Have you suffered from nagging hip pain? Hip joints are one of the weight-bearing joints in the body that undergoes excess stress due to daily activities. Hip arthritis is a painful condition that occurs due to the inflammation of the joints in the hip. 

The condition is associated with sports injuries that involve a lot of running. Studies show that arthritis can affect anyone despite age but are more prevalent in women and the elderly. 

The dull pain on the outer side of the hip will progress steadily with activities like climbing stairs or walking for a long time. That’s why it is important to assess your pain and diagnose the condition to decide on the best course of treatment. 

Moreover, diagnosing arthritis at an early stage will improve the chances of recovery without the need for surgery. Scroll to know more about the different non-surgical treatments for Hip Arthritis.

Non-Surgical Treatments for Hip Arthritis

The goal of hip arthritis treatment is to resolve inflammation and pain. The conservative treatment ranges from pain medications to physical therapy that can aid you in recovering from hip arthritis and prevent it from recurring. Here are the best non-invasive treatment approaches for arthritis.

Pain Management Options

In the early stage, hip arthritis only causes slight soreness and swelling due to the inflammation of the bursa. Certain pain management options can be simple yet effective to follow and will aid you in healing the condition at a better phase. 

• Rest and Activity Modifications

Overuse or repeated stress is the primary cause of arthritis. Hence, rest the affected area as much as possible when the inflammation happens. For instance, if your hips hurt while bending down or working in a squatting position, you must avoid performing such activities. 

If the cause is work-related, learn the proper technique and install equipment to support the hip joints. You can implement these management strategies into your daily life to prevent the condition from recurring.

• Prescription Pain Medications

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, aspirin and naproxen are generally prescribed by a healthcare professional to manage pain and decrease swelling in arthritis. In addition, you may also take over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen to reduce pain, but it cannot be effective against swelling.

NSAIDs might cause mild adverse effects. Hence, follow the instructions for your physicals and be mindful of how long you take them. The elderly with certain medical conditions and pregnant women should avoid taking these drugs.

• Injections

If oral medication doesn’t respond positively, our orthopaedic might suggest injection therapy. It includes corticosteroid injection, Platelet-rich plasma injection, and stem cell therapy injection that tends to provide fast and efficient pain relief. However, prolonged injection treatment with steroids or other drugs might damage the joint profusely. 

Physical Therapy and Exercise

After examining the degree and stage of your arthritis and the root cause, a physical therapist will create a customized program plan for you. You will be able to resolve the pain through a regular regimen of stretching and strengthening patterns in a few weeks. 

Moreover, research shows that they help you to focus on specific muscle groups to enhance the agility of the hip joints, preventing injury in future.

• Manual Therapy

Manual therapy is a part of physical therapy implemented to alleviate mechanical pain and improve mobility in the hip joints. The therapist will use soft tissue mobilization techniques on the tendons to desensitize the injured tissues and boost blood flow to the region. 

• Resistance Exercises

arthritis in the hip will reduce muscle activation. Hence it will take more time to heal the injury. Performing resistance exercises will get your muscle back in motion and improve the overall functionality of your hip joints, allowing you to walk or run with ease. 

• Functional Training

Once the pain and other symptoms of hip arthritis have been improved, the therapist will guide you to do functional restoration activities to smooth the transition to your daily life or sports activities. This training includes running, lower extremity strengthening exercises and sports-relevant training. 

Weight Management

Your hip joints constantly carry the entire weight of your body. Being obese or overweight will put excess stress on the joints, causing damage to the bursa. Eventually, research shows that it will decrease the range of motion, pain, tenderness, swelling or warmth. 

Therefore, even losing a single pound could significantly affect hip pain. Here are some effective lifestyle strategies that will help you manage weight.

• Diet

Losing weight can give instant relief for hip pain. Making dietary changes will help you maintain a healthy weight. The way to lose pounds is to consume a few calories, and nutrition-rich foods are the way to lose pounds. 

In contrast, you must eat pain-aggravating foods like tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, and pepper to prevent the progression. In a nutshell, you need to build healthy dietary habits to yield innumerable benefits.

• Exercises

Incorporating a proper exercise regimen into your daily routine is important to recover from hip arthritis. Even though you cannot exercise due to severe hip pain, add simple stretches that will aid in weight loss, reduce the pressure on the hips and alleviate the pain.

Assistive Devices

Assistive devices help people with arthritis to live an active life without worrying about injury. It will reduce stiffness and pain in the hip joints and help you stay independent with improved mobility. Here are some of the best options to make your daily routine easier.

• Braces: Braces will keep your hip bones in place and relieve pain that occurs due to friction. 
• Splints: Regular or customized splints will aid in maintaining the proper position of your hip joints, whether walking or sleeping.
• Shoe inserts – When you walk or run fast, the force will travel up to the hip joints. A shoe insert will lower the impact and strain on the hips, even when standing for an extended period.

Conclusion

If you experience pain due to hip arthritis, it will affect your ability to bend, walk and knee. When left unnoticed, it will make it challenging to do simple routine tasks and can be debilitating. It is essential to consult with an orthopaedic specialist about your symptoms to opt for effective treatment for hip arthritis without surgery.

Early diagnosis and timely treatment will prevent hip arthritis from impacting your joints’ function and quality of life. The team of healthcare professionals will work together to assist you in creating an individualized treatment plan. It will be focused on decreasing your pain and increasing your mobility as a first step to getting back to your more active lifestyle.