How to Prevent Hip Osteoarthritis

Hip osteoarthritis is a potentially debilitating form of degenerative hip disease that results in the gradual degradation and destruction of the hip joint cartilage lining the hip joints. Although not always entirely preventable, many incidences of hip osteoarthritis can be avoided by adhering to a few simple lifestyle modifications.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Common Sense
• Awareness
• Effort
• Knowledge

1. Maintain Normal Weight - It's a fact that the hip joints shoulder more of the body's weight than any other joints in the human body. Hip arthritis results in the gradual breakdown of articular cartilage lining the hip joints, a condition that causes hip pain, stiffness, and lack of mobility. Excess body weight is a major risk factor for hip arthritis, but keeping weight at, or near, normal levels reduces hip arthritis risk.

2. Avoid Repetitive Hip Movements - It's a fact that individuals who engage in sports and/or occupations requiring repetitive, strenuous hip movements - construction workers, soccer players, farmers, dancers, etc. - have high rates of hip arthritis that frequently lead to hip replacement surgery. Aside from a career and/or activity change, minimizing repetitive, high intensity hip bending, crouching, and squatting can significantly reduce the incidence of hip arthritis.

3. Exercise Smart - Regular exercise is beneficial to the health and functioning of the hip joints. However, exercise can damage hip joints and increase the risk of hip arthritis if it is performed improperly, in excessive amounts, or if exercise is performed when hips are injured. Hip strains, sprains, cartilage tears, and stress fractures can all occur as the result of excessive and/or improper forms of exercise and can all increase the chances of hip arthritis.

4. Keep Leg Muscles Strong - Strong leg muscles help to stabilize and reinforce the hip joints, and strong, stable hip joints are less likely to develop hip arthritis than out-of-condition hip joints. Exercises that build and maintain leg muscle strength - squats, leg extensions, leg curls, and even simple exercises such as walking, hiking, and jogging - improve hip function and mobility and reduce the chances of hip arthritis.

5. Stretch Regularly - Keeping hips flexible and well-stretched helps to keep the hip joints properly aligned and balanced, which can help improve their function and help reduce the chances of hip osteoarthritis as well as soft tissue injuries. Stretching the hips - pulling knees to chest, sitting Indian style, and even various leg lifts/leg extensions - adds to the overall health and functionality of the hip joints, which makes them more resilient and less susceptible to hip ostearthritic changes.

Tips & Warnings

• Favor low-impact exercises instead of high-impact exercises
• Cycling, swimming, tennis, and walking are great hip-friendly exercises
• Avoid overly-jarring and/or overly-twisting forms of exercise
• Always allow overly-sore/stiff hips time to rest and heal before resuming activity
• Always get persistent/nagging hip pains and/or symptoms checked by a competent physician
• Never ignore nagging hip injuries/pains