Hip Pain: Is It Time You Were Tested For Arthritis?

Many of us put our aches and pains down to ageing or getting older, but when pain lingers or causes trouble with our mobility we could be showing symptoms of something else. Our hips take most of our weight, and we may take them for granted when we’re experiencing few problems with our wellness. Pain might creep up over the years until we find it difficult to walk or it can be sudden.

Ageing and our bones

Our hips are ball and socket joints, with the end of our leg bone (femoral head) fitting neatly into the hip socket (acetabulum). Both of these are covered with cartilage, with synovial fluid lubricating them. Over time, our wellbeing may feel the effects of this cartilage being worn away and inflamed, which is a form of arthritis. We can feel pain as the cartilage on the end of the bones rubs against each other. When there is inflammation of the synovial lining then this could be down to rheumatoid arthritis. Both of these conditions can be very painful, especially if cartilage wears completely away, or the lubricating lining that’s meant to reduce friction becomes increasingly inflamed.

Getting diagnosed

Pain is the common factor, as are joint stiffness and groin pain that limits the range of motion of our hips. Pain may occur at different times though, with osteoarthritis getting worse when we move the joint or if we have a very busy day. With rheumatoid arthritis we may feel sore in the mornings but gentle activity can ease symptoms as the day progresses. To establish whether we have arthritis or not, doctors will perform some mobility tests on our hips. This normally involves seeing how much we can move the joint and how well we stand and walk. Surgery isn’t usually the first option for arthritis, and GPs usually opt for pain management and physiotherapy, but depending on the severity of the syndrome we could be put forward for a hip replacement.