Hip cartilage repair without surgery is a common Google search every single month. There are plenty of reasons to avoid going under the knife, but is hip cartilage repair without surgery even possible? If so, what are your options?
As we mature, mobility problems can creep up on us. The range of motion in our hips is granted by a tough – but not invincible – line of cartilage tissue that protects against direct bone on bone contact.
Sadly however, this tough tissue wears down over time. If it wears down too much, routine motions such as getting in and out of the car, or taking a seat, can become painful to navigate.
Hip cartilage repair without surgery is preferable to having an operation. But is it even possible?
Today, we will dive deep into your options for hip cartilage repair without surgery. We will also discuss hip cartilage damage symptoms and the range of hip cartilage damage treatment options available.
Before we go into the topic of hip cartilage repair without surgery, let’s first take a closer look at cartilage and its role in the body.
The function of cartilage
Cartilage is best understood as a shock absorber. This layer of strong tissue sits between bones, allowing them to glide over each other without grinding each other down as we move.
Bones get their strength from their rigidity, whereas cartilage is made for a different kind of strength. The collagen protein that makes up cartilage creates a tensile strength that allows bones to be cushioned on impact.
If two strong, rigid objects come into contact with each other, the weaker one will suffer a blow and could break. And the force can cause the deterioration of both.
Think of the hip joint as a mortar and pestle. Objects between them are ground down, but with no object to grind, you begin to grind down the mortar and pestle themselves.
Our bodies are made to withstand a lot of movement, and a fair amount of impact. That’s part of being human. But the continued physical strain on certain areas of the body causes them to become more susceptible to injury, especially as we get older.
Should I be concerned about my hips?
Hip cartilage damage symptoms may go under the radar because we don’t directly feel cartilage decline.
Why? Because cartilage doesn’t contain nerve cells. Nerve cells are fragile and easily damaged, and so placing them in an impact zone between bones isn’t a good idea.
Hips get painful from bone to bone contact, after cartilage has already been worn down to unhealthily low levels.
Whereas pain is often a signal that something is becoming a problem, when it comes to pain in our hips; that’s a signal that there is already a problem that has been building up in the background. By the time you feel the pain, you need to take action.
So how can we spot problems before things get painful? One way is to listen for abnormal sounds coming from your hip. Excess grinding, clicking, or popping can all be considered hip cartilage damage symptoms that could signal that a visit to a medical professional is in order.
Additionally, your hip may give way at inopportune moments such as on the staircase or getting in and out of the car.
If you’re experiencing a decline in your quality of life due to mobility, one reaction can be to grit our teeth and just “put up with it”. But suffering with mobility problems shouldn’t be synonymous with aging. There are solutions to partially or totally restore quality of life after a setback.
Your medical professional, upon examination, may recommend one of several hip cartilage damage treatments.
Hip cartilage repair without surgery may well be a possible route to getting you back on your feet, especially when patients may fear operations or going under anesthesia.
Reasons to avoid hip surgery
Patients seek out hip cartilage repair without surgery for a variety of reasons, including:
The inherent risks of surgery
Hip cartilage repair without surgery is often sought after because of the associated risks of any surgery.
Anytime you cut open the body to fix an internal issue, you compromise the integrity of the body as a whole. Your body works to avoid infections and prevent blood loss, so it’s no surprise that surgery, particularly when it’s invasive, is not something to take lightly.
Surgery saves the lives of hundreds of patients a day, but any surgeon or medical professional will tell you that results are never guaranteed and that all surgery comes with risk.
Options for hip cartilage repair without surgery should always be considered before reaching for the scalpel for this reason alone.
Hip replacement expiration dates
A hip replacement involves the insertion of non-natural materials to reinforce the joint. Usually these materials are metals, ceramics, or plastics. Although strong, they lack a vital property that our bones have.
Bones are living tissue. As such, bones are able to replenish and heal in ways that metals, plastics, or ceramics are simply not able to.
One problem with having a hip replacement is that, often, the patient will outlive their new hip.
This means that surgery will have to be repeated late in life, when the body is in a more fragile state. Hip cartilage repair without surgery can help to avoid this complication.
Implant rejection
The human body’s protector, our immune system, has a very specific function: to deny access to foreign organisms. The human body on the whole does whatever it can to reject anything that may do it harm.
Although new polymer materials can restore the missing strength to hips and offer high wear resistance, hip replacement materials can generate debris that will be attacked by the immune system.
Unfortunately, this can lead to bone loss, also known as osteolysis.
In addition, since the debris accumulates in the area close to the implant, the bone loss leads to loosening of the stem of the implant. The end result of this phenomenon is that often, revisions to the device are needed in the form of additional surgery.
Ineffective surgery
Given the risks of surgery, it’s a sobering thought that results are never guaranteed.
Although surgery in thousands of cases has given people renewed mobility, considering surgery as a “complete fix” should never be guaranteed and patients should temper their expectations accordingly.
With this in mind, hip cartilage repair without surgery should be your first thought if you are showing hip cartilage damage symptoms.
Surgery may indeed be the right choice for your current situation, or the current situation of a loved one. However, it’s important to ask your medical professional about options for hip cartilage repair without surgery.
So what are the options for hip cartilage repair without surgery? Let’s discuss some non-invasive approaches to healing.
Hip cartilage repair without surgery
Given the correct resources and time, like any other part of our body, cartilage heals itself.
The main component of this healing is collagen protein. There is a reason collagen for joints is so popular – cartilage is primarily made of collagen, and collagen can be used to return your joints to a healthier state.
Why collagen? Because of its tensile-strength and hardwearing properties. From ligaments to bones, organs to blood vessels, collagen helps strengthen and build resistance all over the human body.
So it’s no surprise that collagen is the main building block of cartilage, and continual supply of collagen is needed to keep cartilage ready to do its job.
Using collagen for hip healing
Sadly, cartilage is one of the slowest tissues in the body that is able to heal itself, which is why it’s nice to have a collagen supplement aiding your healing times.
Collagen is multifunctional, which is why it can be an option for hip labral tear recovery without surgery or for hip arthritis treatment.
Collagen supplements could be a great choice for your hip cartilage repair without surgery. A more holistic approach than going under the knife, this method gives your body the chance to heal itself without the need for, or potential consequences of, surgery.
Furthermore, collagen peptides benefits include helping the general upkeep of just about your entire body! It can help support healthy cartilage, ligaments, muscles, bones, and more.
If you’re unsure of your hip cartilage damage symptoms, taking collagen as a preventative measure gives you peace of mind that you’re giving your body the exact nutrients it’s asking for, so it can put them to use.
Healing naturally over time
Cartilage heals very slowly, but it can heal over time.
Why is cartilage slow to heal? Cartilage healing time is slower because it has much less blood supply than muscles and other tissues. It takes longer for the circulatory network to supply cartilage with the collagen resources it needs to reconstruct the damage, when compared to other parts of the body.
Cartilage is constructed with resistance in mind, to reduce the risk of injury. That means that a delicate blood vessel system running through it would compromise that strength. It’s that characteristic that results in slower cartilage healing times.
An efficient connection to the bloodstream allows faster replenishment of collagen protein to damaged cells, but cartilage can’t benefit from this. In other words, slow recovery times are a tradeoff of being so strong to begin with.
Here is the average healing time of a cartilage compared to other tissues:
Typical tissue healing time frames
As you can see, cartilage healing requires a little more patience, but is fundamentally similar to healing any tissue in the body.
But is there anything else we can do besides taking a collagen supplement? As it turns out, your diet on the whole may aid in hip cartilage repair without surgery.
Good nutrition
A good diet is the basis of a healthy body. Your energy and biological resources come primarily from your diet.
A healthy diet with protein will provide the resources that your body needs to recover from cartilage issues. It’s important to eat a wound healing diet to aid in healing.
And, of course, eating a diet that is high in collagen protein can help! That being said, collagen from your diet alone is often not sufficient for swift healing. That’s why it’s always recommended to take a high-quality collagen supplement in addition to your healing diet.
The top collagen for swift healing
To ensure you are getting the most out of your collagen supplement, you want to look for one that is easily digestible. Hydrolyzed collagen, or better yet nano-hydrolyzed collagen, is broken down into smaller pieces that are easier for your body to absorb and utilize in your joints.
You also want to look for a trusted supplier, since most supplements aren’t regulated by the FDA. Look for well-reviewed products that are backed by scientific research – and don’t contain any unhealthy additives.
When in doubt, it’s always good to reach for a medical-grade collagen supplement. These supplements ARE regulated by the FDA, and are trusted by doctors in medical facilities all across the country.
If you’re looking to get back on the road to recovery without undergoing surgery, a daily collagen supplement may just be the answer you need.
