HealthDay News reports on the findings of an HSS study led by hip and knee surgeon Jonathan M. Vigdorchik, MD, which showed if you have a bad hip and lower back pain, hip replacement surgery may solve both issues.

Dr. Vigdorchik and colleagues evaluated 500 patients who underwent hip replacement surgery and followed up with them one year after the operation. More than 40 percent reported pain in their lower back prior to hip surgery. Of that group, 82 percent saw their back pain vanish after surgery.

Dr. Vigdorchik explained it's not easy to figure out if back pain can be resolved with a hip replacement on your own. "It really relies on a good physical exam, and then good x-rays," he noted and encouraged other surgeons to utilize these x-rays to identify patients whose ailing backs may be relieved by a hip replacement. Dr. Vigdorchik also advised surgeons in the field to "look beyond just the hip".

"Anytime they're looking at the hip, they should also look at the back, and anytime they're looking at the knee, they should also look at the hip," he said. 

Read the full article at Consumer.healthday.com.

Additional coverage:

• Healio.com/news/orthopedics
• Phillyvoice.com
• Spectrum News Orlando segment which aired during the afternoon news hours on July 10, 2020
• ryortho.com