Joint osteoarthritis means the erosion of the gelatinous material that protects the surface of the joint bones from erosion (cartilage), which causes the bones to rub against each other and erode, thus causing pain and difficulty moving the joint.

Due to the weight that the thigh joints carry, they are among the joints most susceptible to wear and tear over time. What are the causes of roughness in the hip joints? What are its symptoms and treatment methods?

Symptoms of osteoarthritis of the hip joints

In the event of osteoarthritis of the hip joints, the patient may complain the following symptoms:

   1-  Pain with exertion, lifting heavy weights, or walking for long periods.

   2- The pain increases in severity over time, so the patient feels pain even while resting, and the pain may wake him up from sleep.

     Limited joint range of motion, such as the patient’s inability to extend, flex, or rotate the hip.

Causes of osteoarthritis of the hip joints

Causes of osteoarthritis in the hip joints include:

1- Aging reduces the elasticity of cartilage, which leads to its erosion.

2- The genetic factor, as the incidence of osteoarthritis of the thighs increases among families rather than others.

3- Hip fractures.

4-Rheumatic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Complications of osteoarthritis of the hip joints

The effect of osteoarthritis in the hip joints is not limited to the joint itself only, but also extends to many other joints. Complications of osteoarthritis in the hip joints include:

     Spendlylosis of the lumbar vertebrae

Stiffness in the hip as a result of osteoarthritis causes the patient to move the entire pelvis to take his steps, which leads to moving the lumbar vertebrae adjacent to the pelvis sideways with each step. Over time, the lumbar vertebrae become rough, causing the patient to feel lower back pain.

Osteoarthritis of contralotral hip joint 

Osteoarthritis of one hip joint causes the patient to increase the use of the other hip joint and increase the load on it, which over time causes cartilage erosion and joint roughness.

Knee joint injury

The limited range of motion of the hip joint makes the patient unable to rotate, which leads to part of the rotational movement being dependent on the knee joint, causing the joint to be damaged in the long term.

Treatment of osteoarthritis of the hip  joints

The doctor can treat osteoarthritis of the hip joints through conservative treatment and surgical intervention, which we will explain in detail in the following lines.

     First: conservative treatment

Conservative treatment methods include the following:

     Take anti-inflammatory medications and analgesics.

     Physiotherapy.

     Reducing body weight and treating obesity.

     Do not carry heavy weights.

     Doing exercise, such as swimming.

     Second: surgical intervention

Doctors resort to performing joint replacement surgery with an artificial one to treat advanced cases of joint osteoarthritis.

If you notice any of the above-mentioned symptoms, we invite you to visit the clinics of Dr. Ibrahim Gado – consultant orthopedic surgeon – to accurately diagnose and treat the disease, which will prevent the condition from deteriorating and relieve you of the pain associated with osteoarthritis of the thigh joints.

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