How to Avoid Common Hip Injuries

 

Hip injury can be the bane of an active adult's existence. Stress fractures, osteoarthritis or a fall can cause debilitating pain and tissue damage. In order to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle, it's important that adults avoid hip injury. By taking proper care of one's body nutritionally, via exercise, and making simple modifications to daily activities, most adults can avoid a major hip injury, which could require invasive surgical treatment.

Hip replacement surgery has done wonders for restoring hip function for hundreds of thousands of adults. Unfortunately, too many patients wind up with health complications. Whether it's a repeat surgery to replace a failed hip implant, or revision surgeries to repair damage done by conditions like osteolysis or metallosis, the remedy can be more debilitating than the original condition. There are several hip replacement implants on the market that have come under fire due to severe side effects. Stryker Orthopaedics is one of the manufacturers dealing with issues associated with their defective hip devices. There are several Stryker lawsuits pending against the company.

Avoiding Hip Injuries

·         Nutrition. The first step in having healthy bones and joints is ensuring they receive the nourishment they need to grow, repair and reinforce their strength. The best way to do this is by eating a proper diet with vitamin- and mineral-rich foods. Patients can discuss food options that are known to promote bone and joint health with their doctor. Limit alcohol and cola consumption, as both of these beverage-types have been linked to bone loss.

·         Supplements. Discuss the addition of bone/joint supplements with your doctor. While calcium has long been purported as the most important element for healthy bones, recent studies show that Vitamin D may be equally - or more - important to bone growth. Also beneficial are Glucosamine and Chondroitin sulfate. These help bones and joints become stronger, and also reduce inflammation and joint damage from osteoarthritis.

·         Exercise. Exercise is key in maintaining joint strength as well as range of motion. The more stiff joints become, the more prone they are to injury. Try to vary exercise as much as possible. Include weight-bearing exercises, such as weight lifting, walking, cycling, yoga or any activity that provides significant tension between bones and muscles. This helps to increase bone density, which can be important in preventing hip injury. Use walking, cycling, yoga, swimming or dancing to provide the body with a variety of motion, which keeps joints flexible.

·         Balance. Consider water aerobics, dancing lessons, Pilates, yoga or Tai Chi to cultivate good balance. The better sense of balance one has, the less likely s/he is to fall. Falling is one of the leading causes of hip injury and can often be avoided by keeping strong and fit, and maintaining a good sense of balance.

·         Modify Activities. As people age, they're more prone to hip injury for multiple reasons: loss of bone density, being out of shape or having a lack of balance. Modifying activities as people age, such as sitting at the side of the bed for a moment before getting up, or using rails and handles when ascending/descending stairs or bathing, can help prevent seniors from falling.

Living a healthy lifestyle and prioritizing bone and joint health can provide an active and injury-free life.

Elizabeth Carrollton writes about defective medical devices and dangerous drugs for Drugwatch.com.