How to Slow the Progression of Arthritis in Your Hip

Osteoarthritis (OA) was once thought to be an inevitable part of aging. Now we understand that proactive prevention often lessens the wear-and-tear that causes severe OA.

At the Center for Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine of Tomball, Kingwood, and The Woodlands, Texas, we can help with your OA-related concerns. Our team, led by Dr. Michael L. Blackwell, provides care and support, including hip replacement surgery, to OA patients.

If you’re not ready for surgical treatment, but you still find yourself in pain due to OA in your hips, here’s what you need to know about improving your condition.

Understanding hip osteoarthritis and pain

Your hips have to manage the whole weight of your upper body, yet stay flexible enough to let you sit, stand, bend, and move. Your hip joints are cushioned by cartilage, which keeps the joints moving smoothly and absorbing shocks to protect you from pain and injury.

OA threatens your hip joint cartilage. If this cartilage deteriorates, your hip joints won’t move freely. Instead, you have to cope with friction and its negative effects like bone damage, inflammation, pain, and stiffness.

Slowing the progression of hip OA

While we don’t have a cure for OA, Dr. Blackwell can advise you on steps to significantly slow the progression of your hip OA, reducing your symptoms and staving off the need for surgical intervention.

When putting together your hip OA treatment plan, Dr. Blackwell considers your overall health, the severity of your joint issues and symptoms, and any limitations you have around weight-bearing or motion.

The core of OA management is activity. Dr. Blackwell ensures that your treatment plan won’t wear you out, but improve your mobility and actually reduce your overall pain levels.

What you can do to slow OA

You can approach OA management from several directions. Depending on your condition and treatment needs, you could benefit from:

• Professional weight loss support: Helping you lose weight healthily takes pressure off your hips to reduce joint pain and inflammation
• Medication management: Using over-the-counter pain relief medications, prescription pain medication, and steroid injections can directly target any affected joints
• Physical therapy and targeted exercises: Adjusted for your mobility levels to gently, steadily increase your strength and flexibility
• Low-impact exercise like tai chi, yoga, swimming, walking, and cycling
• Frequent stretching to release still or painful joints

You can also limit alcohol intake or avoid alcohol to reduce inflammation and support your whole-body health

OA support

To help you understand your options for relieving your OA symptoms of hip pain and stiffness, whether that means physical therapy, weight loss, or surgical hip replacement, get in touch with Dr. Blackwell and the team at the Center for Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine. 

We can diagnose your condition and recommend the right treatment plan for you. Schedule your initial consultation online, or call now to book.