Commonly seen HIP JOINT PROBLEMS in Knee & Hip Clinic
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatiod arthritis
- Traumatic arthritis
- Avascular necrosis
- Other reasons
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a specific form of degenerative arthritis caused by wear and tear from overuse or from aging. Early symptoms of osteoarthritis may be controlled through medication and exercise. However, when pain becomes so severe that the individual can no longer be helped with medication and when activities of daily living are significantly reduced, hip replacement surgery may be the next step.
Rheumatiod arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic,autoimmune diseasecausing inflammation of the joint lining called the synovial membrane, and destruction and deformity of bone, cartilage, ligament, and muscle tissue. Mostly it affects both hip joints at a younger age and "cripples a patient.
Traumatic arthritis
Traumatic arthritis is a type of arthritis resulting after few years of a hip fracture that has been treated. It requires removal of nail, pin etc and introduction of a new artificial hip joint THR
Avascular necrosis
Avascular necrosis is the result of a loss of blood supply to the ball or head of the femur bone. As a result, articular cartilage wears away leaving a "bone on bone" grinding and pain during hip joint movement. It is the commonly seen in younger age patients following alcoholism, steroid oversuse, accident and hip injury etc.
Other reasons
Other abnormalities of the hip joint that could result in a need for a hip replacement include:
- Benign and malignant bonetumors can alter the shape and congruency of the joint and also disrupt blood supply of the joint, affecting articular cartilage.
- Paget's diseaseoccurs mainly in the elderly. Bones become enlarged and weakened, with the potential of a fracture or deformity of the hip bones.
How Is The Diagnosis Made?
A complete history and physical examinationallows the physician to determine any correlation between symptoms of pain with past history and demands that have been placed upon the hip. The physician will inquire about experiencing episodes of trauma or instability, and examine the ligaments and hip alignment.
X-rays are used to determine the extent of degeneration to the cartilage or bone and may suggest a cause for the degeneration of the hip joint.
Blood tests and joint aspiration(removing a small amount of fluid from the affected hip joint) may be required to rule out systemic arthritis (such as Rheumatoid Arthritis) or infection in the hip if there is reason to believe that other conditions are contributing to the degenerative process.
