Osteoarthritis of the Hip

Osteoarthritis is the breakdown of cartilage in the joints. This is followed by chronic inflammation of the joint lining. Healthy cartilage is a cushion between the bones in a joint. Osteoarthritis usually affects the hands, feet, spine, hips, and knees. People with osteoarthritis usually have joint pain and limited movement in the affected joint.

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The exact cause is unclear.

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Factors that may increase your chance of developing osteoarthritis include:

  • Advancing age
  • Excess body weight
  • Family history of osteoarthritis
  • Certain endocrine, metabolic, or neuropathic disorders, avascular necrosis
  • Having an injury or surgery to the joint surface, especially the cartilage
  • Having an occupation or doing physical activities that put stress on joints

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Osteoarthritis may cause:

  • Mild-to-severe pain in a joint, especially after overuse or long periods of inactivity, such as sitting for a long time
  • Creaking or grating sound in the joint
  • Swelling, stiffness, limited movement of the joint, especially in the morning
  • Deformity of the joint

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Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history. A physical exam will be done. Tests may include:

  • X-ray to see internal bony structures
  • CT scan to look at the extent of the arthritis
  • Arthrocentesis to rule out other causes of arthritis
  • Blood tests to rule out other causes of arthritis

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Exercise and strengthening the muscles supporting the hip can decrease pain and absorb energy around the joint. Swimming and water aerobics are good options. They do not put damaging stress on the joint.   There are many options for reducing pain, including transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). With TENS, you are connected to a machine that sends electrical signals through the skin to nerves. This type of therapy may decrease pain in some people.   If you have hip osteoarthritis, manual therapy, including massage and mobilization, may be helpful.

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To help reduce your chance of developing osteoarthritis, consider these recommendations:

  • Maintain a healthy weight.
  • Do regular, gentle exercise, such as walking, stretching, swimming, or yoga.
  • Avoid repetitive motions and risky activities that may contribute to joint injury, especially after age 40.
  • With advancing age, certain activities may have to be stopped or modified. It is important to continue to be active, so find an activity that suits you.

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RESOURCES:
  • American College of Rheumatology

http://www.rheumatology.org

  • The Arthritis Foundation

http://www.arthritis.org

CANADIAN RESOURCES:
  • The Arthritis Society

http://www.arthritis.ca

  • Seniors Canada

http://www.seniors.gc.ca

REFERENCES:
  • American College of Rheumatology Subcommittee on Osteoarthritis. Recommendations for the medical management of osteoarthritis of the hip and knee. 2000 update. Arthritis Rheum. 2000;43:1905-1915.
  • Jordan K, Arden N, et al. EULAR recommendations 2003: an evidence based approach to the management of knee osteoarthritis: report of a task force of the Standing Committee for International Clinical Studies Including Therapeutic Trials (ESCISIT). Ann Rheum Dis. 2003;62:1145-1155.
  • Osteoarthritis. Arthritis Foundation website. Available at: http://www.arthrit… . Accessed September 3, 2013.
  • Osteoarthritis. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disorders website. Available at: http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Osteoarthritis/default.asp . Updated July 2010. Accessed September 3, 2013.
  • Sinusas, K. Osteoarthritis: Diagnosis and treatment. Am Fam Physician. 2012;85(1):49-56.
  • van den Berg WB. Pathophysiology of osteoarthritis. Joint Bone Spine. 2000;67:555-556.
  • 10/21/2008 DynaMed’s Systematic Literature Surveillance https://dynamed.ebscohost.com/about/about-us Fransen M, McConnell S. Exercise for osteoarthritis of the knee. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008;CD004376.
  • 12/11/2009 DynaMed’s Systematic Literature Surveillance https://dynamed.ebscohost.com/about/about-us: Rutjes WJ, Nuesch E, Sterchi R, et al. Transcutaneous electrostimulation for osteoarthritis of the knee. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2009;(4):CD002823.
  • 10/15/2010 DynaMed’s Systematic Literature Surveillance https://dynamed.ebscohost.com/about/about-us: Wandel S, Jüni P, Tendal B, et al. Effects of glucosamine, chondroitin, or placebo in patients with osteoarthritis of hip or knee: network meta-analysis. BMJ. 2010;341:c4675.
  • 10/26/2010 DynaMed’s Systematic Literature Surveillance https://dynamed.ebscohost.com/about/about-us: Massey T, Derry S, Moore R, McQuay H. Topical NSAIDs for acute pain in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010;(6):CD007402.
  • 11/15/2010 DynaMed’s Systematic Literature Surveillance https://dynamed.ebscohost.com/about/about-us: US Food and Drug Administration. FDA clears Cymbalta to treat chronic musculoskeletal pain. US Food and Drug Administration website. Available at: http://www.fda.gov… . Updated April 19, 2013. Accessed July 23, 2013.
  • 11/29/2010 DynaMed’s Systematic Literature Surveillance https://dynamed.ebscohost.com/about/about-us: French HP, Brennan A, White B, Cusack T. Manual therapy for osteoarthritis of the hip or knee: a systematic review. Man Ther. 2011;16(2):109-117.
  • 7/15/2013 DynaMed’s Systematic Literature Surveillance https://dynamed.ebscohost.com/about/about-us: Dilek B, Gözüm M, Sahin E, et al. Efficacy of paraffin bath therapy in hand osteoarthritis: a single-blinded randomized controlled trial. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2013 Apr;94(4):642-9.

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