Osteo Arthritis and Hip Problems

Practicing Balance Will Help Us As We Age

Hips and  Osteoarthritis

 

  Osteo arthritis is typically associated with older people. As we age joints can become more brittle as calcium is lost and joints rub together abnd start to deteriorate.
We also can lose our balance as we age, this is when falls occur and hips break. Hip replacements are common but can take time to recover and the risk for infection is high.
Tai chi and exercise for balance, along with good supplements such as calcium with help us with our physical balance and posture. Try tai chi or yoga to keep supple and balance. Good nutrition and supplements are important for good health as we lose the nutrients we require to help fight off such diseases. Though no guarantee we have to make every effort we can to keep healthy and live the best lives we can.

 

What Is It And How Does It Affect Your Hip Joint?

You will be astounded to know that arthritis can have many forms; in fact over 50 types have been identified. They are broadly classified into three types:

1. Those that are caused due to inflammation.

2. Those that have metabolic dysfunction as their base such as gout

3. Ones that are not caused due to inflammation like osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) This form of arthritis goes by many different names one of course is osteoarthritis or OA.  The other name is wear and tear or degenerative disease of the joints. All the names are commonly used to describe the disease. In fact the last two appropriately describe the condition. Typically however when you visit the doctor, arthritis falls under either Rheumatoid or Osteoarthritis, even though there are hundreds of types.

Typically the elderly are affected –with age they lose balance and fall, crack and break joints easily, often the hips.

In this disease the cartilage wears out, which is actually the material that cushions the joint. When this disease becomes severe or the case becomes chronic then the femur or the upper portion of the thigh bone starts to rub on the bone that forms the socket of the femur, also known as the acetabulum. That can be extremely painful .  As well, there may be other cause of pain and suffering  that are not easy to identify.

What Else Happens?

In the majority of patients with hip osteoarthritis the pain is not just caused by wearing of the joint–there are other factors too.

The pain can be caused by any tissue or muscle surrounding that area. One cause of the pain is that when the hip joint wears out it starts hurting– and when the pain is insufferable, you try to avoid moving the hip and  overcompensate by moving the lower back or the knee. Also, when you are forced to move the hip joint you try to restrict the movement as far as possible. The problem with this action is that the soft tissue or the ligaments, the tendons and the muscles that surround that area develop inflammation because they are not used. The other muscles too such as the ones in the buttocks all need to be moved.

The soft tissues have to be used or else they develop inflammation due to lack of use .  This eventually causes pain and stiffness . You can easily check with somebody who has gone through a fracture– when their bone has been in a cast for a while, it is extremely painful too get the soft tissue moving again.

Gradually the condition worsens and the more stiff the hip joint becomes the more painful it is– that is how hip osteoarthritis can significantly affect your life.

So What Can You Do About This?

Wherever possible stay active throughout life– gentle stretching exercise such as tai chi and yoga to help keep balance and therefore less falls occur.

Weight management, a good nutritious diet, especially calcium rich, and daily supplements are important though still  do not guarantee prevention–but we have to give ourselves a fighting chance.

According to the Arthritis Foundation,the treatment of osteoarthritis differs depending upon how severe the symptoms are and its focus is on decreasing the pain and also improving the movement of the joint.

They suggest different methods by which you can achieve this. It can be achieved by using medication or taking adequate rest, involving prescribed physical activity or making use of hot and cold treatment to reduce pain as well as physical therapy. Often surgery is an answer but depends on the age of the patient as the expectancy of a replacement joint is approximately 10 years.  So let’s try the other steps first and do the best we can to avoid the painful route.