My doctor took an x-ray of my hip and told me that I have severe
arthritis. He said I need surgery, but my hip doesn't hurt that
much. Do I need surgery? One of the first things I tell medical
students and residents whenever I am teaching them about
osteoarthritis is that we treat people, not films. The fact is
that some people with minimal pain and no loss of function have
terrible looking x-rays. Reciprocally, some people with
significant pain have normal appearing x-rays. We need to
address the patient's symptoms, not necessarily his or her
films. Then, why do you get an x-ray in the first place? If
osteoarthritis is suspected as the cause of joint pain, an x-ray
serves two basic purposes: - It helps to rule out other causes
of pain such as a fracture or avascular necrosis (lack of blood
supply leading to bone death). - The x-ray also gives insight
into how much cartilage is left in the joint. If the joint is
relatively well preserved, we know that the pain is primarily
inflammatory and should respond very