Fortnightly Review: Management of hip osteoarthritis

<st>Summary points</st> <l type="unord"> Hip osteoarthritis is a common cause of regional pain, but care must be taken when making the diagnosis Patients should be encouraged to live as normal a life as possible: a healthy lifestyle (keeping slim and active) is also good for joints Common treatable difficulties that can arise from hip osteoarthritis include problems with dressing, sexual difficulties, and inadequate foot care Shock absorbing shoe insoles and walking sticks can be of great benefit, while physio- therapy and hydrotherapy should be considered for more severe cases If drugs are used simple analgesics such as paracetamol should be considered before non- steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs Joint replacement should be considered for patients with severe pain or disability and if the disease has a major impact on work or social activities </l>