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United States
- Glossary
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- | Site Index
- Your hip anatomy
- Sports-related injuries
- Osteoarthritis of the Hip
- Rheumatoid Arthritis of the Hip
- Post-traumatic Arthritis of the Hip
- Avascular necrosis
- Dysplasia
- Inflammatory arthritis
Inflammatory arthritis
Inflammatory arthritis (rheumatoid arthritis) is a chronic joint disease that usually develops in middle age, but may occur in young patients. Inflammatory arthritis of the hip causes swelling hip joints, hip pain and joint stiffness.
Many doctors think that rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the synovial tissue of the joint is attacked by one's own immune system. This inflammation may be an immune system reaction to a virus or bacteria.
First symptoms of inflammatory arthritis of the hip include hip pain, joint swelling and a loss of motion. “Flare-ups” of pain and joint stiffness are common.
Other symptoms may include loss of appetite, a loss of energy, fever, anemia and lumps under the skin.
There are many treatment options for the pain of inflammatory arthritis including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), aspirin, analgesics, and disease modifying medications. Talk to your doctor about your best options. Without treatment, inflammatory arthritis leads to severe joint deterioration, hip pain and loss of function, and is a common reason for hip replacement surgery. Active patients may be candidates for hip resurfacing surgery to help regain a more active lifestyle.