Can an x-ray help you determine whether or not you need a hip replacement?

My name is Dr. David Geier – orthopedic surgeon, sports medicine specialist, and anti-aging and regenerative medicine expert. I help you feel, look and perform your best, regardless of age or injury.

Introduction

When it comes to hip pain, x-rays are one of the most common medical tests. But what do they actually show? And how can an x-ray help you get better? In this article, we’ll explore how x-rays work and what they can show about your hip.

X-rays can demonstrate the presence of osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, affecting about 32.5 million people in the United States. It’s a degenerative joint disease that causes pain, stiffness and loss of mobility in the joints.

The symptoms usually start gradually with mild to moderate discomfort in your joints. The discomfort may be worse at night or after prolonged activity, but you can still function normally during the day without any significant limitations on your ability to work or perform daily activities such as cleaning your house or walking around town (unless there are other contributing factors). As osteoarthritis progresses into more severe stages, however, it can make it difficult for you to walk up stairs or climb into bed due to stiffening in your hips and knees.

X-ray and other imaging studies are used primarily to help rule out other causes of pain or complications.

X-rays are useful in ruling out other causes of pain or complications, but they don’t necessarily show if you need surgery.

If your doctor suspects that you might need a hip replacement, she may order x-rays to help determine whether surgery is necessary. X-rays can also be used to rule out other conditions that could be causing your symptoms, such as arthritis or fractures.

X-rays and other imaging studies can’t determine the cause of your pain.

X-ray and other imaging studies can’t determine the cause of your pain. For example, they can demonstrate that you have arthritis in your hip, but that doesn’t mean the arthritis is causing your pain.

X-rays and other imaging studies won’t always correlate with your symptoms or discomfort. For example: An X-ray may show that a person has bone spurs on their spine, but if they don’t experience any symptoms from them (such as sciatica or back pain), then treatment isn’t necessary for those particular bone spurs.

Sometimes x-rays can help determine whether surgery is needed, but not always.

X-rays are often used as a starting point for diagnosis because they’re simple and noninvasive. But they don’t always show if you need a hip replacement or other surgery on your joints.

For example, if you have arthritis of the knee joint (osteoarthritis), an x-ray may show some wear and tear on the bones and cartilage or even little pieces of bone floating in the space around them, but there could still be no symptoms at all.

If you’re experiencing pain, it’s important to get a proper diagnosis from your doctor.

Pain is subjective, meaning that it’s felt differently by different people. Pain can also be caused by many things: arthritis of the hip is common but not the only condition that can cause hip pain.

If your hip hurts when walking up stairs or getting out of bed in the morning then it could be due to osteoarthritis.

Conclusion

If you’re experiencing pain, it’s important to get a proper diagnosis from your doctor. X-rays and other imaging studies can’t determine the cause of your pain or whether surgery is needed. The best way to find out if you need hip replacement surgery is through an examination by an orthopedic specialist who will ask about your symptoms and do a physical exam before making any recommendations about treatment options.

We are looking for 5 patients with hip pain who want to get significantly better in the next 30 days, without cortisone shots, physical therapy, or surgery. Click this link and enter the term ‘Interested’ in the description box to learn more.

This post is meant for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice.