Dr. Andrew Yun discusses how women can avoid hip disease and hip arthritis.
The problem of hip arthritis and hip disease is becoming epidemic. This extends not only to the older population but very recently also to a much younger, healthier, active population. The reason we are seeing this is that patients are so much healthier at a later age than they were previously. The hips really are the core. It’s from your hips that you get your power, your mobility and your strength. Without healthy hip function a person quickly can become dysfunctional.
One is pain, of course pain emanating from the hip. Lots of stuff is going around the pelvis - there’s reproductive organs, there’s digestive organs, there is back, there is pelvis, but if we are just looking at the hip, pain from that area tends to radiate to the groin or to the front.
A patient who has a bad hip will also begin to notice difficulty in function. Starting to walk will be difficult, getting in and out of a car, putting on shoes and socks, routine activities of daily living become more cumbersome with advances in hip disease.
I think the most important thing that you can do is avoid injury, and that sounds like a silly thing to say but it really is important to avoid catastrophic change to the hip joint, whether it be a fall, whether it be a car accident or sports injury. That by itself can maintain a healthy hip for a long period of time.
Then there are other factors which can be very helpful such as maintaining a proper weight, maintaining appropriate muscle tone and conditioning around the hip, an active lifestyle, lots of walking, good diet – things that keep a body healthy will also keep a hip healthy.
This surgery is transformative, that it doesn’t represent a failure of prior treatments; it represents the potential to live better again.
Add a Comment2 Comments
That's me in the video after 2 hip surgeries. I used to have terrible hip pain. Now I can say after being extremely active my entire life and having had Dr. Yun as my surgeon when I was 50 and 53, my life is pain-free and I am able to do any activity that I choose. I went into the surgeries fit, did my own rehab and am still fit now. Everything went perfect! I work as a personal trainer & nutrition coach so my livelihood depends on my body. Dr. Yun is fantastic.
September 26, 2013 - 12:06pmThis Comment
II am 53 years old and I have experienced osteoarthritis of the right hip since I was 4 years old. At 37 I had my first total hip replacement. A few months after the surgery a screw came out and banged a hole through my pelvis. By the time I found a doctor who believed that I was experiencing excruciating pain, I had permanently damaged my back and sciatic nerves. I had a successful total hip revision but continue to suffer from sciatic and arthritic pain. 2 years ago I began experiencing pain, swelling and heat in my left foot that was diagnosed as plantar fasciitis. 8 months ago I began to experience chronic fatigue. The fatigue was accompanied by swelling at my lower back and joint pain in joints where I had not experienced pain before (elbows, fingers, knees, etc.). I felt as though I had the flu all the time with my joints literally radiating heat. I was no longer able to walk my dogs, swim or do Pilates. At first I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia so I found an acupuncturist who continues to help me with my energy level and pain. 6 weeks ago I was diagnosed with RA. I am currently taking 8 mg of methaltrexate once weekly, extra strength ibuprophen (when I can't stand the pain) and elavil before bed to help me stay asleep. The degree of pain varies from day to day. I am now able to do some Pilates again and I am aquasising twice a week. I remain working full time in hopes of retiring in 6.5 years.
Findyourdrug.com
September 22, 2011 - 8:12amThis Comment