The hip joint is the most crucial junction in the skeletal system. Without it, you couldn’t perform a variety of physical movements. In this post, we will discuss hip problems and how you can keep hip problems as far as possible.
Types of hip problems
Pain, swelling, stiffness, and tenderness are common hip joint problems. However, all these are just symptoms. Various hip joint conditions can cause these symptoms as specified below.
Fractures: When your bone breaks, it causes a fracture to occur. Your hip is a socket-and-ball joint. External pressure caused by sudden fall or a road accident can cause severe hip joint fractures.
Ligament Injuries: The hip joint is made out of the acetabulum and the femoral head. The acetabulum is a concave cavity at the bottom of your pelvis while the femoral head is the top of your thigh bone that fits within the cavity. But, without ligaments, these two components cannot stay in their anatomical position. Ligaments help to keep them in place.
A ligament is a band of soft tissue that offers bone-to-bone connectivity. Injuries to hip joint ligaments are also possible.
Tendonitis: Tendons are also involved in the making of the hip joint. A tendon is the same as a ligament. The only difference is that tendons provide muscle-to-bone connectivity while ligaments are concerned with only bones.
Tendonitis is the inflammation of a tendon. It causes hip joint pain, swelling, and tenderness that doesn’t feel like coming from inside the bone but muscles.
Synovitis: Like the knee, your hips also have synovial membranes. This part of your hip is to lubricate the joint to minimise friction and facilitate effortless movements. When this synovium gets injured, it causes inflammation in the same membrane called synovitis.
Dislocation: Sometimes, the thigh bone that is like a ball comes out of its socket where it is normally supposed to sit, causing dislocation. This condition comes with impingement issues damaging the surrounding muscles, ligaments, and tendons. It is a painful condition.
Strain and Sprain: Hip muscles can get strained due to overuse, and in the case of twisting motions, spraining is also possible. Both these conditions cause intense swelling and pain.
Muscle injuries: Other types of muscle injuries except strain and sprain might also cause hip inflammation like wounds on the hip muscles or severe infections around the hip area.
Arthritis: Autoimmune disorders like rheumatoid arthritis also inflame your hip joints. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease that worsens over time and can also cause hip joint pain.
Osteoporosis: This is a medical term that describes the condition of low bone density. In this disease, your bones and joints become more prone to easy fractures and fast degeneration.
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Ways to keep hip issues at bay
When your hips are full of strength and health, they automatically stay away from several infections, disorders and diseases.
Thus, to keep your hip joints healthy and agile, ensure you exercise regularly, consume good foods, and pay attention to certain lifestyle changes.
Exercise
The most important thing is that you work out on a regular basis. Engage your hip joints in all types of exercises so they get strong. All types of exercises are important, i.e. strength, endurance, flexibility, and balance.
Talk to a well-certified trainer to plan your workout sessions so you can reap the desired benefits.
Weight training is crucial as it strengthens your joint bones and muscles. Strengthening means the joint becomes good at handling external traumas and fighting chances of fractures and injuries effectively.
Flexibility and balance is also important. Yoga offers many poses that you can practice to make yourself flexible and balanced. Practising balance poses makes you good at handling unexpected falls.
Besides, walking, cycling, and Swimming also help increase joint strength, flexibility and agility. These are less intensive forms of aerobics. You will also end up making your cardiovascular system fit and healthy.
Although for strength, you can try squats, push-ups, lunges, and shoulder presses, always train your body under the supervision of a well-qualified exercise trainer.
Foods
For better hip joint health, diet is also important. You cannot eat low-nutrition meals and expect your joints and body to stay in healthy condition.
Ensure dairy products as much as possible. But make sure you expose your body to the sunlight as well. Vitamin D is crucial for the absorption of calcium assimilation inside the body.
If you don’t have enough time to take sunlight, supplements are also great to combat vitamin D deficiency.
Give your body enough protein through green leafy vegetables, beans, pulses, tofu, fish, meat products and eggs. For healthy muscle mass, you must have enough protein daily or you will have to suffer from thin muscle density.
Furthermore, to fight oxidative stress, ensure you take antioxidants in the recommended quantity. For that, eat foods rich in vitamins C and E.
If possible, you can also take omega-3 fatty acids, olive oil, blueberries, green tea, and turmeric to benefit from their anti-inflammatory properties.
Other things to notice
● Don’t smoke.
● Quit alcohol and substance abuse in general.
● Get enough sleep.
● Don’t overstrain your hip joints.
● Drink enough water.
● Avoid too much stress. Try to be positive.
When to see a doctor
Diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes can help prevent hip joint injuries. But, if you have the problem of hip pain or any other problems related to your hip joint, consult a hip pain doctor first. Ensure the best orthopedic doctor in East Delhi or near your location.
