Video:Treating Hip Pain
with Roy DavidovitchChronic hip pain can be treated with medication and, in some cases, surgery. Learn more about different ways hip pain can be managed depending on your age in this video.See Transcript
Transcript:Treating Hip Pain
Hi I’m Dr. Roy Davidovitch, orthopedic surgeon at the NYU Langone Medical Center for About.com. In this video, I will be discussing about treatments for chronic hip pain.
Hip Pain in the Elderly
I think of two categories when I think of adult hip pain. The first category, an older demographic, has already developed arthritis. These patients no longer have the smooth gliding of the joint. They have pain with just about every activity including sleep. This leads to stiffness with most of these activities.
Adults with Hip Pain
The next category are the younger patients of ages 30 to 50. These patients have per-arthritic conditions. They have yet to develop full-blown arthritis. The cartilage is still largely in tact. Certain activities will cause pain as opposed to full-blown arthritis when just about every activity is painful.
Treatments for Hip Pain
The treatments are different for each of these groups. In the younger group, it is possible to modify activity, to strengthen the muscles around the hip, increase stretching, and increase motion. If that falls short, and if a specific cartilage injury is identified, a minimally invasive procedure such as a hip arthroscopy may be appropriate to prevent the progression of cartilage injury leading to hip arthritis. This type of procedure is a day surgery. Most patients go home the same day and it’s relatively easy to undertake.
Surgery vs. Medication for Hip Pain
The older age group will initially benefit from some anti-inflammatory medications. Those can be both over-the-counter and can be prescription medications. They can help alleviate the pain although they have no affect on range of motion. The hip will still remain stiff. The motion will still be difficult. For these patients we usually advocate activity modifications but once that fails, surgery is the best option. That surgery is hip replacement surgery. It is a very successful operation that will give back mobility, decrease the pain, and return patients back to their previous activity level.
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