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HIP ARTHRISTIS NON-OPERATIVE MANAGEMENT
Education
Education is the key tool in having a greater understanding of what arthritis is, and what is involved to address and manage the symptoms associated with it.
We hold regular education seminars for patients, and give access to online tools to have you better comprehend what is really going on with your knee, and how we can help you improve your quality of life.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy has been shown to be effective in improving the symptoms of some patients with early osteoarthritis. The more severe your arthritis unfortunately the less effective this can be.
Physiotherapy can be beneficial even if you ultimately require surgery because pre-operative physio ‘Pre-hab’ helps you recover faster.
Exercises focus on strength, stability, range of motion and pain management
Injections
Injections may sometimes relieve your pain for variable periods of time. Unfortunately these are not a cure, their effect does wear off, and require CT guidance to ensure the injection is accurately placed within the hip joint.
These are most useful for patients seeking a temporary solution, such as those people waiting out a waiting period.
Injection options
Options include Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP), Hyaluronic acid (eg Synvisc® or Cingal®) or Corticosteroid.
Corticosteroid injections are cheaper than PRP or hyaluronic acid but can raise the risk of infection if you have a hip replacement in the next 3- 6 months.
Tablets
Paracetamol
Regular paracetamol is useful due to its favourable side effect profile and no addictiveness. It is not generally considered a safe pain killer. It is to be avoided if a patient has liver problems This will be prescribed in conjunction with your General Practitioner.
Anti-inflammatories
Anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen (nurofen), diclofenac (voltaren), celecoxib (celebrex), meloxicam (Mobic) can be used for short flare-ups. They should not be used on a long term basis, and can not be prescribed if past medical complaints such as gastric ulcers and kidney problem. This will be prescribed in conjunction with your General Practitioner.
Avoid stronger (opioid based) painkillers eg. Tramadol, Endone/Oxycodone, Palexia/Tapentadol, Norspan due to the development of tolerance/addiction. If you require opioid pain relief such as these on a regular basis to relieve your pain it may be time to consider operative management rather than opioids.
Diet
- Patients with hip arthritis can often put on weight because their painful hip slows them down.
- It can be difficulty losing weight through exercise given how painful your arthritic hip may be.
- Lower weight can mean less force through your arthritic joint and therefore less pain.
- Consider the assistance of a dietician or your GP to modify your diet to help your hip pain
Activity Modification
Low impact aerobic activity is encouraged for your hip health, general health and mental wellbeing. You may need to alter which exercise you do – switch running for swimming or cycling for example.
SURGICAL TREATMENT
Surgical treatment is considered when the above non-operative management has failed to relieve your pain and get you back to doing the things you love.
If pain is affecting your quality of life significantly despite trying the techniques above, talk to your surgeon at the Sunshine Coast Orthopaedic Group about whether we are able to improve your symptoms with surgery.
get in touch
CONTACT US
If you would like to book an appointment with any of our practitioners, please contact us. We can be reached on the details below, or alternatively, leave your details in our form and we’ll get back to you.
If you’re unsure of what service you need, please give our friendly team a call and they can lead you in the right direction
- Phone: 07 5493 8038
- Fax: 07 5301 8154
- Email: click here to email
Sunshine Coast University Private Hospital
Suite 12, 3 Doherty Street, Birtinya, QLD, 4575
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