Treatment without surgery
You and your doctor may decide there are some things you can do now to manage your pain without surgery.
What can I do now?
Lifestyle changes
Exercise may help.1 Talk with your doctor about the kinds of exercises that may strengthen the muscles around your hip and help reduce your pain. For people with mild or moderate osteoarthritis of the hip, certain exercises may help improve how they feel and help them postpone surgery.1
Physical therapy
Physical therapists can help lessen your pain by teaching better posture or “form” for your day-to-day activities, like getting in and out of a chair. They can also teach you how to use assistive tools like a cane or walker so you can be more active with less stress on your hips. Your physical therapist may also recommend walking and strengthening exercises, depending on your anatomy, joint functioning, and disease progression.
Medication
Your doctor may recommend over-the-counter or prescription anti-inflammatory medicines to help reduce the swelling and pain in your hip joint. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like ibuprofen, and steroid medications, like corticosteroid injections, may be helpful.2 Use of these medications must be monitored by your doctor.
Talk with your doctor about non-surgical approaches to decreasing your hip pain. If these approaches don’t help, you’ve still got options.
References:
- Goodman A. Exercise may delay or prevent hip surgery. Arthritis Foundation. www.arthritis.org/living-with-arthritis/exercise/benefits/exercises-for-hip-pain.php. Accessed 16 Apr. 2018.
- Cortisone shots. Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Accessed 16 Apr. 2018.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT HIP ARTHROSCOPY
Hip arthroscopy is performed in individuals to treat joint disease resulting from conditions such as femoroacetabular impingement, labral tears, removal of loose fragments of cartilage inside the joint, inflamed joint lining or painful bone spurs.
Hip arthroscopy surgery is often not considered to be appropriate for patients with certain types of infections, compromised bone stock, skeletal immaturity, severe arthritis of the joint or excessive body weight.
Like any surgery, hip arthroscopy surgery has serious risks which include, but are not limited to, pain, infection, bone fracture, peripheral neuropathies (nerve damage), circulatory compromise including deep vein thrombosis (blood clots in the legs), heart attack and death.
The information presented is for educational purposes only. Speak to your doctor to decide if hip arthroscopy surgery is appropriate for you. Individual results vary and not all patients will return to the same activity level. It is important to closely follow your doctor’s instructions regarding post-surgery activity, treatment and follow-up care.
Stryker Corporation or its other divisions or other corporate affiliated entities own, use or have applied for the following trademarks or service marks: Pivot Guardian, Together with our customers, we are driven to make healthcare better. All other trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners or holders.
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