Osteoarthritis of the Hip (Hip Arthritis): "Degenerative Joint Disease" can cause pain, stiffness, and cartilage breakdown
Edited By: Seth S. Leopold, M.D.
Last updated Friday, January 18, 2008
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Figure 1 - If you have ever eaten a drumstick, you have seen cartilage; it is the white (or slightly yellow) smooth surface capping the end of the bone.
Figure 2 - This is a normal X-ray of the hip
Figure 3 - Joint with normal hip cartilage
Figure 4 - Joint with arthritic hip cartilage
Figure 5 - Typical hip replacement components.
Figure 6 - Typical hip replacement components in their position relative to the hip and pelvis.
About
Basics of hip arthritis
Many kinds of arthritis can affect the hip joint, but by
far the most common is osteoarthritis, which some people call "degenerative
joint disease."
This occurs when the joint surface cartilage (also called
hyaline cartilage, or articular cartilage) becomes worn away, leaving the raw
bone beneath exposed. The cartilage normally serves as a “pad” or a bearing in
the joint, and under normal conditions, the cartilage bearing is even slicker
than a hockey puck on ice. When the bearing wears away, the result is a roughed
joint surface that causes the pain and stiffness that people associate with
osteoarthritis (See Fig 1, Fig 2, Fig 3, & Fig 4).
For most patients who have only mild arthritis, the pain
can be managed with simple things such as ice, rest, activity modifications,
pills, or joint injections.
However,
if the arthritis becomes severe, the pain may not respond to those kinds of
interventions. Patients with severe arthritis sometimes can benefit from total
hip replacement surgery (See Fig 5 and Fig 6). Immediate medical attention
Osteoarthritis of the hip is not an emergency. It can,
however, result in disturbing “flare ups,” with increased pain and stiffness.
Many patients who experience a sudden flare-up will go to the doctor for care,
and for many patients this apparently “acute” set of symptoms will result in
the diagnosis of this chronic condition.
Typical
symptoms of hip arthritis include pain in the groin, thigh, or buttock; the
pain is generally worse with weight bearing (walking, standing) or twisting.Facts and myths
MYTH: Osteoarthritis of the hip is not usually the result
of “overuse.” there have been studies of long-distance runners that show that
they are not more likely to get arthritis than more sedentary individuals.
MYTH: Osteoarthritis of the hip is not a “normal result of
aging.” Many older people – in fact, most – don’t develop arthritis of the hip,
and many younger people do experience osteoarthritis.
MYTH: Osteoarthritis of the hip is not just “aches and
pains.” It is a condition whose biology, x-ray appearance and clinical symptoms
are defined.
MYTH:
Not much can be done for osteoarthritis of the hip. In fact, there are exercise
programs that can alleviate the pain in mild arthritis, a variety of
medications can be helpful for moderate arthritis, and severe arthritis of the
hip is very commonly successfully treated with hip replacement surgery.Surgery for hip arthritis at the University of Washington, Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, Seattle, Washington
If you are interested in making an appointment to discuss this procedure in Seattle, you can request an appointment using our online referrals website. To request a referral online, please click here. You can also call the Bone & Joint Surgery Center at 206-598-BONE (2663) or Eastside Specialty Clinic at 425-646-7777 to make an appointment. Our clinical center is located in Seattle Washington, USA
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