Hip osteoarthritis or coxarthritis
Symptoms
It usually causes pain in the groin that increases when the patients walks. The pain may extend in front of the thigh towards the knee. Sometimes, though less frequently, it may cause pain on the external side of the thigh and in the gluteus. Pain may also appear with certain hip movements (internal rotation), together with limitation of the range of movement. These symptoms are usually present from the outset of the illness. On many occasions pain is accompanied by limping.
What is it?
The hip joint is formed, on one hand, by the head of the femur, which is more or less spherical; on the other hand the pelvis has a cavity, which is also spherical, that surrounds the head. Over time the joint’s surface progressively wears away, making the cartilage rough and thus increasing the friction between the two surfaces that form the joint.
Causes
It is slightly more frequent in women, and tends to appear later than knee arthritis, starting around 70-80 years of age. In other words, age does have a fundamental role in this type of arthritis. It can appear in younger persons, but when it does it is usually due to factors that predispose patients to faster progression of the wear of the joint, such as: deformities of the hip joint, rheumatic illnesses, and background of traumatism or infections of the joint, necrosis of the head of the femur. There is also a certain hereditary predisposition.
Treatment
Even though a clear connection between obesity and the progression of arthritis has not been found, all specialists recommend avoiding excess weight since the disease is tolerated much better with appropriate weight and daily physical activity. Painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs are useful to control the pain, as well as disease-modifying drugs. Surgery is reserved for those cases in which pain cannot be controlled with habitual medication and/or the patient’s daily activities are limited due to the pain.
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