Are You Suffering From Hip Pain?

By Madhavi Chada, MD

Synergy Spine and Pain Center

. http://www.SynergySpineMD.com

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Are You Suffering From Hip Pain?

The hip joint is a large ball and socket joint and is designed to withstand repeated motion and allow for fluid movement. Hip pain is a common complaint with a number of possible causes. The most common causes of hip pain are arthritis, bursitis, muscle strain, and nerve irritation. Treatment and management of hip pain is dependent on the diagnosis and any underlying illness that may be present.

Treatment Of Hip Pain

Below are some of the common treatment options that are pursued in the management of hip pain:

Medication Management: Over-the-counter pain medications such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve) are often sufficient in managing hip pain. There are also other prescription NSAIDs including Diclofenac, Naprosyn, Celebrex that have been proven to relieve hip pain. Opioids, or narcotic medications may be considered in the management of hip pain, if the pain is severe and if alternative pain management options fail to offer relief.

Physical Therapy: Physical therapy is an excellent treatment for managing hip pain. Therapy is directed to maintain the strength and range of motion of the hip through various stretches and strengthening exercises. Other techniques used in physical therapy include ultrasound therapy, heat therapy, and massage.

Joint Injections: Depending on the diagnosis, joint injections can be offered to help with pain relief. This is particularly useful in patients who have moderate to severe osteoarthritis of the hip. Arthritis of the hip can present as pain in the groin, and can also be felt in the thigh. Injecting a solution of local anesthetic and steroid can help reduce inflammation caused by arthritis and the results can be instantaneous.

In some cases, if the patient responds favorably to nerve blocks of the articular branches to the hip from the femoral and obturator nerves, radiofrequency ablation can be used to extend the duration of pain relief. This can be applied even in post-hip replacement pain.

PRP Therapy: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a concentrate of plasma that has a higher amount of growth factors. It is used to help regenerate soft tissue and healing. Platelet-rich plasma can treat sports injuries, including torn ligaments and tendons, skeletal fractures, strained muscles, sprained knees and chronic tendon injuries.

Joint Replacement Surgery: In the event that the above treatments do not help joint replacement surgery is available. The classic indication for joint replacement surgery is some form of destructive osteoarthritis where the entire hip joint’s normal architecture is damaged.