What Ails You: Dealing with the challenges of hip pain

Hip pain is a common problem with many causes. One of the most common is osteoarthritis, otherwise known as degenerative joint disease.

Osetoarthritis is a wearing away of the protective cartilage in the joint. When you eat a chicken leg, that pearly blue cap on the end of the leg is cartilage. This white tissue, which has very little sensation and even worse circulation, serves as a slick, protective surface over the bones within the joint. As the cartilage wears away, the bone, which does have sensation, is exposed. These two bony surfaces scratching and grating against each other can become horribly painful.

Generally folks over 50 show some arthritic changes to the hip joint. These otherwise normal changes, which are brought on by age, can be accelerated by trauma to the joint or by a genetic predisposition toward hip changes. Being overweight speeds the wear on the hip joint and losing weight can be helpful in managing arthritis symptoms in the weight-bearing joints of the legs.

The hip joint is located to the side and slightly toward the rear of your pelvis. While some people do feel pain in this area, the most common area hip patients feel pain is in the groin, the front crease between your leg and pelvis. Arthritis pain tends to wax and wane. You have good months and bad months. Your hip may make a pretty good weather detector.

With hip arthritis, you notice your hip feels stiff. It’s tough to get that foot up onto the other knee to put on your socks and shoes. A quick test for flexibility in your hip is to lie on your back, place your foot on or near the opposite knee and let your bent knee drop out toward the side. Your leg should easily fall into a figure 4 with the knee only a few inches from the floor.

Walking has become not only painful, but you may have developed a limp. You may need to use a cane to support you while walking. If you are using a cane, you should be holding it in the hand opposite the ailing hip.  Think about how we walk normally. Our left hand swings forward with our right leg. There are important physiological reasons for this and we could have a rollicking fun time discussing them all, but suffice to say that in order to relieve the ailing hip of some of the weight, you must shift that weight away. Holding the cane in the opposite hand does just that.

As with arthritis in other joints, restoring normal movement and muscle strength around the joint is an important part of treatment. Your physical therapist can help restore some of your lost movement and help you learn exercises specific for your hip.

A regular dose of anti-inflammatory medication can be very helpful for folks suffering with arthritis. The most common medications prescribed are NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen sodium). My personal favorite is encoated aspirin (Ecotrin or the generic equivalent). Any medication which has the potential to affect a change in the body has the potential for adverse side effects. These adverse effects can become quite serious. Ulcers, intestinal disorders and now heart disease have all been linked to regular use of these medications. Discuss medications you take thoroughly with your doctor and be sure you understand all of the risks and benefits.

Eventually you may be a candidate for hip replacement surgery. Joint replacement surgery is not without its risks, but you have a really good chance of coming through the procedure with flying colors. The pain will be gone and although you will have a few months ahead of you before you’re back up to speed, you will most likely get back to enjoying your daily walks. 

ABOUT THE WRITER:
Jackie Randa is a physical therapist who owns Back on Track in Barstow. She can be contacted at jranda@aol.com.