Osteoarthitis on the hip

lagloire

Hi everyone,
I would like to have some advice about Osteoarthritis. My sister is suffering from ''Osteonecrosis: arthritis in both hips'' and it is affecting her badly. she is living in Africa. apparently the surgery is the only option. Because it is too expensive for her ''£3000 per hip'', I would like to know if anyone has osteoarthritis on the hip and how they manage. Your experience could help her.
Thank you ''LAGLOIRE''

Julie37927

That is unfortunate that she can not afford the surgery. Is there a way she could get it in UK? Osteonecrosis can be very painful and doesn't usually improve with age. The joint is not getting blood flow which can really do some damage long term. Having said that, she can manage her symptoms with meds (anti-inflammatories and pain) and light low impact exercises. Swimming and biking if not painful to the hip may help in keeping her muscles strong. With arthritis it hurts to move so we move less, this process over time weakens the muscles that support the joints. This can make the symptoms much worse and also your life! Very important to keep moving, as hard as it may be sometimes, especially mornings. Lucky she lives in a warmer climate, that alone can help reduce symptoms by 20%. Supplements like fish oils & MSM are natural anti inflammatories and pain reducers, they can also help another 20%. Hope that helps.

barbara12

Im afraid when things get to bad then surgery is the only option...other than that it would be two crutches...I do hope she can aford the op very soon

stickywicket

I'd not heard of this so I looked it up and was suprised to learn that the osteonecrosis comes first and the osteoarthritis sets in as a result of it. It sounds nasty, especially if no operation is possible. We are very lucky in the UK. I can't give any suggestions better than Julie37927's very comprehensive answer though you might find some of Arthritis Care's publications useful. (See top of page)