Rheumatoid Arthritis Of The Hip

What is rheumatoid arthritis?

Rheumatoid arthritis is different to osteoarthritis but it can also affect the hip leading to pain, stiffness and loss of function. 

Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory arthritis and an autoimmune disease, meaning that the immune system attacks its own body. 

The hip joint is a ball and socket joint, where the ball shaped head of the femur (thigh bone) sits within the socket of the acetabulum of the hip. This ball and socket joint is lined by a smooth synovial cartilage which lubricates the joint and allows it to move and slide with ease. 

In rheumatoid arthritis, this synovial cartilage becomes inflamed. The cartilage thickens and swells, and a chemical substances are secreted which breaks down and attacks the protective cartilage.  Rheumatoid arthritis often affects the same joint on both sides of the body, so both hips may be affected.

Treatment for Rheumatoid arthritis

Your doctor may wish to prescribe a medication from the DMARD family. These are Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs and they can be useful in controlling the inflammation and the pain. 

Exercise can also be useful in order to maintain flexibility, restore strength and improve balance to reduce the risk of falls. 

Surgery may be required in severe cases that are not responding to conservative treatments. Surgery usually involves a total hip replacement. 

Could seeing a podiatrist be useful for my rheumatoid arthritis? 

As pain and stiffness at the hip joint worsens there is often more pronounced gait changes (changes to the way you walk) Podiatrist are experts at analysing your gait and at Entire Podiatry we offer gait analysis services at all out clinics. We have modern technology used to film your walking gait and slow it down frame by frame to fully appreciate the way that your hip arthritis is changing you walking gait. 

Depending on the findings, your podiatrist may have some recommendations for you. This can include: 

• Changes to your footwear to increase the support and stability
• Exercises of the hip or the lower limb
• Balance exercises 
• Orthotics therapy to provide additional support to the foot and lower limb

If you are developing rheumatoid arthritis pain in your hip there may be rheumatoid in other areas of your body such as your knee or foot. 

Your podiatrist can also assess these structure and provide further treatment and advice as required. Click here for more information on rheumatoid arthritis and the feet.