Ive just been diagnosed with osteoarthritis in the hip, its very painful has anyone got any suggestions or i?

Question

that can help me to improve day to day life im only 34 can hardly walk. Any suggestions i.e. diet, medication and exercise I would be grateful for.

Answer 1

Osteoarthritis of the Hip
Like other joints that carry your weight, your hips may be at risk for "wear and tear" arthritis (osteoarthritis), the most common form of the disease. The smooth and glistening covering (articular cartilage) on the ends of your bones that helps your hip joint glide may wear thin. Your first sign may be a bit of discomfort and stiffness in your groin, buttock or thigh when you wake up in the morning. The pain flares when you're active and gets better when you rest.

If you don't get treatment for osteoarthritis of the hip, the condition keeps getting worse until resting no longer relieves your pain. The hip joint gets stiff and inflamed. Bone spurs might build up at the edges of the joint. When the cartilage wears away completely, bones rub directly against each other. This makes it very painful for you to move. You may lose the ability to rotate, flex or extend your hip. If you become less active to avoid the pain the muscles controlling your joint get weak, and you may start to limp.

You're more likely to get it if you have a family history of the disease. You're also at risk if you are elderly, obese or have an injury that puts stress on your hip cartilage. You can get osteoarthritis if you don't have any risk factors. See your doctor as soon as possible if you think you may have it.

Evaluation
While you cannot reverse the effects of osteoarthritis, early nonsurgical treatment may help you avoid a lot of pain and disability and slow progression of the disease. Surgery can help you if your condition is already severe. You doctor will determine how much the disease has progressed. Describe your symptoms and when they began. Your doctor may rotate, flex and extend your hips to check for pain. He or she may want you to walk or stand on one leg to see how your hips line up. Both hips will probably be X-rayed to check if hip joint space has changed, and if you have developed bone spurs or other abnormalities.

The Emotions Underlying Arthritis
The emotional patterns that are associated with and exacerbate osteoarthritic pain are irritation and frustration. The severity of the problem depends upon how intense these emotions are, and how long they’ve been present and unresolved. Though all of us have irritation and frustration in our lives, there is no need for it to get stuck in our joints and stay there. Recognize when you are feeling irritated or resentful, remind yourself to breathe deeply, and allow yourself to experience these feelings fully without judging yourself. Movement and sound are powerful ways to change and transform energy of all kinds, so consider dancing and singing, or pounding a pillow while yelling or grunting, to release irritation before it gets caught in your joints. Don’t allow yourself to carry the irritation of others, either. Resolving to name and release irritation regularly can take some practice, but when you couple it with a healthy lifestyle, the benefits that result are usually worth the effort.



Inflammation: Beyond Celebrex and Vioxx
When tissue is injured in any manner or a toxic substance enters one’s body, the immune system senses this and mounts an inflammatory response designed to protect the rest of the body from harm. During this process, molecules are emitted that attract white blood cells to the area. These white blood cells swoop in to remove damaged tissue, germs, or the offensive toxin from the body. While critical to healing, the inflammatory response sometimes overshoots its mark, resulting in chronic inflammation, which shows up in everything from cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and skin aging to cancer and heart disease. In fact, research has shown that tissue inflammation is present in nearly every disease process and is, in fact, part of the mechanism underlying most chronic diseases.



The chemistry of inflammation
This is where the anti-inflammatory drugs called cyclooxygenase inhibitors come in. They work by blocking the creation of inflammatory molecules called prostaglandins (also known as series 2 eicosanoids), which are produced by the body after tissue injury, infection or other type of stress. Think of prostaglandins as very small, localized hormones that control local processes such as blood clotting, blood vessel constriction, inflammation, and delivery of pain signals.

Cyclooxygenase, an enzyme, is involved in the first step of prostaglandin creation. There are two forms of cyclooxygenase, COX–1 and COX–2, both of which are released in response to injury, toxic substances, stress, or any combination of these. Conventional anti-inflammatory drugs such as Motrin and Advil inhibit both varieties. The trouble is that, COX–1 is the “good” form of the enzyme; it helps protect the stomach lining, for example, so inhibiting it can cause bleeding or other GI disturbance.

This unwanted COX–1 blocking is why drugs designed to selectively inhibit COX–2 were developed. Although many doctors prescribed the newer COX–2 inhibitors such as Vioxx or Celebrex after they were introduced in 1999, these drugs have come under increased scrutiny. Even before Vioxx was removed from the market in September 2004 because of its dangers to the cardiovascular system, studies had warned of its side effects. Taking Celebrex, Bextra, and Arcoxia also increase your risk of cardiovascular disease, although for slightly different reasons.



When anti-inflammatory drugs are not an option
Though anti-inflammatory drugs work well, long-term use can be dangerous—or even fatal. Kidney damage is well-documented. So is GI irritation, which can cause peptic ulcer and diverticulitis; either condition can lead to severe bleeding or bowel perforation, which can be life-threatening. In fact, the longer an individual takes anti-inflammatory drugs and the higher the dose, the greater the risk of side effects. Statistics show that 6–9 percent of elderly patients will be hospitalized for complications from NSAIDs. A staggering 107,000 people a year are admitted to hospitals with complications from these drugs, and in 1999 an estimated 16,500 people died from using them.

The other less widely recognized problem with NSAIDs is that their continued use actually makes arthritis worse. These drugs actually hinder cartilage repair and contribute to its destruction. Research shows that untreated people can actually recover from osteoarthritis on their own, complete with joint space recovery, so NSAIDs probably do more harm than good for osteoarthritis patients.
The bottom line is this: Every enzyme in our body has a purpose. When we inhibit that enzyme with a drug, we may be interfering with metabolic paths in as-yet unknown ways. For example, we know that COX–2 plays a critical role in modulating the immune response. It also helps regulate salt and water balance and body temperature, and plays a role in the transmission of impulses in nerve cells in both the brain and the body. (See Reference 22, link below.) By inhibiting the action of COX–2, we could be hindering our immune system’s ability to defend us, upsetting the delicate balance that determines whether we excrete excess fluids or retain them, and interrupting communication among nerve cells. Furthermore, COX–2 is induced in the ovary and uterus during ovulation and implantation. So, if you’re trying to get pregnant, don’t take an NSAID.

My First Line of Treatment: Dietary Considerations

Is your diet aggravating your joint pain?
Try a little experiment: Eliminate red meat, except for range-fed beef, buffalo and venison, and use only organic eggs. If you are pain-free during this time, confirm your results by eating a meal of mainstream steak and eggs two months later. You see, grain-fed beef and eggs from standard poultry houses are high in arachidonic acid, which can aggravate arthritic pain in some people. Another potential pain trigger is certain vegetables from the nightshade family (Solanaceae), such as tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant and green peppers. These contain solanine, a joint irritant in some people. It may be worth skipping these foods for a while to determine whether you are sensitive. If you are, you’ll get a quick “cure” by avoiding the nightshade plants.



Add naturally occurring COX inhibitors to your diet, either in food or supplement form.

Nature, in all her wisdom, has provided us with many safe, natural alternatives to NSAIDs and pharmaceutical COX–2 inhibitors. A wide variety of edible plants and herbs contain COX–2 inhibitors, but in a combination that is balanced, so they arrest inflammation without inhibiting immune response, compromising kidney function, or causing GI inflammation.



Green tea (Camellia sinensis)
Green tea is one of the most useful COX inhibitors, containing at least 51 anti-inflammatory compounds, including salicylic acid, a naturally occurring COX–2 inhibitor. But unlike aspirin, which also contains salicylic acid, long-term use of green tea actually prevents the formation of ulcers. That’s because it also contains at least 15 different anti-ulcer agents. (The only herb that is more potent for healing the GI system is ginger.)

I recommend drinking three cups of tea a day. Or, try green tea extract. When choosing a green tea supplement, look for a product that has at least 50 percent epigallocatechin gallate, or catechin, content.



Curcumin
Curcumin is the yellow pigment found in the herb turmeric (Curcuma longa), a member of the ginger family. Curcumin has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. (See Reference 23, link below.) It interrupts the formation of leukotrienes, powerful pro-inflammatory eicosanoids, and inhibits the response of white blood cells to inflammatory stimulation.

Recommended dosage is 300–600 mg per day. To achieve this level with cooking would be almost impossible.

Boswellia, rosemary, ginger, and oregano are other commonly used herbs that have anti-inflammatory activity.



Follow a whole foods diet rich in plant foods of all types, especially the highly pigmented ones.
Deeply colored foods such as blueberries, raspberries, kale, collard green, sweet potatoes and squash are loaded with naturally occurring antioxidants that decrease inflammation and quench stress caused by free radicals. The more I learn about the amazing properties of richly pigmented foods, the more convinced I become of the benefits of eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day.

As a general rule, avoid junk foods made from white sugar and white flour, or limit them to a small amount in the middle of the day, when they’ll have the least adverse metabolic impact. In addition, avoid excess alcohol (no more than two drinks per day). Eliminate or greatly reduce caffeine; it increases stress hormones. Eliminate partially hydrogenated fats, too, because they promote tissue inflammation.



Take a good antioxidant supplement daily.
There are more antioxidants available than you could possibly take in a day. Their effects overlap, so you don’t need to take them all. The following are what I consider good levels for the most common antioxidants:



BETA-CAROTENE: 5,000–50,000 IU/day



VITAMIN A: 10,000 IU/day.
If your supplement contains both beta-carotene and vitamin A, your dose of beta-carotene can be lower.



VITAMIN C: 1,000–8,000 mg/day.
For doses this high, you’ll need to purchase vitamin C separately from a multivitamin.



VITAMIN E: 400–1,200 IU (mixed tocopherols)
TOCOTRIENOLS are a particularly potent form of vitamin E. I recommend taking 25–100 mg of tocotrienols per day, in addition to regular vitamin E.



SELENIUM: 200–400 mcg/day



MANGANESE: 15 mg/day



ZINC: 20–50 mg/day



FOLIC ACID: 400–800 mcg/day



VITAMIN D: 350–800 IU/day





Take joint-enhancing supplements.
Two of the most powerful and beneficial are glucosamine sulfate and oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs).



OPCs
My first choice for mild to moderate joint problems is a potent but very safe group of antioxidants known as proanthocyanidins, which have been isolated from pine bark and grape seeds. They are more powerful than vitamin C, gobbling up free radicals in your tissue very effectively, thereby decreasing some of the factors involved in joint irritation. This approach will help head off more serious joint damage and, because OPCs help repair connective tissue, they are also very good for bones, hair, skin, and nails, and at the same time will benefit your eyesight, nerves, and cervical cells — virtually any part of you apt to incur cell damage from sunlight or environmental toxins.

The best way to take an OPC product is to start with a loading dose of 1 mg per pound of body weight, in divided doses, daily for 10 days (if you weigh 140 lb, take 140 mg per day). Thereafter, taper to a dose between 50 and 100 mg per day — decreasing to a level at which you remain pain-free. Give it a trial of two weeks at minimum to see results.




GLUCOSAMINE SULFATE
Glucosamine is an essential building block of the synovial fluid, which lubricates, protects, and even repairs your joints. It manufactures substances necessary for cartilage growth and repair. Studies have shown that oral glucosamine sulfate helps maintain and boost cartilage repair, disc and connective tissue, and enhances joint function and integrity. Taking this supplement helps supply your joints with the raw material they need to function and lubricate properly. The therapeutic effect of glucosamine sulfate on aches and pains can be dramatic — and with only minor side effects. (See Reference 24, link below.)

Recommended dosage: 500 mg, three times per day. If you notice stomach upset, take it with food. Be sure to give it an adequate trial of at least one month or more.




Make sure you’re getting enough omega–3 fats.
Omega–3 fats, particularly DHA, are the building blocks for hundreds of essential metabolic products that enhance immune function. (For a more in-depth discussion of omega-3 fats, see the November ’01 issue of Health Wisdom for Women.)

Usual dose of DHA: 200–800 mg/day

What are Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate?

Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are substances found naturally in the body. Glucosamine is a form of amino sugar that is believed to play a role in cartilage formation and repair. Chondroitin sulfate is part of a large protein molecule (proteoglycan) that gives cartilage elasticity.

Both glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are sold as dietary or nutritional supplements. They are extracted from animal tissue: glucosamine from crab, lobster or shrimp shells; and chondroitin sulfate from animal cartilage, such as tracheas or shark cartilage.

What do they do?

Past studies show that some people with mild to moderate osteoarthritis (OA) taking either glucosamine or chondroitin sulfate reported pain relief at a level similar to that of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin and ibuprofen. Some research indicates that the supplements might also slow cartilage damage in people with OA. Definitive results about the effects of these supplements are expected from an in-depth clinical study currently being conducted by the National Institutes of Health.

What do I look for?

Because dietary supplements are unregulated, the quality and content may vary widely. If you decide to take these supplements:

* Choose products sold by large, well-established companies that can be held accountable.
* Read the product labels carefully to make sure the ingredient lists make sense to you. If you have trouble, ask your pharmacists for help.
* Be sure to consult your doctor before deciding to try these supplements.
* Make sure that OA is the cause of your pain.
* Do not stop or reduce your current prescribed medications without talking with your doctor.



How do I take them?

If you decide to take these supplements, consult your doctor about the proper dosage. The amount used in studies of glucosamine was 1,500 mg per day and in studies of chondroitin sulfate, 1,200 mg per day was used.

You can try the supplements along with your current medications for six to eight weeks. If you don't experience any difference in your symptoms within a few months, you probably will not get any relief from using the supplements.

Are there side effects?

The most common side effects are increased intestinal gas and softened stools. If you experience these problems, you might want to try another supplement brand before you stop using them altogether.

More studies need to be done to confirm the safety and effectiveness of the supplements. Be sure to contact your doctor if you notice any unusual or new symptoms while you are taking them.

Cautions

* Children, women who are pregnant, and women who could become pregnant should not take these supplements. They have not been studied long enough to determine their effects on a child or on a developing fetus.
* Because glucosamine is an amino sugar, people with diabetes should check their blood sugar levels more frequently when taking this supplement.
* If you are taking chondroitin sulfate in addition to a blood-thinning medication or daily aspirin therapy, have your blood clotting time checked more often. This supplement is similar in structure to the blood-thinning drug heparin, and the combination may cause bleeding in some people.
* If you are allergic to shellfish, consult your doctor before deciding to take glucosamine. In most cases, however, allergies are caused by proteins in shellfish, not chitin, a carbohydrate from which glucosamine is extracted.

Nonsurgical treatment
If you have early stages of osteoarthritis of the hip, the first treatment may be:


Rest your hip from overuse.

Follow a physical therapy program of gentle, regular exercise like swimming, water aerobics or cycling to keep your joint functioning and improve its strength and range of motion.

Use nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications like ibuprofen for pain.

Get enough sleep each night.

You may need to lose weight if you are overweight. As the disease progresses, you may need to use a cane.


Total hip replacement surgery
If you have later stages of osteoarthritis, your hip joint hurts when you rest at night and/or your hip is severely deformed, your doctor may recommend total hip replacement surgery (arthroplasty). You will get a two-piece ball and socket replacement for your hip joint. This will cure your pain and improve your ability to walk. You may need crutches or a walker for awhile after surgery. Rehabilitation is important to restore your hip's flexibility and work your muscles back into shape.

Hydro-Therapy:

Hydrotherapy is the use of water to treat disease or illness. Water has been used to treat disease since ancient times. Hydrotherapy includes whirlpools, jaccuzi's, sauna and steam baths, and other treatments.

The soothing solution to everyday aches and pains. So many people suffer needlessly from the trauma of ailments - be they from age, occupation or simply the strain of day to day living.

Relief begins in a Whirlpool Spa or Jaccuzi. As little as 10 minutes a day can dramatically improve and give relief from the painful ailments a great many people suffer from. You too could benefit from the many soothing capabilities a whirlpool spa bath possesses. For many, taking the plunge has changed their lives. Why not join them?

Feel better with hydro-massage from your own personal health spa massage therapy. I would definitly look into a Jacuzzi Tub as
it has stronger jets.

When it comes to releasing stress and thus halting tissue damage, few therapies rival exercise. As little as 10 to 20 minutes of exercise in the form of brisk walking will gobble up excess stress hormones and stop the chain of inflammation that goes along with them. Movement increases the feel-good hormone beta-endorphin and also keeps your joints lubricated and in better shape. If you have arthritis, gentle exercises that enhance range of motion and strengthen the muscles surrounding affected joints are most helpful, including swimming, bicycling, dancing, walking, yoga and Pilates. Your best bet for safety and consistency is to work out an exercise program with a physical therapist trained in designing exercise routines for people with arthritis.


Good Luck & God Bless

Answer 2

I can feel your pain, literally. I am 31 and have been living with osteoarthritis for 21 years. It started in my knee when I was 10 and I now have it in my ankle, shoulder and possibly my wrist. The best advice I can give you is keep up your range of motion. What I mean by that is to keep it moving. External analgesics such as Ben-Gay and Icy Hot are good. Another option would be an NSAID such as Aleve or Advil. The chiropractors around here offer an analgesic gel called Bio-Freeze that works wonders for me. Try looking for it online. Also alternate between heat and cold therapy. It might be a good idea to apply heat to your hip before doing anything major as it will increase the blood flow to that area and not make it feel so stiff. You will probably find that your arthritis will flare up during weather changes such as when it is really humid or when it is extremely cold. Remember the elderly could predict the weather saying they could "Feel it in their bones".
A last resort, which I have had to use was arthroscopic surgery where they go in and scrape the bones. It is only a temporary fix and I was pain free for about 3 years after that.
I hope this information helps you out. There is no cure for arthritis, and we have to learn to live with the effects of it for the rest of our lives. It is up to us how we live by letting us control it or letting it control us.

Answer 3

Osteoarthritis means that permanent structural changes have already happened in the joints, so unfortunately you can't get rid of it. That doesn't mean you can't help it, though. You can watch your diet and general lifestyle, excessive drinking doesn't help it, and if you smoke, now's a good time to seriously consider quitting. Glucosamine, chondroitin, cod liver oil, evening primrose oil, multivitamin supplements are all a good idea too, but can take many months to show an improvement - so stick with them even if they don't seem to be doing any good. Try to avoid static positioning for any prolonged period, i.e. don't sit, stand or stay walking for too long at a time. Make sure the hip joints aren't getting stiff - loss of movement is your biggest enemy, and will cause more pain. Lie on your back, pull one knee onto your chest, keeping the back of the other knee flat on the bed, hold for 30 seconds, and repeat with the other leg. Lie on your tummy and do a push up, but leave your pelvis on the bed to extend your hips. Hold for 30 secs, then relax. Lie on your tummy, bend your knees to a right angle, call that twelve o'clock, then drop your feet out to the sides to ten to and ten past, if you know what I mean, to internally rotate your hips fully. Lie on your back, rest the sole of your right foot against the inside of your left knee, then drop your right knee down towards the bed. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat with the other leg. Sit 'backwards' on a kitchen chair - straddle it, to enourage your hips to abduct. Get swimming - the easiest way to start strengthening your muscles, and avoid road walking - stick to field, packed dirt or beach walking. Avoid treadmills for the same reason - too much impact is going to accelerate the erosion of the joint cartilage. Good luck, you might get away with your own hips for a while yet!

Answer 4

Several things can aggravate your discomforts including:
Your weight - if you're even 10 pounds overweight that is like 20 pounds to your hips.
Pain tolerance - Everyone has a different level of pain tolerance, some higher, some lower than others.
Treatment modalities - Use of NSAIDs (Anti-inflammatories), cortisone injections and possibly surgical intervention.
Exercise - As painful as it may be, exercise really is your friend. Discuss options with your physician. He/She should be able to direct you in a home exercise program or even refer you out for some physical or aquatic therapy.

Good luck!

Answer 5

There's no known cure for osteoarthritis, but treatments can help to reduce pain and maintain joint movement. Your doctor may recommend a combination of treatments that may include medication, self-care, physical therapy and occupational therapy. In some cases, surgical procedures may be necessary.

Medications

Answer 6

Exercise would be good. Probably you are above 45 years of age I should presume. It is painful and many women suffer from this at some later stage in life. You may need to go to a trained Yoga teacher to learn some of the exercise which would strengthen your muscles and tendons. As rgards medication, your doctor is the best person to prescribe the medication. Because different bodies react to different medicines.

Answer 7

I do so sympathise. A friend of mine slightly younger than you has had to settle for a hip replacement and my son has suffered from arthritis from a very early age. What worked for him was kinesotherapy, which is much frowned upon by conventional medicine, but did wonders for over 99% of the patients of the practioner we went to see in the West of England. He told us that he had dieted himself out of a wheelchair. What he did was to test for food allergies and to then compile an elimination diet which avoided the things which were triggering off the symptoms. It started with a complete fast (with water) and progressively over the next week one added certain foods. At the same time one took dietary supplements, including borum supplements and large doses of cod liver oil (10 capsules a day). We were warned that things would get worse before they got better and at the end of a week my son could barely move. My husband was working at home and when I phoned from work to see how he was doing he told me that our son had leaped into the air shouting "It's gone!" and was completely free of symptoms. The trouble is, telling a young boy that he's got to spend the rest of his life eating fruit and vegetables and other things which are good for him and avoiding junk food is something of a losing battle! One aspect of the treatment which has been borne out by conventional medicine since we consulted this gentleman (who, alas, has now retired, or I'd pass on the details) is that fresh food and vegetables are undoubtedly good for you (you should eat them in large quantities) and so is cod liver oil. Among the things which my son has to avoid are cow's milk and pork.

Try doing a search on "arthritis diet" and see if any of the suggestions on it help you. I am intrigued by this link: http://www.jointpainremedy.com. Who knows? It might be worth a go!

Answer 8

Follow the 80/20 rule, which means eating clean 80 percent of the time and indulging a little 20 percent of the time.

Answer 9

if over weight lose it. any weight ads pain.
prevention magazine has tips and maybe your library has their out of print book on health foods and arthritis diet foods to avoid and what to eat. glucosime and condroiten supposed to work and i use ultram as killed stomach on nsaids already.
avoid cold humidity if you can get in a senior pool heated to 82 degrees do the exercises underwater especially a great help. or jacuzzi. heat pad at end of day relax muscles.. do you get 1500mg of calcium carbonate per day -not the fancy stuff- the stuff body needs. md can give rx are you on ssi or working you can email me for more info too.
thre is a lot of hokey med advice out there trust prevention mag. they test and research.

Answer 10

I don't have your condition, but I find heat to be a great pain releiver. Put a wet towel wrapped in plastic bag(s) in the microwave and heat. Put on affected area. Protectect your skin from burning. This is great for cramps too!

Answer 11

Nothing much helps . My husband has the same problem he takes cod liver oil and glucosamine,it really only gets worse to the point that you will probably need some kind of surgery.But that wont happen untill your much older.Also don't let yourself get to stiff by sitting all day , try a little exercise it helps a little bit.