you more treatment options and more time to slow the impact on your daily life.
How Hip Arthritis Is Diagnosed
Diagnosis starts with a visit to a hip specialist, who will ask about your symptoms, examine the hip, check your range of motion and watch how you walk. An X-ray is the main imaging test. While cartilage itself does not show up on an X-ray, the image reveals the space between the bones, so a narrowed joint space points to lost cartilage, and the X-ray also shows bone spurs and other changes typical of osteoarthritis. An MRI is usually not needed to diagnose arthritis, but it may be used to look at the soft tissue in more detail or to help distinguish osteoarthritis from other causes of hip pain, such as avascular necrosis. Your physician may also order blood tests to help rule out other types of arthritis.
Hip Arthritis Treatment
No cure reverses lost cartilage, but a great deal can be done to relieve pain, improve movement and slow the impact of the disease. Treatment almost always begins with non-surgical care, and surgery is considered when arthritis is advanced and quality of life is affected.
Non-Surgical Treatment
Most people manage hip arthritis for a long time with non-surgical care:
- Activity changes, such as switching to low-impact exercise like swimming or cycling and easing off high-impact activities
- Weight management to reduce the load on the hip joint
- Physical therapy to strengthen the muscles around the hip and maintain motion
- Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication to ease pain and swelling
- A cane or walking aid to take pressure off the joint when needed
- Corticosteroid injections to calm inflammation and relieve pain during flare-ups
Surgical Treatment
When non-surgical care no longer controls the pain and arthritis is interfering with daily life, your physician may discuss surgery. The most common procedure for advanced hip arthritis is a total hip replacement, in which the damaged ball and socket are replaced with smooth artificial surfaces. Hip replacement is a well-established surgery that reliably relieves arthritis pain and restores mobility for many people. For some patients, hip resurfacing, which reshapes the joint rather than replacing it entirely, may be an alternative. Your Resurgens surgeon will talk through whether and when surgery makes sense for you, based on your symptoms, your activity goals and how the arthritis is affecting your life.
Schedule an Appointment for Hip Arthritis Care
If hip pain and stiffness are getting in the way of the activities you enjoy, a hip specialist can help you understand your options and put together a plan. Book an appointment online today with a Resurgens hip specialist or call us at (404) 847-9999.