Who Needs Surgery
In the past, patients suffering from hip problems had limited treatment options. In most cases, they were forced to live with the pain until a total hip replacement was required. With the advent of arthroscopic hip surgery, there are now less invasive treatment options available that can provide relief or significant improvement in a number of conditions.
Patients suffering from severe pain in the hip joint as a result of damage done to the joint cartilage or surrounding structures should consider surgery if other treatment options do not give relief. Further factors are:
Patients suffering from severe pain in the hip joint as a result of damage done to the joint cartilage or surrounding structures should consider surgery if other treatment options do not give relief. Further factors are:
- loss of function and decreased quality of life: difficulty and pain experienced when moving the joint, walking, bending down, normal daily function becoming increasingly painful
- poor response to, and presence of side effects from long term usage of anti-inflammatory medications
- signs of joint deterioration visible on comparable X-rays, taken over the period of time
- hip impingement common in athletes and caused by a lack of clearance in the hip joint; the joints rub painfully together when running, sitting or bending over, as well as specific pivot/rotational movements
- a tear in the cartilage lining of the joint (Labral Tear), causing locking or “catching” in the joint and pain in the hip and groin area.
- articular cartilage injuries and loose bodies in the joint.
What Causes the Pain
The bone ends of a joint are covered by a smooth layer of cartilage that allows for frictionless and pain-free movement. Like the tread of a tyre, the cartilage layer gradually wears away through injury or time and the joint becomes rough and painful. Osteoarthritis occurs when the sliding / gliding action of the joint cartilage fails. The outcome of this dysfunctional cartilage, is poor mobility and a painful hip joint.
There are many factors which could cause degeneration, hence, the development of: osteoarthritis, infections, injuries, overuse of joints as found in sports injuries, congenital diseases such as dysplasia, avascular necrosis, Perthe’s disease and many others.
Depending on the amount of damage found in the joint, the patient may be considered a candidate for either the hip arthroscopy procedure, to improve the hip condition and possibly reduce the chance of further damage, or if the hip joint is damaged to an irreparable degree, a hip replacement may be considered.
There are many factors which could cause degeneration, hence, the development of: osteoarthritis, infections, injuries, overuse of joints as found in sports injuries, congenital diseases such as dysplasia, avascular necrosis, Perthe’s disease and many others.
Depending on the amount of damage found in the joint, the patient may be considered a candidate for either the hip arthroscopy procedure, to improve the hip condition and possibly reduce the chance of further damage, or if the hip joint is damaged to an irreparable degree, a hip replacement may be considered.
The first step towards freedom from pain is to book a consultation to assess the extent of the damage
