Arthritis of the hip can have a profound effect on your daily life, including your ability to walk, sit or stand comfortably, climb stairs, perform housework, and enjoy your daily routine. If you or someone you love suffers from hip arthritis in Philadelphia, here are a few tips from
Rothman Orthopaedic Institute for finding relief and getting back to the activities that you love.
Lifestyle Changes
There are some basic lifestyle changes that can, with supervision from your physician, help to prevent or reduce the symptoms and discomfort of hip arthritis. These include:
· Maintaining a healthy weight: While not considered to be a cause of arthritis, added weight on the body’s frame can worsen its symptoms through the increased wear on joint cartilage. Check with your doctor for healthy weight loss suggestions.
· Building exercises to your daily routine: While arthritis symptoms may tempt you to cease exercising, studies show that physical activity is actually one of the best ways to combat the pain and stiffness associated with arthritis. Strength-training your muscles can help to reduce the load on your joints, thereby reducing inflammation and arthritis pain.
· Adjusting activities to minimize stress on the hip: If possible, trade high-impact sports and hobbies like, jogging, and cardio workouts for more gentle practices, such as walking, cycling, or swimming.
Non-surgical Treatment Options
Once diagnosed, there are many non-surgical treatment options for patients with hip arthritis in Philadelphia:
· Physical therapy or low-impact exercise programs to improve flexibility, build strength, and maintain muscle tone
· Supporting devices such as canes or walkers to make it easier and safer for you to get around
· Anti-inflammatory medications to reduce pain and swelling
Surgical Solutions for Hip Arthritis in Philadelphia
For some patients with more severe hip arthritis, surgery can help to reduce pain, enhance quality of life, and improve the ability to perform everyday activities with fewer or no restrictions.
Osteotomy surgery may be appropriate in less severe cases. Hip osteotomy surgery repositions the joint to allow the healthy part of the hip joint to bear most of the body’s weight.
Only a select number of patients are candidates for osteotomy surgery.
Total hip replacement may be the best choice for a severely injured hip joint. In a hip replacement procedure (or arthroplasty), the injured parts of the hip joint are removed and replaced with new, prosthetic parts which function like the original joint.
When trying to decide how to treat hip arthritis in Northeast Philadelphia, patients should always begin by consulting with their physician. For more specialized help, they should see a hip expert at Rothman Orthopaedic Institute. Our physicians are some of the most experienced specialists for hip arthritis in Northeast Philadelphia, and they can offer comprehensive and caring treatment for your hip.
Call Rothman Orthopaedic Institute today to schedule an appointment at 800.321.9999.
