A hip replacement! I’m only 35!

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Young people can get arthritis of their hip from certain sports, and find it painful to move and function normally. Naturally, they want to carry on enjoying life and engaging in physical pursuits. Fortunately, modern hip replacements allow them to remain active, according to orthopaedic surgeon Dr Jason Brockwell.

“Most hip problems cause pain in the groin, thigh or buttock. A firm diagnosis can usually be made based on their sports involvement, injury history, physical examination, and appropriately positioned X-rays,” Dr Brockwell said. “Unfortunately, the diagnosis is sometimes missed, and people may be told they have a ‘groin strain’ or a ‘sports’ hernia.”

People who regularly play lots of sport can suffer from a condition called ‘FAI’ – femoro-acetabular impingement – where the hip bones are the wrong shape, causing them to crush the cartilage and damage the joint. “We think the majority of ‘misshapen’ bones are caused by playing lots of sport as a pre-teen, when the bones are nearing the end of their growth.” says Brockwell.

If one carries on playing sport with misshapen bones, the hip joint will be damaged. Pain often settles with physiotherapy and a change of activities, but, if not, the shape of the bone may need to be corrected by arthroscopic surgery. This is usually very successful if the problem is caught in time.

However, sometimes young people develop arthritis of their hips.