Osteoarthritis of the Hip (Hip Arthritis): "Degenerative Joint Disease" can cause pain, stiffness, and cartilage breakdown
Edited By: Seth S. Leopold, M.D.
Last updated Friday, January 18, 2008
Diagnosis and evaluationHow is hip arthritis diagnosed? To diagnose osteoarthritis of the hip, a physician
will take a thorough history and perform a thorough physical examination first.
Following this, simple x-rays, taken with the patient standing, are an
effective way to diagnose this condition.What tests may be used to diagnose hip arthritis? The simplest test to diagnose osteoarthritis of the hip is
the x-ray. Taken with the patient standing up, plain x-rays can diagnose the
condition with great accuracy.
Very
mild arthritis can be seen on a bone scan or an MRI even before it is visible
on plain x-rays, but in reality, these tests are seldom helpful clinically for
this purpose.Will diagnosing hip arthritis cause pain, side effects, or invasive techniques? How are these dealt with? The diagnostic tests for osteoarthritis of the hip,
including x-rays and MRIs, are generally not painful and they are
well-tolerated by most patients.What health care professionals may help diagnose hip arthritis? Osteoarthritis of the hip is common and generally
straightforward to diagnose. Family physicians, internists, orthopaedic
surgeons, rheumatologists, and physiatrists often are the ones who make the
diagnosis of osteoarthritis of the hip.How can a doctor specializing in hip arthritis be found? Both rheumatologists and orthopaedic surgeons are
“specialists” in arthritis care.
If
surgery is being considered to manage osteoarthritis of the hip, visiting with
a fellowhip-trained, high-volume hip replacement surgeon would be a reasonable
step to consider.Surgery for hip arthritis at the University of Washington If you are interested in making an appointment to discuss this procedure, you can request an appointment using our online referrals website. To request a referral online, please click here. You can also call the Bone & Joint Surgery Center at 206-598-3354 or Eastside Specialty Clinic at 425-646-7777 to make an appointment.
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