We love hip care! The truth is that healthy joints play a huge role in helping our patients enjoy their golden years. What fun is retirement if you can’t manage a proper golf swing? Who wants to have the grandkids visit when you can’t even go for a walk or a bike ride with them? And pain. Nobody likes pain, no matter how old you are.
So how do you keep your hip joints healthy and pain-free as you age, even if you have osteoarthritis? Here are our top hip lovin’ recommendations:
1) Maintain a healthy weight. Yes, we know you’ve heard it before, but we can’t stress it enough. Excess weight stresses joints and causes cartilage damage. Besides, a healthy diet keeps your heart, brain, arteries, and pretty much every other part of your body in top condition as well. You’re going to need all of those things, so why not take care of them?
2) Exercise. When hip pain sets in it’s tempting to get sedentary, but exercise can actually help reduce discomfort in the hips. Your doctor can recommend a safe exercise routine to improve strength and flexibility, which also lowers your risk of injury. Be sure to wear well-fitting shoes, warm up and cool down, and don’t overdo it.
3) Canes. They may be low tech, but canes can help you continue to be independent while taking painful pressure off of a troublesome hip. Pick one that suits your taste, and wield that cane in style! It’s better than sitting around because walking hurts too much.
4) Therapies. Heat and cold, electrical stimulation and ultrasound are some helpful therapies that can reduce pain and inflammation, improve blood flow, release tight muscles and help with stiffness and soreness.
5) Hip replacement. When these interventions just aren’t enough to keep you on your feet, hip replacement surgery might be the next logical step. Today’s anterior hip replacement surgeries are effective and long-lasting. Come see us and we’d be happy to tell you more!