Leading-edge Care for Hip and Knee Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that damages your joints and other areas of your body, including your eyes, heart, kidneys, lungs, blood vessels and skin. It often affects joints on both sides of your body. Typically, it starts in smaller joints first — such as in your hands or feet — before it affects your knees or hips. 

Our orthopedic specialists provide complete care to relieve rheumatoid arthritis hip and knee pain. We draw from the latest arthritis therapies to create your personalized treatment plan — one that relieves joint pain and keeps you moving.  

Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms in Your Legs and Hips

Unlike osteoarthritis, caused by wear and tear on your hip and knee joints, rheumatoid arthritis is caused by an immune system disorder. Your body mistakenly destroys the synovial membrane that lines the inside of your hip and knee joints, which allows them to move smoothly.  

Symptoms can be ongoing or flare up at times, including: 

• Catching or sticking of the joint and a grinding sound caused by loose cartilage or other tissue fragments interfering with hip or knee movement  
• Joint weakness  
• Pain near the hip, outer thigh or upper buttocks, or knee pain and swelling 
• Stiffness that makes it difficult to bend and straighten the knee or move the hip, such as bending over or rotating your leg 

Joint pain can be worse after vigorous activity or a long period of rest (in the morning), standing or walking. You may also have other symptoms, such as fever, tiredness and lack of appetite. 

Treatment for Hip and Knee Rheumatoid Arthritis 

Although treatments can’t reverse the damage of rheumatoid arthritis, they can relieve joint pain and prevent further damage.  

Noninvasive treatments for hip and knee rheumatoid arthritis include: 

• Medicines, such as over the counter and prescription pain medicines, steroids and DMARDs (disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs) 
• Physical and occupational therapy, including assistive devices (cane, walker or knee brace) 
• Regular exercise 

If you have extensive joint damage and nonsurgical approaches don’t relieve symptoms, your doctor may recommend surgery: 

• Hip or knee replacement replaces damaged joint surfaces with plastic or metal. Joint replacement can allow you to walk, bend and move again without pain. 
• Synovectomy removes the synovial lining in your knee to relieve pain and swelling. It’s only effective in the early stages of the disease when damage is limited to the synovial lining. 

Our orthopedic specialists go over all your options and help you decide which treatment is right for you.