Department of
Orthopaedic Surgery
Our orthopedic team is devoted to providing the best care to all patients and prompt evaluation. Regardless of where you are in your care journey, we are here for you, both in person and virtually. To request an appointment, please call 617-732-5322 or fill out an online appointment request form. To refer a patient, please call 1-800-MD-TO-BWH (1-800-638-6294) or see our list of referral options.
Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis. It’s primarily caused by age-related wear and tear. The ends of bones are covered in a smooth material called cartilage. This covering allows the joint to move easily by reducing friction where the two bones meet.
Hip osteoarthritis can occur when the cartilage in the hip joint wears away, leaving less protection for the bones. As the unprotected bones rub together, they can damage each other, causing pain, inflammation, and stiffness. Ultimately, the hip joint may fail, significantly limiting mobility.
One in four people will develop hip osteoarthritis by age 85. The risk of hip osteoarthritis is similar for people of different races and sexes. This condition occurs most often in older patients, but younger people can develop hip osteoarthritis after experiencing a joint injury.
Osteoarthritis of the hip can make daily life uncomfortable or difficult, but it isn't an emergency or a dangerous condition.
Symptoms of hip osteoarthritis result from inflammation in the hip joint. Common symptoms include:
Hip osteoarthritis pain usually develops gradually over a period of years, though it can appear suddenly after an acute injury if there was previous underlying arthritis.
Typically, hip arthritis pain occurs in the hips and surrounding areas: the lower back, groin, and buttocks. The groin is the most common location for hip pain. Sometimes, pain can occur as far away as the knee or ankle. This is called "referred pain" because it results from increased strain on those areas as you compensate for your inflamed hip joint.
The different types of arthritis in the hips have different causes.
Osteoarthritis in the hips results from wear and tear that degrades the protective cartilage on your bones. Several factors can affect your likelihood of degrading this protective layer and developing hip osteoarthritis:
If you have symptoms of hip osteoarthritis, your doctor will conduct a physical exam and talk to you about your symptoms and medical history. Your physician will examine your hip for pain, swelling, and joint stiffness.
Hip osteoarthritis can feel like either a sharp or dull pain and can provoke symptoms throughout the lower body. Identifying it isn't always easy.
Your doctor may order imaging tests to help diagnose your hip arthritis. X-rays, for example, can show joint space narrowing that may indicate osteoarthritis. Your doctor may also order blood tests to rule out other arthritis conditions or evaluate your joint fluid for other conditions that may lead to hip pain.
If your doctor determines osteoarthritis to be the cause of your symptoms, you may need to see an orthopedic specialist who can diagnose the severity of your condition.
Doctors divide hip osteoarthritis into four stages based on the severity and progression of the disease:
When you receive a hip osteoarthritis diagnosis, a specialist can tell you what stage your condition is in and what to expect as the disease progresses.
You can often manage the pain from hip osteoarthritis with conservative treatments like physical therapy, exercise, and medication. In other cases, surgery may be necessary.
Non-surgical interventions and lifestyle factors can preserve the health of your hip and help you stay active and comfortable. Possibilities include:
When conservative treatments don’t relieve hip osteoarthritis symptoms, surgical treatments may be a better option:
The most important steps you can take to prevent hip osteoarthritis from progressing are lifestyle factors:
Exercise to strengthen the legs is one of the best things you can do for hip osteoarthritis. Low-impact exercises like walking are an excellent addition to your exercise plan. Walking on soft, even surfaces, such as school tracks, place less pressure on your hips.
The best exercises for hip osteoarthritis challenge the muscles with resistance but don't subject the hip joint to hard impacts. Walking, cycling, and swimming are excellent choices to help manage hip osteoarthritis.
Sitting with bad posture or in positions that close the hips too much can irritate hip osteoarthritis in some people. To minimize stress on the hips, avoid crossing your legs and make sure that your hips are higher than your knees.
If you find sitting uncomfortable, take short breaks to stand or walk around. This can also help you work more exercise into your daily schedule.
Sleeping on the side with osteoarthritis can aggravate symptoms. Side sleepers with right hip osteoarthritis should sleep on their left side and vice versa. It may be helpful for side sleepers to put a pillow in between their knees. If you have hip osteoarthritis on both sides (bilateral), you may want to try sleeping in a different position altogether.
It can help to keep your body in a neutral position to relieve pressure on your joints. Evaluate your mattress to see if it gives you the right amount of support and whether it has permanent depressions from use.
Exercise is essential to managing hip osteoarthritis, but the wrong exercises can cause more discomfort or further damage to the hip joint. People with hip osteoarthritis should avoid high-impact activities like contact sports and sports that involve jumping.
To schedule an appointment with one of our orthopaedic specialists, call 617-732-5322 or request an online appointment.
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