Arthritis
Arthritis is the most common cause of disability in the United States, affecting nearly 52 million adults.1 Arthritis is an inflammatory disease affecting joints. The smooth, gliding surfaces of the affected joint become damaged, causing the opposing bone surfaces to rub together, resulting in pain and restricted mobility.
Arthritis can be caused by:
- Age-related wear and tear
- Injury to the hip
- Genetics
- Excess body weight
- Bone deformities
There are several types of arthritis that could cause hip pain: osteoarthritis and three types of inflammatory arthritis.
Osteoarthritis
The most common form of arthritis today is osteoarthritis and affects an estimated 27 million US adults.3 Disease onset is gradual, usually occurring between the ages of 40 and 50, and often in individuals with a family history of arthritis.2 Osteoarthritis is a condition in which the cartilage cushioning covering the femoral head and acetabulum, making walking painful as bone rubs against bone. Osteoarthritis is commonly referred to as wear-and-tear arthritis.
Causes of osteoarthritis include:
- Hip injury early in life which could cause changes in the movement and alignment of the hip and eventually lead to wear-and-tear on the joint surfaces
- Genetics: family history of osteoarthritis
- Problems in subchondral bone (layer of bone directly beneath the articular cartilage) could trigger changes in the articular cartilage
- Avascular necrosis: the femoral head loses a portion of its blood supply and actually dies, leading to collapse of the femoral head and degeneration of the joint
Symptoms of osteoarthritis include:
- Discomfort and stiffness in the groin, butt or thigh when you wake up in the morning
- The hip joint gets stiff and swollen, bone spurs may build up at the edges of the joint
- Loss of the ability to rotate, flex or extend the hip joint
Inflammatory Arthritis
There are three types of inflammatory arthritis:
Rheumatoid Arthritis
A systemic disease of the immune system that usually affects multiple joints on both sides of the body at the same time. It is characterized by inflamed and painful soft tissue of the joint.
Ankylosing Spondylitis
A chronic inflammation of the spine and sacroiliac joint (the point where the spine meets the pelvic bone) that can cause inflammation in other joints.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
An autoimmune disease in which the body harms its own healthy cells and tissues.
Symptoms of inflammatory arthritis include:
- Joint pain
- Dull aching pain in the groin
- Pain is usually worse in the morning and lessens with activity, but vigorous activity can result in increased pain and stiffness
1 www.cdc.gov/arthritis
2 www.cdc.gov/arthritis/basics/osteoarthritis
3 www.arthritis.org/about-arthritis/types/osteoarthritis/what-is-osteoarthritis
