Hip pain is localized where the thigh bone connects to the pelvis. It is this connection of the bones that enables a person to have normal movement of the legs in any plane. The hip joint is considered to be the largest movable joint in the human body and helps it move fully.
Like many other joints in the body, thighs and pelvis can be damaged. When the work is interrupted, the patient feels the pain in the hip joints. Bones, muscles, joint circumference, cartilage, vessels, tendons, nerves and adjacent joints can be affected by the pain syndrome. In this case, a person suffers from unpleasant symptoms that interfere with normal life. When such pain occurs, a person immediately becomes interested in the question of how the syndrome developed and what to do to get rid of it.
etiology
Hip joint pain has a number of causes. The connection between the femur and the pelvis can become inflamed by injuries, diseases of the joints and tendons, by the manifestation of systemic diseases, infectious processes.
The reasons for the formation of pain syndrome can be such non-traumatic factors:
- Osteoarthritis;
- Osteoarthritis;
- Failure of blood supply to bones and the formation of joints.
With the development of such diseases of the hip joints, degenerative changes in the articular surfaces occur. In humans, cartilage and periarticular pouches are damaged, the synovial membrane of the joint is destroyed, the amount of synovial fluid decreases, which leads to severe pain and disorders of the joint.
To get rid of an uncomfortable syndrome, the patient needs to find out why the hip joint hurts. To make the correct diagnosis, the patient must undergo a full examination. Clinicians have found that hip pain while walking has a fairly simple cause. The following indicators were assigned to the category of the most common provoking factors:
- infectious inflammation;
- degenerative changes;
- Dislocations;
- Fractures;
- aseptic necrosis of the femoral head;
- Bursitis;
- inflammation of a non-infectious nature with autoimmune diseases of connective tissue;
- Tuberculosis.
It is quite difficult to determine the cause of the appearance of pain, since it can be triggered not only by injuries and discomfort, but also by pathological processes in the abdominal cavity, lumbar area and genitals.
Hip pain when walking is often caused by damage to the bone connection. Injuries that can provoke a similar syndrome include not only a dislocation or fracture, but also other reasons:
- bruising of the pelvis;
- rupture of the acetabulum;
- stretch;
- Violation of the structure of the ligaments and the joint capsule.
Also, the causes of the appearance of pain syndrome can be toxic synovitis, primary and secondary oncological pathologies, osteomalacia and osteomyelitis.
In contrast to adults, children have slightly different exacerbation factors. If the hip joint hurts, the reason is likely due to the epiphysis, Legg-Calve-Perthes, Still's disease, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, etc.
For women during pregnancy, there is also characteristic pain in the hip joint. During this time, the woman's body changes greatly and the functionality of many organs changes, so that pregnant women can often feel pain in different parts of the body. A pain syndrome in the movable joint of the pelvic region can arise for the following reasons:
- hormonal changes;
- Growth of the uterus, which increases the load on the hip joint;
- increased load on the legs;
- exacerbation of early injuries;
- Lack of calcium;
- the appearance of a focus of inflammation in another zone, radiating into the groin.
All of the above etiological reasons can be established after a full examination and examination by a doctor. During pregnancy, hip joint pain is a significant inconvenience for a woman, but after childbirth all syndromes go away.
classification
The unpleasant sensations a person experiences are associated with intra-articular and extra-articular factors. The first category of reasons includes the formation of effusion in the joint, increased load, fractures of the trabeculae and rupture of the intra-articular ligaments, expansion of the joint capsule, inflammation of the synovial membranes.
Extra-articular factors include muscle spasms, impaired venous drainage that causes congestion in the subchondral bone and inflammation in the periarticular tendon.
Doctors have also identified the types of pain by type:
- mechanical - manifests itself with a load on the joint, increases in the evening and subsides after sleep;
- incipient pain - forms with reactive synovitis, progresses with physical activity, and then subsides a little or generally disappears;
- against the background of tendonitis or tendobursitis - aggravate in places where damaged tendons and muscles are involved;
- based on spasms of the periarticular muscles;
- Hip joint pain at night - decreases with movement. The syndrome of congestion of blood in the subchondral parts of the bone is exacerbated;
- Syndrome due to damage to the synovial surface by osteophytes.
Symptoms
The causes and treatment of the syndrome are interrelated, so the doctor must identify the clinical picture in order to determine the method of therapy.
When the hip joint is damaged, cartilage and cartilage fragments thin, leading to inflammation of the inner surface of the pelvis and femur. It is this process that causes pain to appear. If there is no cartilage in the joint, then the exposed thigh bone rubs against the pelvic bone, which manifests itself in a severe pain syndrome.
Very often the patient has sensations that pass from one part of the body to another. Patients often feel pain in their hips while walking, which can extend to the knee, but also to the buttocks and lumbar area. The syndrome may initially be unstable and poorly developed, but the intensity of the symptoms increases as the damage progresses. At this moment the pain becomes constant, it can manifest itself both during movement and in a calm state.
Pain in the hip joint has different manifestations and symptoms depending on the location of the inflammation focus:
- in the case of damage to the hip joint - the syndrome worries the patient not only in the joint area, but also in the entire thigh and extends to the lower leg. It also often happens that inflammation of the lumbar spine can manifest itself in the area of the hip joint;
- the patient's mobility decreases - the possibility of hip flexion decreases;
- Lameness can appear on the right or left, or one leg is slightly shorter than the other;
- the joint becomes firm and inactive;
- Movement can be especially painful after long periods of sitting;
- Fatigue due to inability to walk long distances.
If the symptom is manifested by severe illness, the patient may have more serious symptoms - high fever, swelling, headache, weakness, redness of the inflamed area.
diagnosis
If a person continues to have pain on the right or left in the area of the hip joint, it is imperative that they seek advice from a specialist. If the problem is similar, the patient can be referred to a rheumatologist, traumatologist, physical therapist, or neurologist.
Before treating a symptom, you need to assess the condition and identify the putative cause of the syndrome. In addition to the visible features of severe inflammation, the condition of the hip joint can be assessed using the following methods:
- consider the lower extremities in the supine position - in the event of a dislocation or fracture, they take a forced position and not parallel to the body axis;
- to know the mobility of the joint, you can make several active movements forwards and backwards - if the pelvic area is damaged, the patient will feel severe pain;
- in the supine position, passive movements in the movable joint can be seen - clicks, crackles and muscle tension can occur;
- During the examination of the patient, the doctor must fully describe all manifestations of the syndrome.
A pain symptom in the hip area can develop from various pathological processes, so it is important for the clinician to conduct a differential diagnosis of the disease. To determine the cause of pain in the hip joint when sitting and walking, the patient is examined laboratory and instrumental:
- X-ray of the spine, hip area;
- Tomography of the spine, pelvis and hip;
- studies of vascular patency - dopplerography, angiography and other methods;
- Electromyography;
- general, biochemical, bacteriological, immunological blood test.
treatment
If nocturnal hip pain does not develop very quickly in a person and disappears after rest, then perhaps a slight injury or joint strain was the cause. In this case, doctors recommend smaller therapeutic measures:
- Reduce loads;
- give rest to the joint;
- use a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug;
- lie on the healthy side.
With severe, severe, constant and persistent pain, you can not do without the help of a doctor, especially if there is a noticeable deformation of the joint, reddening of the thigh, a change in the tone of the skin on the thigh and low sensitivity. In these circumstances, self-medication can harm the patient and cause the symptom to progress.
Pain in the hip joint that radiates into the leg can subside according to the doctor's prescription of various therapy methods. To get rid of the syndrome, doctors prescribe conservative treatment to patients:
- Medication;
- Sports with minimal impact;
- Weight control;
- Physical therapy;
- Auxiliary devices - walking sticks, walking aids, crutches;
- avoid heavy loads;
- balance the emotional state;
- Taking vitamins.
The treatment process necessarily consists of drug therapy. To do this, doctors prescribe the following drugs to patients:
- Diuretics;
- Anti-inflammatory;
- Muscle relaxants;
- Improve microcirculation;
- Chondroprotectors;
- Vitamins and minerals.
If a woman suddenly experienced pain in the hip joint during pregnancy, she should definitely consult a doctor. She can be prescribed the use of multivitamin complexes, calcium intake, moderate physical activity and wearing a bandage. To relieve symptoms and prevent the development of complications, the doctor advises the expectant mother to adhere to simple rules:
- reduce the number of climbing stairs and long walks;
- do not sit for more than an hour;
- it is forbidden to sit and lie on a hard surface;
- with night pain, it is recommended to turn the body in parts, first the upper, and then the pelvis;
- eat foods high in calcium and vitamin complexes;
- Control weight;
- wear a bandage;
- reduce stress on the pelvis and hips.
However, in addition to these methods, there are other technologies in medicine that can be used to eliminate the symptom. So what else can be done to reduce the pain syndrome, says the doctor at reception. If you have mild pain in the left or right side of the hip joint, these methods can be used without consulting your doctor:
- Massage;
- Physical therapy;
- manual therapy.
Treatment of pain in the hip joint with folk remedies is still used in medicine, but doctors resort to such means in some cases and only as an additional method of therapy. Patients can apply compresses, make tinctures, decoctions and lotions. Each of these agents has an analgesic effect and helps improve the patient's condition. Patients are advised to use the following plants and ingredients:
- purple leaves;
- Honey;
- Lemon;
- Saber;
- Pork fat;
- Ficus leaves;
- Garlic;
- Celery.
All of the ingredients are pretty well known and often used in traditional medicine, but they can be used after consulting a doctor. If you establish the wrong ratio, you can harm the body and create complications. When treating such a syndrome, it is also very important to adhere to restrictions on physical activity so as not to provoke an increase in an unpleasant symptom.