Newswise — A torn labrum almost ended Megastar Lady Gaga’s career. Five-time Olympic medal gymnast, Mary Lou Retton, was debilitated by an undiagnosed hip dysplasia aggravated by grueling training and competitions.
Many hip disorders are the result of chronic undiagnosed conditions caused when active women push themselves beyond their limits.
Better imaging, coupled with increased awareness, has revealed alarming statistics: hip conditions in young people – especially women – are on the rise. Hip dysplasia is 4 to 8 times more common in females. Though present at birth, hip dysplasia often goes undiagnosed and can become more prominent and painful for patients who are often athletes – as early as their teenage years and as late as in their 40s. If hip dysplasia is caught before a patient is in their late 20s, a patient can undergo an osteotomy – which may help delay hip replacement. However, more young people are missing that window and having to undergo hip replacements.
More than 25 percent of hip replacements patients have hip dysplasia.
Total hip replacement is no longer a last resort; it is now recognized as a successful treatment for young patients with pain and mobility issues. According to the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, total hip replacements increased by 205% in people ages 45 to 54 from 2000 to 2010. Physicians at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush have seen the number of younger patients undergoing hip replacement more than double over the last 10 years.
And a recent study by Denis Nam, MD of Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush, indicates that younger patients are not at an increased risk of revision or early failure when compared with patients over the age of 65.
Experts agree that joint replacement implants are better than before and lasting longer.
Visit www.hipsforlife.org for tips to keeping your helps healthy.
For more information or to speak with Dr. Nam, call 630-234-4150.
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