Types of Diseases That Could Affect Your Hips

The majority of arthritis and other related conditions affects the bones, joints, and/or muscles, which can cause hip problems like stiffness, swelling, and pain. This type of pain can affect your quality of life even when you're just doing simple household chores. No one deserves to experience this kind of suffering because life is meant to be enjoyed and not full of pain.

It is best to get treated by a physician or chiropractor in Vacaville right away to prevent such issues in your body from becoming worse. To help you narrow down what's causing your pain, here is a list of the possible disease-related hip problems.

• Osteoarthritis (OA) - The most common one is osteoarthritis wherein it is a chronic condition that can be identified by the breakdown of cartilage that provides a soft cushion on the end of the bones where they meet to form the joints. In hip osteoarthritis, the cartilage that covers the surface of the femoral head and/or lines the acetabulum breaks down which causes the bones to rub against each other. This occurrence can cause stiffness, pain, loss of movement, and the formation of bony overgrowths known as spurs. The pain can be felt in front of the thigh and in the groin area. If you've been inactive for too long, the stiffness can become worse.
• Juvenile Arthritis - This is the term used to describe arthritis that starts before the age of 16. There are multiple types of juvenile arthritis wherein majority of them can inflict hip joint pain and swelling.
• Lupus - This chronic autoimmune disease causes the immune system of the body to produce antibodies that attacks and damages healthy tissues. Lupus can make the joints become inflamed including the hips, skin, lungs, heart, and kidney.
• Lyme Disease - This infectious disease can be identified with joint swelling, skin rash, and flu-like symptoms. Lyme disease is caused by the bite of a tick that carries a bacterium called B. burgdorferi. This disease can affect the hips and cause a wide variety of symptoms.
• Gout - It is a form of arthritis that happens when the uric acid is deposited as needle-shaped monosodium urate crystals in the body's tissues including the joints. Many people experience the first symptoms to be an excruciating pain and swelling in the big toe which is followed by trauma like an illness or injury. There will be some on and off attacks in the other joints especially on the foot and knee. Gout can sometimes inflict hip pain as well.
• Infectious Arthritis - It is sometimes referred to as septic arthritis wherein it is an arthritis caused by an infection within the joint. This is caused by a bacteria that spreads throughout the bloodstream and into the joints. There are times that it can be caused by fungi or viruses.
• Osteonecrosis - It is also called aseptic necrosis or avascular necrosis wherein it happens when a diminished blood on an area of the bone causes it to die and eventually collapse. Blood flow is blocked which may be due to several causes including a clot, corticosteroid drug usage, or blood vessel inflammation. The hip is one of the many joints that are affected by this disease.
• Sciatica - This happens when the sciatic nerve becomes inflamed. The sciatic nerve is known as the largest nerve in the human body as it runs from the lower part of the spinal cord, through the buttocks, down the back of the legs, and to the foot. Sciatica is commonly caused by compression of the nerve, or a rupture in the structure that cushions the spine's vertebrae. This disease is felt as a sharp or burning pain that comes from the hip.
• Psoriatic Arthritis - This form of arthritis is accompanied by the skin disease psoriasis. There are times that the skin disease precedes the arthritis and a small chance that joint disease comes first before the skin disease. This arthritis can affect both small and large joints including the hip.

The diseases listed are something that you shouldn't ignore. Apart from the hips, they can also be life-threatening which is why you need to have it checked as soon as possible. You can inquire at Dr. Alex Tam's office on how he and his team can help you out with your hips considering that they're the top chiropractic and holistic clinic in the Solano county. Once they've been dealt with, you can be sure that your mobility and quality of life will be restored to its normal state.