Pain in these areas can be bone or joint related and can be caused by a number of things, including injury due to repetition or overuse. However, the number one cause of pain in males is arthritis – and arthritis is showing up in people as early as their 30s and 40s.
Fortunately, there are steps that can be taken to keep bones and joints healthy and reduce the wear and tear on them:
- Control Your Weight – weight puts pressure on the joints which leads to joint damage.
- Try Low-Impact Exercise – impact sports like running on hard pavement cause stress on the joints. Swimming, biking, or yoga are great low-impact workouts.
- Stay Injury-Free – major injuries greatly increase the risk for arthritis. If you’re a weekend warrior and only engage in sports or activities on the weekend, you’re more likely to get injured.
- Tone Up – keeping muscles around the joints strong and toned gives them more support, and also makes injury less likely.
Even if the knees and hips have been previously injured or if arthritis is present, these steps can still help with both physical function and pain. However, if the pain starts to interfere with the ability to move and live comfortably, it’s time to seek medical advice and discuss treatment options. Treatments can range from physical therapy and acupuncture to medications and injections. But if the pain isn’t helped by any treatment, surgery might be the answer.
According to the latest statistics by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, knee replacements have nearly doubled across the country and hip replacements have risen substantially as well. The majority of people getting knee or hip replacements are over 65 years old, and it has been found that women are less likely to have complications related to their surgery. That’s why there are significant benefits of getting joint replacement surgery at a quality facility like El Camino Hospital. The orthopedic team offers comprehensive joint care, including minimally invasive knee surgery as well as anterior hip replacement. What’s more, El Camino Hospital has a low infection rate post-surgery, a low hip fracture-rate during hip replacement surgery, and has been given the Gold Seal of Approval® from The Joint Commission for hip and knee replacement and hip fracture surgery.
Contact your physician for a referral to our orthopedic program.
To learn more about the breadth of our orthopedic care, click here.
This article first appeared in the August 2016 edition of the HealthPerks newsletter.
