What is hip arthrosis and how to treat

Hip arthrosis, also called osteoarthritis or coxarthrosis, is a wear on the joint that causes symptoms such as localized pain in the hip, which arises mainly during the day and when walking or sitting for a long time.

This disease causes cartilage degeneration, and it is very common to appear on the hip, as it is a region that supports a large part of the body's weight and that is always in motion and usually happens in people over 45, but it can also happen in younger people, especially in the case of athletes who use the joint a lot.

The treatment must be guided by the orthopedist, and consists of the relief of symptoms with the use of medications and physical therapy. Surgery can be done as a last resort, when there is no improvement with clinical treatment, performed by scraping the inflamed part or replacing the cartilage with the hip prosthesis.

Main symptoms

The most common symptoms of hip arthrosis include:

• Hip pain, which worsens when walking, sitting for a long time or lying on its side on the affected joint; Walking limping, needing a cane to better support the body weight; Numbness or tingling sensation in the legs; Pain can go from the hip to the knee on the inside of the leg; burning pain in the leg potato; difficulty in moving the leg in the morning; feeling of sand when moving the joint. Difficulty in cutting the toenails, putting on socks, tying the shoe or get up from the lowest chair, bed or sofa.

This disease is caused by the wear and tear of the hip joint, usually in genetically predisposed people, which happens with old age, but hip arthrosis can also occur in young people, due to local trauma caused by sports, such as running and weight lifting, for example.

See other diseases that can cause hip pain.

Does hip arthrosis retire?

In some people, the symptoms can be so intense that they can disable daily activities and even be a reason for retirement. But, to avoid this, it is necessary to follow the treatment and medical monitoring strictly.

How to confirm the diagnosis

The diagnosis of osteoarthritis in the hip is made by the orthopedic doctor after assessing the symptoms and checking the hip X-ray. Some words that may be written on the X-ray report, and that suggest hip arthrosis are: narrowing of the joint space, subchondral sclerosis, marginal osteophytes, cysts or geodes.

Other tests that the doctor can order are computed tomography, which can tell if there is a bone tumor, and magnetic resonance imaging, which can be used to assess the condition of the femoral head.

How the treatment is done

The main forms of treatment are:

1. Changes in habits

Some changes that can be useful for pain relief and worsening of the condition are, decrease the frequency or intensity of the physical activity that is causing the osteoarthritis, reduce the weight and use a cane, always supporting it in the opposite hand next to the pain to decrease hip overload.

2. Remedies

Analgesic medications, prescribed by the doctor like dipyrone or paracetamol, can be used up to 4 times a day, to relieve symptoms. When the symptoms are very intense, the use of more potent pain relievers, such as tramadol, codeine and morphine, in addition to the injection of corticosteroids directly into the hip.

Anti-inflammatory drugs, such as diclofenac and ketoprofen, or corticosteroids, such as prednisone are indicated only in periods of worsening symptoms, and should not be taken routinely, due to the risk of causing kidney damage and stomach ulcer.

It is still possible to use supplements such as hydrolyzed collagen, glucosamine or chondroitin, which work to help renew cartilage and improve arthrosis in some people.

3. Physiotherapy

Physiotherapeutic treatment can be done with the use of devices that relieve pain, use of thermal bags, massages, manual traction and exercises, to improve the amplitude, lubrication and function of the joint, and should be done daily or at least 3 times per week.

4. Exercises

Exercises such as water aerobics, Pilates, cycling or other exercises that do not make the pain worse are important to strengthen the muscles and protect the joints of the body. Thus, it is recommended to strengthen the thigh muscles, and to stretch, functional exercises.

The exercises can be started with elastic bands, but it is important to increase the degree of difficulty using weights that can reach up to 5kg on each leg. See some exercises that are also indicated for hip arthrosis in this video:

5. Surgery

Arthrosis surgery should be done when other treatments are not sufficient to control pain. It consists in removing the damaged cartilage partially or completely, and, in some cases, it is necessary to replace it with a hip prosthesis.

After the procedure, it is necessary to rest for about 10 days, which varies according to the needs of each person. In cases where the prosthesis is placed on the hip, recovery takes longer, and it is necessary to persist with physical therapy for about 1 year or more, so that the movements are recovered in the best way. See what to do to speed recovery after hip replacement.

Possible causes of hip arthrosis

Hip arthrosis happens due to the natural wear and tear of that joint, because of age, or due to frequent injuries, such as long distance running, for example. In these cases, the head of the femur that fits perfectly into the hip acetabulum is no longer fully seated. The articular surface becomes irregular and rough, and gives rise to osteophytes, which causes pain and decreased ability to move.

Some situations that favor the installation of hip osteoarthrosis are:

• Rheumatoid arthritis, Ankylosing spondylitis; Diabetes; Septic arthritis; Hip dysplasia; Local trauma or recurrent trauma (running).

Thus, it is important to keep these situations under control in order to eliminate the pain and prevent the progression of arthrosis.

It is very common for a person to have arthrosis in one place, to have it in others as well, such as the knees or shoulders, for example. Find out, in more detail, what causes and what to do in case of osteoarthritis.