TCO NEWS

Hip arthritis Kennewick

Tri-City Orthopedics is currently seeing patients suffering from hip arthritis Kennewick, Richland and Pasco.

Hip Anatomy

The hip is where the thigh bone meets the pelvis forming a ball-and-socket joint. Your hip is one of the body’s largest weight-bearing joints. The hip joint consists of two main parts:

A ball-shaped piece of bone located at the top of your thigh bone, or femur called the Femoral head
A socket in your pelvis into which the femoral head fits called the Acetabulum

The surfaces of the bone on the ball and socket are covered with articular cartilage, a smooth, slippery substance that protects and cushions the bones and enables them to move easily.

Synovium, a thin lining covering the surface of the joint. In a healthy hip, the synovium produces a small amount of fluid that lubricates the cartilage and aids in movement.

Hip arthritis Kennewick

Arthritis

There are many types of arthritis but the most common is Osteoarthritis or the “ware and tear” arthritis.

Osteoarthritis, a degenerative type of arthritis that occurs most often in people 50 years of age and older, though it can occur in younger people a well.

With osteoarthritis, the cartilage in the hip joint slowly wears away over time. As the cartilage wears away, it becomes frayed and rough, and the protective joint space between the bones diminishes, resulting in bone rubbing on bone. To compensate for the lost cartilage, the damaged bones may start to grow outward and form bone spurs (osteophytes).

Symptoms

Pain around the hip joint is the most common symptom of hip osteoarthritis. Most of the time, the pain develops at a slower rate and worsens over time, although sudden onset is possible. In the morning, or after sitting or resting for a while, pain and stiffness may be worse. Painful symptoms may occur more frequently, including during rest or at night as time progresses.

Additional symptoms may include:

Pain in the groin or thigh area then radiates to your buttocks or knee
Pain that get worse with vigorous activity
Difficult walking or bending due to Stiffness in the hip joint
“Locking” or “Catching” of the joint or grinding noises during movement caused by loose fragments of cartilage and other tissue interfering with the smooth motion of the hip
Range of motion limitations in the hip that affects the ability to walk and may cause a limp
Increased joint pain with colder weather

Treatment

Medications to treat hip pain

Medications to relieve inflammation, ease pain, slow bone loss, modify the course of an inflammatory disease or prevent joint damage are an important part of treatment for many hip arthritis problems. Please see your Doctor to determine what medication will work best for you.

Surgical Treatment

If your pain from arthritis causes disability and is not relieved with nonsurgical treatment, your doctor may recommend surgery.

Hip resurfacing. In this hip replacement procedure, the damaged bone and cartilage in the hip socket (acetabulum) is removed and replaced with a metal shell. The head of the femur, is not removed, but capped with a smooth metal covering.
Total hip replacement. Your doctor will remove both the damaged socket (acetabulum) and femoral head, and then position new metal, plastic or ceramic joint surfaces to restore the function of your hip.