Arthritis can affect any joint in the body. It can be mild and cause only minimal discomfort, or severe enough to alter a person's way of living. One of the most common joints to be affected by arthritis is the hip joint. Treatment options for arthritis of the hip depend upon the extent and severity of the degeneration.
Over-The-Counter Medication
In very mild cases of arthritis of the hip, the only treatment is controlling mild symptoms such as aching or soreness. Typically in the early stages, people complain of a sore hip or groin area after physical exertion or prolonged walking or standing. The American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons reports that treatments such as non-prescription, over-the-counter (OTC) medications such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen, rest, weight loss and occasional physical therapy can often control mild inflammation and pain.
Narcotic Pain Relievers
As arthritis of the hip progresses, symptoms worsen. What began as mild aching or soreness can become outright pain. Pain most frequently develops from activities such as walking, stair climbing, stooping and squatting and prolonged standing.
The Arthritis Foundation suggests that stronger, narcotic pain medications such as codeine and other weak opiates can provide relief from arthritis pain when lesser drugs fail. However, narcotic medications do nothing to combat the causes of the pain--they simply dull the brain's capacity to interpret pain impulses sent to it from the inflamed joint.
Oral and Injectable Steroids
For stronger pain control, it may become necessary to physically inject the affected joint with cortisone, or place an individual on systemic oral steroids to calm severe symptoms. The type of steroid used for injection resembles natural steroids produced by the body, but is administered in more concentrated form directly into the joint for optimal local effect.
An article published by the University of Washington School of Medicine in January 2010 discussed the benefits as well as risk factors of steroid injections. The article stated that, while steroid injections into the hip can provide substantial relief of artiritis pain, the difficulty in administration, together with the risk factors has rendered this treatment option rarely utilized in their hands.
Systemic oral steroids are also similar in makeup to natural ones, but because the drug is in the blood stream, the patient will experience wider effects. Prolonged use of steroids is risky because they suppress the body's immuno-defense system--its ability to fight infection. These drugs also soften bones. According to the New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority, even low dose steroids can increase the risk of bone fractures.
Aquatic Therapy
Aquatic therapy is therapeutic exercise performed in water. Exercising in water has many benefits. The buoyancy of the body in water significantly reduces the negative effect of gravity, so hip joints can be exercised more freely. The pressure of warm water in a therapeutic pool relaxes muscles, allows easier joint motion and reduces swelling and pain.
Hip Joint Replacement
In cases of end-stage arthritis of the hip, joint replacement may be warranted when all other treatment options have failed to bring adequate relief. The surgery consists of removing the degenerated ball of the hip, called the femoral head, and scraping out the degenerated cartilage from the socket of the pelvis, called the acetabulum. These areas are then fitted with a combination of metal and plastic implants that fit into and onto the socket and thigh bone. Replacing the arthritic components improves mobility and may eliminate pain.
Hip Resurfacing
One alternative, as described by The Mayo Clinic, to total hip replacement is a procedure known as hip resurfacing. The preparation of the host bone surfaces is different than with total hip replacement. The acetabulum, or socket, of the pelvis is reamed out and cleared of any remaining joint cartilage surface and is re-shaped into a more spherical socket ready to accept its metallic replacement.
The femoral head, or ball of the hip, is not surgically removed but shaved down to resemble a large peg, somewhat similar to a dental crown procedure. A metallic cap is then cemented onto the remaining bone to complete the other half of the prosthesis. Many doctors say the benefit of this procedure is that the canal of the thigh bone is not violated, thus saving it until years later if a total hip replacement becomes necessary.
