Liam Gallagher health: Remedies star uses to manage arthritis – ‘They’ve saved my life’

Liam Gallagher responds to hip replacement rumours

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Beginning his solo career back in 2017 with the release of his album As You Were, 49-year-old Gallagher was first diagnosed with arthritis back in 2019, where he went on to reveal that he would rather use a wheelchair and live with the pain rather than endure double hip-replacement surgery. Although the star did not go into detail about the specific type of arthritis he has, osteoarthritis is the most common type of the condition to affect the hip joint.

“My bones are mashed up,” the Wonderwall singer shared in a 2022 interview. “My hips are f***ed, I’ve got arthritis, bad.”

With his characteristic rock ‘n’ roll attitude, the singer went on to explain that the reason why he doesn’t want to have a hip operation is due to the stigma attached to it.

He continued to say: “I went to get it checked out and my bones are mashed up. The lady was going, ‘Oh, you might need a hip operation, a replacement’.

“I think I’d rather just be in pain. Which is ridiculous, obviously. I know that. Just get them fixed. But it’s the stigma, saying you’ve had your hips replaced. What’s next?

“I’d rather be in a wheelchair.”

Osteoarthritis occurs due to the “wear and tear” of the joint over a period of time. Typically affecting people aged 60 and over, Gallagher is a prime example that the condition can affect anyone of any age.

The joints that become affected, how badly, and at what age vary from person to person, depending upon other factors specific to each individual, such as:

• Anatomic structure of the hip (the natural strength and/or angles of a person’s bones)
• Weight
• Activity level.

Some younger individuals may also be affected by hip arthritis if they have underlying conditions such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.

For people that have hip osteoarthritis, walking and other motions that put pressure on or use the affected hip cartilage usually have increased pain. Their ability to remain active is also challenged.

Due to this reduced activity – not moving the body much – muscles that control the hip joint can become weaker, which may make it even more difficult to perform daily activities.

OrthoInfo, a medical website, explains that in osteoarthritis, the cartilage in the hip joint gradually wears away over time. As the cartilage wears away, it becomes frayed and rough, and the protective joint space between the bones decreases.

This can result in bone rubbing on bone. To make up for the lost cartilage, the damaged bones may start to grow outward and form bone spurs (osteophytes). Because of this, people with arthritis may feel as though their hip is stiff and their motion is limited.

Sometimes people actually feel a sense of “catching, snapping or clicking within the hip”. The pain is usually felt in the groin, but also may be felt on the side of the hip, the buttock and occasionally down into the knee.

Activities such as walking long distances, standing for long periods of time or climbing stairs puts stress on the hip that generally makes arthritis pain worse.

Due to the impact the condition has on him, Gallagher has been forced to give up running and uses herbal sleeping tablets to try and get a decent night’s rest.

“I can’t sleep at night for the pain,” the star continued. “Tossing and turning. So I’m on herbal sleeping tablets and they’ve saved my life. One of them, seven hours out, no pain, nothing.”

In addition to the sleeping tablets, Gallagher also revealed that he relies heavily on Deep Heat in order to soothe any ailments and keep him healthy enough to continue performing.

He said: “My new thing is Deep Heat. Caked myself in it on the knees and hips, the calves, then into the steam room for as long as I can handle it.”

Although there is no cure for osteoarthritis, there are a number of treatments available that will help relieve pain and improve an individual’s mobility. Non-surgical options of treatment include the following:

• Minimising activities that aggravate the condition, such as climbing stairs
• Switching from high-impact activities (like jogging or tennis) to lower impact activities (like swimming or cycling) will put less stress on your hip
• Losing weight can reduce stress on the hip joint, resulting in less pain and increased function
• Physical therapy
• Assistive devices.

If symptoms have not been relieved through non-surgical treatments, medical professionals may suggest having a total hip replacement in order to remove damaged bone and replace it with new metal, plastic or ceramic joint surfaces to restore the function of your hip.

When challenged by one of his fans, who shared their dismay at the rock star’s decision, not to have surgery, Gallagher replied that he would in fact have the surgery at some point, but was “being fa sea shush [facetious]” when making his initial comments.

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