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Dr. Mary OConnor
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VIDEO: Dr. O'Connor - Hip Arthritis, What Are The Non-Surgical Treatment Options?

Dr. O'Connor recalls the non-surgical treatments for arthritis of the hip.

Dr. O'Connor:
For treatment, let’s talk first about non-surgical treatments because obviously nobody wants an operation, and we want to try and help the patient without surgery. So the things that we would talk about would be weight loss if somebody is heavy because carrying those extra pounds around puts more stress on the hip, and it’s going to make the hip hurt more.

We talk about taking some very safe over-the-counter medications like Tylenol or some anti-inflammatory medicine. Sometimes patients benefit from a prescription medicine if those over-the-counter medicines aren’t working.

We talk about exercise, because exercise is really a form of treatment and can help the arthritis and the pain be better with moderate controlled exercise.

So those are all very important treatments without surgery. Now if the patient gets bad enough and those treatments are no longer working, then we talk about hip joint replacement, which is a highly effective operation to restore mobility, dramatically eliminate or decrease pain, and basically give them back their lifestyle.

About Dr. O'Connor, M.D.:
Dr. Mary O'Connor, M.D., was accepted as a resident in orthopedic surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, New York in 1985. She joined the orthopedic surgery staff at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida in 1991, and since 2005 has served as department chair. Dr. O'Connor cares for people with hip and knee arthritis, failed joint replacements, and pelvic tumors.

Visit Dr. O'Connor at Mayo Clinic

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