Winters can trigger the risk of hip arthritis in young adults too. Dr Akhilesh Yadav throws light on the problem
The cold reduces the blood circulation in Joints which amplifies arthritis pain. Less sunlight during winters means lower Vitamin D levels and leads to weakened bones and joints arthritis, a progressive disorder, typically starts gradually and gets worse with time. Such patients who often find difficulty in walking feel stiffness, or pain ranging from sharp pain to dull ache in hips more during the winters.
Though joint problems are often neglected until they cause distress, it is important especially during winters to diagnose the condition early for better treatment outcomes.
To describe it in simple terms, arthritis occurs when the joint space of your hip is narrowed and the soft tissues surrounding it start to shrink and tighten. The condition may arise due to genetic or hereditary reasons and certain other conditions like wear and tear of joints over time or due to tough training regime, or being obese as well.
If we examine the make-up of our hip joint, it is a ball and socket joint and is very mobile. During arthritis when we stretch and move, the hip joint hurts and over time leads to greater stiffness and worsening of the condition that alleviates pain. Thus, it explains why the hip is one of the most common joints affected by arthritis.
There are different types of arthritis that can affect the hip and its treatment is based on factors such as the type of arthritis, how early the condition is diagnosed, age of the patient and medical history (if any).
Types: There are three main types of arthritis that can affect the hip joint. These are:
Osteoarthritis: This is most common form of arthritis seen especially in elderly people. Although it is also caused due to structural problems with the hip joint, advancing age, obesity, hip injury and others. Obesity is one of the major causes of Osteoarthritis and knee-related ailments, where knees undergo six times the body weight thereby affecting the joints.
Rheumatoid Arthritis: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects your entire body and not just the hip joint. It affects people of all age groups including children and is commonly seen in women than men. The cause of inflammation in RA is due to an immune system response rather than wear and tear. The condition causes pain and swelling in both the hips unlike osteoarthritis that occurs only in one hip, and eventually, it leads to deterioration of the bone and cartilage of the joint. Besides pain and swelling, RA also causes weakness and fatigue.
Ankylosing spondylitis: It is a chronic inflammation of the spine and sacroiliac joint (the joint where the spine meets the pelvis). The condition may affect people of all age groups, including children, but typically its onset is between the age of 17 and 35. Unlike RA, Ankylosing spondylitis is more common in men than women.
Some of the factors leading to hip joint problems in the oldage include usage of steroids or supplements during younger age for body building.
Symptoms: Common symptoms associated with arthritis of hip are:
Blood tests.
Non-surgical options: Based on your diagnosis, your surgeon will prescribe the type of treatment that is appropriate for your condition.
Non-surgical treatment for arthritis of the hip may include:
Surgical options: Many people with arthritis of the hip are candidates for surgery. Surgery can help to reduce pain, enhance quality of life, and improve an individual's ability to perform everyday activities with no restrictions.
Minimally invasive hip replacement surgery: It is an appropriate treatment option if the hip joint is severely damaged or if pain and swelling reduces motion in joints and affects quality of life. Hip replacement surgery is one of the most successful modern orthopaedic surgical procedures and it is performed with smaller incisions which mean quicker recovery. During a hip replacement surgery, the surgeon removes damaged cartilage and bone from the hip joint and replaces them with man-made parts.
The writer is Senior Transplant Head Joint Replacement(Hip & Knee), Centre for knee and Hip Care, Vaishali​​​​​​​