Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that affects over one million people living in the United States. It’s not curable, and is thought to be caused by hormones, genetics and environmental factors, although nobody knows really for sure what the cause is. Rheumatoid arthritis most notoriously affects the hands and the wrists as well as other smaller joints in the body. But, it can also affect larger joints as well, including the knees, shoulders and hips. Symptoms tend to vary little between affected locations, however certain complications such as osteoarthritis of the knee and hip RA can actually have an impact on mobility as well as of course being painful.
RA in the hip can be especially problematic, and can lead to excessive swelling and stiffness that occurs regularly. However arthritis hip pain symptoms are by far and away the most challenging to deal with, and they can lead to mobility problems on their own. Although discomfort, swelling and inflammation are the most common arthritis hip pain symptoms, there are actually others that are much less well known. Because they can not only be challenging to identify before RA is diagnosed but also can change the course of treatment later on, it’s important not to overlook this quick list of shocking rheumatoid arthritis hip pain symptoms.
1. Fatigue: An incredibly large amount of health conditions indicate fatigue as a symptom, and therefore it’s a terrible identifier of certain health conditions or symptoms. However, when fatigue is paired with arthritis hip pain symptoms, RA is a very likely suspect. Fatigue is also a symptom that may require treatment as hip RA progresses, and there are numerous medicinal and natural ways to deal with hip RA related fatigue.
2. Loss Of Appetite: Most people would wonder what precisely appetite has to do with rheumatoid arthritis affecting large hip joints. And, as a result, a less than hearty appetite may make some arthritis hip pain symptoms easy to overlook as hunger level isn’t normally associated with arthritis. However, a reduced desire for sustenance can occur as a result of swelling and discomfort in the upper thighs and groin area which can lead to displaced discomfort in the lower abdomen. In turn, a reduced appetite may occur because of pain.
3. Stiffness in Other Joints Aside from the Hip: Although arthritis hip pain symptoms tend to do a rather effective job of targeting the hips, it’s actually not the only joints that can become painful as a result of hip RA. This can make diagnosing and treating the condition slightly more challenging as localized displacement of discomfort can make sufferers think that other nearby joints are actually affected instead. In addition to making identifying the source of RA symptoms more difficult, finding appropriate joint pain relief without understanding which parts precisely are affected can also add another layer of difficulty too.
4. Back Pain: Interestingly enough, back pain is very commonly associated with arthritis hip pain symptoms. In most cases, pain in the back area is related to injuries, occupational challenges like jobs that involve a lot of bending or stretching or infection or illness. But, chronic lower back pain can actually be a sign of Rheumatoid arthritis affecting the joints in the hip, and can be an incredibly telling symptom.
Shocking as these various, lesser known arthritis hip pain symptoms may be, there is perhaps another component of hip RA that is also perhaps surprising, and that is just how well the condition reacts to natural types of treatment for pain relief. One type of treatment in particular was found to be one of the best natural remedies for rheumatoid arthritis and has served as such for many decades, under the radar and secondary to pain pills and anti inflammatory drugs. This type of treatment is known as whole body cryotherapy, and it employs the healing benefits of incredibly cold temperatures to help reduce swelling and inflammation and provide prompt and dramatic hip pain relief in RA sufferers.
Whole body cryotherapy involves a chamber known as a cryosauna in which an entire person except their head is enclosed inside with protective coverings on sensitive areas like the feet and hands. For a brief couple of minutes, liquid nitrogen fills the chamber, prompting an array of healthful physiological responses. Cryotherapy for pain management is thought to work via numerous different processes including numbing nerve endings, boosting and ramping up immune response and initiating the release of healing natural chemicals like endorphins. The process is generally considered safe in individuals who have been approved by a proefssional to use it, and very few people report adverse reactions following treatment. Most of the pain relief is provided immediately, however longer lasting effects have been reported as lingering for as long as a few weeks.
Cryotherapy was originally developed for RA, and that may be why it’s such an effective tool for treating arthritis hip pain symptoms. But, it’s a unique treatment in that in addition to addressing the RA affected hip, cryotherapy can also help relieve the other four shocking symptoms we’ve detailed above by promoting overall health and reducing pain. This multitude of healing benefits is what may have prompted the use of cryotherapy by professional athletes who use it for everything from muscle leg pain to tendon injuries and many find that in addition to relieving their pain, it leaves them feeling energized, relaxed and rejuvenated as well.