Hip osteoarthritis

Hip osteoarthritis, a breakdown of cartilage in the hip joint, can often cause symptoms of back, hip, and leg pain. Often patients with arthritis in the back will also have it in other joints, and it can be difficult to distinguish which area may in fact be the cause of the patient’s pain. In fact, a missed diagnosis of hip osteoarthritis as the source of pain is one of the most common causes of failed low back decompression.

In general, patients with symptomatic hip arthritis will have significant limitations in their hip motion. Hip replacement surgery is effective to relieve both the back and hip pain.

By: Peter F. Ullrich, Jr., MD
September 8, 1999 (Updated February 28, 2001)