Dr Sarah Jarvis
MyWeekly’s favourite gp from tv and radio writes for you
The good news is we’re living longer than ever. The bad news is our joints haven’t kept up. Thewear and tear of ageing, along with increasing strain from being overweight, mean more of us than ever are suffering.
The most common reason for hip pain is osteoarthritis. Our joints don’t stay the same in adulthood – in fact, our bodies are constantly repairing minorwear and tear. Unfortunately, as time goes on, the repair can fail to keep up with thewear – especially if you put pressure on your joints.
The joints that take the most strain are vulnerable towearing out – hips, knees and lower spine, aswell as the small joints of your hands. Being overweight is a risk factor, as are trauma (including major accidents) and contact sports. Women are more likely to suffer osteoarthritis than men, and it can run in families.
Fortunately, doctors (or more specifically orthopaedic surgeons) are on the case. While there’smuch that can be done to protect joints, sometimes surgery is the only option, and outcomes are better than ever.
A review from Nuffield Health showed 75% increase in the number of men and a 70% rise inwomen under 55 having hip replacement compared to 10 years ago. Knee replacements among younger people have also gone up, but to a lesser degree – 40% for men and 20% forwomen. There are lots of reasons for this shift. Firstly, surgeons used to recommend putting off surgery because the average replacement hipwas likely to wear out within a decade. Repeat Replacement is more
FOLLOWING HIP REPLACEMENT, YOU’LL USUALLY BE OFF CRUTCHES IN 4-6WEEKS AND DOING LIGHTWORK BY 6WEEKS
complicated and often less successful, so theywanted the new one to last a lifetime if possible. Today, advances in both the artificial joints and replacement techniques mean that, with care, a new hip can last up to 20 years.
Secondly, 60 is the new 50, but there are downsides to constant media pressure to stay young. People in their 50s and 60s still feel in the prime of life andwant to stay active. That means they see a joint replacement more as a new lease of life than as a sign of being decrepit – only 1 in 4 people having a hip replacement says the surgery makes them feel old.
Even if surgery is necessary, it doesn’t always mean replacing thewhole joint. There are other options. Hip resurfacing may be an option, where the surface of the ball and socket that make up your hip joint are covered with metal covers. It’s not suitable for everyone as you need strong bones.
While hip replacement is major surgery and takes a while to recover from, the pain caused by your arthritis should be gone straight away.
Not everyone needs a replacement joint. It’s usually only offered if you have pain at rest, which can’t be controlled with painkillers and lifestyle. Exercise is key to reducing progression of symptoms. Aerobic exercise – the kind that makes you out of breath – helps strengthen muscles around your joints. Clearly you don’t want to damage your joints more, so lowimpact exercise likewalking, swimming or cycling are perfect to maximise strengthening and flexibility.
Anti-inflammatories can be effective, but often have side effects like inflammation of the stomach lining and kidney damage.
Strong painkillers can cause side effects such as constipation, so you may need to take medicine to counteract this. Next week: Healthy lungs for life
GETTING UP AND MOVING ABOUT WILL CUT THE RISK OF COMPLICATIONS LIKE A CLOT ON THE LEG AFTER HIP REPLACEMENT
AEROBIC EXERCISE HELPS TO STRENGTHEN THE MUSCLES AROUND YOUR JOINTS’’