That Frequent Pain in Your Hips May Be Arthritis

Your hips are two of your largest weight-bearing joints. These ball-and-socket joints take a lot of stress as you move through life, and if they’re hurting, you’re not alone.

It’s normal to feel stiff or sore after strenuous activity. But if you’re waking up most days of the week with aching hips, it could be osteoarthritis.

More than 32 million American adults have osteoarthritis, and it’s more than just the occasional aches and pains. Arthritic hip pain can limit your life, and you shouldn’t hope it goes away on its own. 

Craig Dushey, MD, specializes in arthritis and hip pain here at Manhattan Orthopedics. If you find yourself dealing with hip pain more often than not, it’s time to learn if arthritis is to blame.

The symptoms of hip arthritis

Osteoarthritis develops when the cartilage in your joints starts breaking down. Cartilage is there to cushion your joint and protect the bones from grinding against each other. When you have arthritis, cartilage deteriorates and bones start rubbing together.

Hip arthritis often causes hip pain. That pain may spread to your groin, down your leg, or even to your knee. 

Other symptoms of hip arthritis include:

• Stiffness when you wake up
• Stiffness after sitting for long periods
• Swelling or tenderness in your hip
• “Crunching” sound or sensation with movement
• Restricted movement in your hip

You might find that you struggle to perform some everyday activities if you have hip arthritis. Movements like sitting down on the floor or putting on socks become much more challenging when one or both of your hips is stiff and painful.

Treatment options for your hip pain

There’s no cure for arthritis. Unfortunately, arthritis pain won’t go away on its own — but treatment can make a big difference.

If you have ongoing hip pain, it’s time to find out if it’s arthritis. Dr. Dushey diagnoses arthritis with a comprehensive physical exam. Medical imaging, like X-rays, can help him identify the joints affected by arthritis and how advanced it is.

Dr. Dushey often starts by recommending nonsurgical treatment for hip arthritis. Anti-inflammatory medication, joint injections, and physical therapy all work to minimize inflammation, reduce pain, and maintain range of motion.

Maintaining a healthy weight, or losing weight if you need to, takes extra stress off your joints. Activity modification, such as using a cane, may also improve your symptoms.

Hip replacement

Dr. Dushey closely monitors your condition as you start arthritis treatment. If you don’t find relief with nonsurgical therapies — or if your joint damage continues to get worse — he might recommend hip replacement surgery.

Hip replacement involves removing the damaged parts of your hip joint and replacing the joint with a prosthesis. Dr. Dushey specializes in hip replacement and revision of failed hip replacement procedures. When hip pain is so severe that it limits your daily life, hip replacement surgery is a safe and effective option.

Don’t ignore that lingering hip pain. Find out if it’s arthritis and get a treatment plan that’s right for you at Manhattan Orthopedics. Book an appointment with Dr. Dushey online or call the New York office nearest you in Brooklyn, Manhattan, or Astoria.