Coping with Chronic Health Conditions: Tips

Coping with Chronic Health Conditions: Tips

Hip Arthritis: What You Can Do If It's Not A Good Time To Consider Surgery

by Freddie Cox

Do you have hip arthritis? If so, you likely find the condition an uncomfortable nuisance. Perhaps you are worried about whether or not you will need surgery. The following points will help you to understand what non-surgical options may be available to you.

Medications

Many over-the-counter medications are effective in the treatment of hip arthritis. If an over-the-counter pain medication does not appear to be working on its own, check to see if is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) pain reliever such as ibuprofen or naproxen. If not, you can try one of these because your lingering pain may be related to inflammation. Your doctor may be able to prescribe a pain medication too. The issue is that some people do not want to get on prescribed medications due to fears of getting addicted to them. This is especially true for individuals who have past issues with substance abuse.

Injections

Seeing your doctor is the first step in getting a better understanding of your hip arthritis. However, many patients have to be referred to orthopedic doctors when their primary care physicians exhaust all treatment options they can offer. An orthopedic doctor will likely only consider hip surgery as a last resort for your arthritis. One option that they can use that is less invasive is cortisone injections. These injections reduce inflammation, and they can provide pain relief for months. Even if it is determined that you will need surgery at some point in the near future, cortisone injections can give you a few months to plan for the surgery without having to endure pain in the meantime. 

Activity and Therapy

If you are an active person who participates in sports or strenuous exercise routines, you may need to modify your activities if you generally participate in high-impact activities. Examples of high-impact activities are running, hiking in steep areas, or playing soccer. Walking, swimming, and biking are examples of low-impact exercise that would likely be better for your hip arthritis. It is possible that the orthopedic doctor you choose may recommend physical therapy as a treatment option. If so, your physical therapy might include low-impact activities. Some of these can be done in gym environments for people who are less active. Stationary bikes and treadmills on low settings can be used to simulate some low-impact exercises. 

An orthopedic doctor who also works as an orthopedic surgeon is a good resource to use to determine the likelihood of you needing surgery in the future. They can also offer more advice on other non-surgical options such as massage therapy.


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About Me

Coping with Chronic Health Conditions: Tips

Ever since I was a young girl, I have had bad asthma and allergies. I had to stay in the hospital several times when I was in elementary school just to help get my asthma under control and it seemed like I was trying medication after medication with little success. I don't remember all of my childhood health details, since I was so young, but my mother has "filled in the blanks" for me. Thanks to modern medicine and a natural remedy, my health conditions are currently under control and have been for a few years now. I am very grateful for my good health, and I want to "pay it back" to others by creating a blog where I will post my health tips. I hope I can help you learn how to achieve good health!