Young female with bad hip problems?

My girlfriend is 24 and she suffers from hip joint discomfort on a daily basis. She is constantly in discomfort and she says it is hereditary, that her Aunt has the same condition and that it is a deterioration of the hip joint. I feel bad for her and wish there was something she could do to ease the pain. I tell her that doctors will fix her hip way before she reaches her Aunts age (whom needs a new hip). Has anybody had any experience like this and is there anything she could be doing now to help her situation? rubs are all I know how to do at the moment ;-)