The occurrence of pain in the hip joint should definitely alarm, because this is the largest bone connection, without which the process of walking is impossible. It maintains balance, distributes body weight between the spine and the lower limbs. When the function of the hip joint is impaired, the patient's quality of life decreases immediately and physical activity decreases.
If you experience pain in the hip joint, you need to determine the cause. Treatment of pain depends on the pathology for which it is a symptom. Complex measures and strict adherence to the recommendations will help get rid of the disease and maintain motor activity of the joint.
A disorder of the hip joint makes active movement impossible. A restricted functionality restricts the patient in terms of independent movement and performance.
What are the causes of such unpleasant discomfort in the hip joint and how can it be treated at home? Let's try to find out.
causes
Pain in the hip joint can occur for a number of reasons: Damage to the joint itself, both right and left, as well as the adjacent bones, cartilage or ligaments. Numbness and restricted mobility of the entire hip often come with a painful symptom.
Hip joint disorders can occur at any age, but most commonly affect the elderly. If pain occurs, it is advisable to consult a family doctor, who will prescribe an initial examination and recommend which doctor you should go to.
The most common causes of hip pain are:
- Dislocations;
- Fractures;
- infectious inflammation or arthritis;
- degenerative changes or osteoarthritis (coxarthrosis);
- aseptic necrosis of the femoral head;
- Inflammation of the periarticular sac (bursitis);
- non-infectious inflammation in autoimmune diseases of connective tissue;
- Period of pregnancy.
The prevalence of pain syndrome in this localization increases with age. If hip pain is found in 8-10% of young people under the age of 18, it is 20-30% in middle-aged people. At the age of 50-59, 40% already suffer from it, and in the elderly - from 50 to 60%. Women suffer from this localization pain syndrome more often than men.
By age
Pathological conditions typical of different age groups and causing pain in the hip joint:
- Adults and seniors. Osteoarthritis (coxarthrosis), injuries and deformities of the joint, compression of the acetabulum.
- Children and adolescents. Perthes disease, transient synovitis, acquired varus deformity, tuberculous lesions, injuries and deformities of the joint.
- Newborns and infants under 1 year of age. Congenital hip dislocation, consequences of a generic epiphysis, acute purulent osteoarthritis, congenital varus deformities.
Bursitis
The main signs of bursitis:
- with the development of the disease, the appearance of back pain;
- increased discomfort when moving the leg;
- increased pain after prolonged sitting, back pain;
- stabbing and burning pain, especially when lying on your side at night, which extends over the entire surface of the thigh.
An infection can lead to purulent bursitis, which is characterized by acute pain in the hip joint. A characteristic symptom of this type of bursitis is the inability to fully straighten the leg. A firmness can be felt when pressing, which can spread over the large area of the thigh. Maybe the appearance of back pain.
Osteoarthritis (coxarthrosis)
Coxarthrosis is based on degenerative (destruction) and dystrophic (malnutrition) processes in the hip joint. As a result, the joint no longer fulfills its functions - the movements of the legs are disturbed. It can be an independent disease or it can develop with consequential damage to the joint (tumor in the bone). In old age, coxarthrosis develops again after a hip fracture.
Depending on the severity of the joint changes that have occurred, there are 3 stages of coxarthrosis.
- In stage 3, pain in the hip joint disturbs the patient even at rest, at night. Pronounced lameness, which forces the use of a stick.
- In stage 2 of coxarthrosis, the pain begins to radiate into the groin, inside and front of the thigh, often to the knee. They appear after the usual daily exposure, but they do not interfere with rest.
- Stage 1 is characterized by pain in the hip joint that occurs with excessive exertion: climbing stairs with a load in the hands, walking more than 2-3 kilometers, running. Pain sensations subside after a short break.
The choice of methods for treating osteoarthritis of the hip joint depends on the severity of the joint changes that have occurred. 1 and 2 degrees of the disease can usually be treated conservatively. Anti-inflammatory drugs, chondroprotectors, drugs to improve blood circulation in the joint, physical therapy and therapeutic exercises are prescribed. The last stage is treated only with the help of operations.
Hip fracture
A very common injury, especially in the elderly with weak bones. This condition is characterized by severe pain and an inability to move in the joint.
In this case, hospitalization is necessary for proper treatment, since a hip fracture is often complicated by some infectious process, such as bacterial arthritis, etc. The addition of inflammation significantly affects fracture healing and contributes to improper bone fusion.
Dislocation of the hip joint
Most often, it is a consequence of road accidents, and it also occurs in falls and various work accidents.
Clinical manifestations with dislocation: unbearable acute pain, almost absolute difficulty moving the lower extremities, with damage to the nerve endings, the sensitivity of the foot and ankle joint is lost. If the joint is dislocated on both sides, symptoms manifest themselves in the form of intermittent claudication, the so-called "duck walk".
A concept such as congenital hip dislocation, which is diagnosed in newborns, should be emphasized. This disease is a consequence of the underdevelopment of the acetabulum, as a result of which the femoral head falls out of its limits and thereby forms a dislocation.
Subluxation
This is an incomplete loss of contact between the femoral head and the acetabulum. The person does not feel severe pain, motor activity is slightly restricted, but unpleasant sensations are constantly present.
rheumatism
A systemic disease of the connective tissue that is associated with damage to the joints and the heart valve system. It is more likely to develop in girls and young women after strep throat pain.
About two weeks after the disease, severe pain appears in large joints, which gradually decrease and disappear. Rheumatism does not cause permanent damage to the joints, its main danger is the development of acquired heart defects.
arthritis
Arthritis is especially common in the elderly. The older a person is, the more processes can take place in their joints. Discomfort occurs in the legs and in the groin area, cramps can be felt in the front thigh area and even reach the knee. Symptoms are worse when walking and resting on your leg. It becomes difficult to get up from a sitting position, causing severe pain in the hip joint.
Most of the time, the discomfort increases in the morning, but it decreases with physical activity. However, with excessive load, unpleasant sensations increase and stiffness of movement occurs. Treatment depends on the diagnosis, usually anti-inflammatory drugs, exercise therapy, and hormonal drugs are prescribed.
Infections
Infectious arthritis can be caused by viruses such as influenza, staph, strep, and others. . . In such cases, the disease develops quickly. Fever begins, swelling is observed in the area of the affected joint. Acute pain in the hip joint is observed when moving and even touching the affected area.
Somewhat different symptoms are observed in tuberculous arthritis, which most often affects the hip joint. In this case, the disease will gradually make itself felt. First of all, while walking, a person is disturbed by a slight sore muscles that radiate into the leg - the middle part of the thigh or knee. As the disease progresses, the hip is restricted in its movement in all directions, and the affected area swells.
Tendinitis
Tendonitis or tendinitis usually affects people who are regularly exposed to high levels of physical activity. Mostly these are athletes. It should be noted that sometimes this disease proceeds imperceptibly, especially if the patient reduces the load on the hip joint. And vice versa, the pain becomes very strong with too active movements and heavy loads.
Treatment for tendonitis is carried out with anti-inflammatory drugs - nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can be prescribed.
Which doctor treats?
The help of these doctors may be needed if you have hip joint pain:
- Rheumatologist;
- Traumatologist or orthopedist;
- Physiotherapist;
- Neurologist.
The specialist conducts a survey and examination of the patient and prescribes a comprehensive examination.
diagnosis
Laboratory and instrumental research methods:
- X-ray examination and ultrasound. They are the gold standard for almost all diseases of the hip joint.
- General blood analysis. There will be an opportunity to assess the general condition of the body.
- Biochemical blood test and specific markers of rheumatological diseases.
- Urinalysis. The color, amount, clarity and density of the urine are determined. In addition, protein, glucose, and bilirubin are important indicators.
- Morphological examination of biopsy samples. It is used to examine the structure of the removed material, especially if there is a suspicion of oncological diseases of the skeleton.
- CT scan. Allows the joint, the bone tissue to be visualized in multiple projections to determine its density.
- Magnetic resonance imaging. Renders in thin layers of body tissue at each layer.
- Osteoscintigraphy. With the introduction of osteotropic radiopharmaceuticals, the blood flow status of the bone tissue and the intensity of metabolic processes are visualized.
Note the decrease in joint mobility. Remember whether the disease was accompanied by fever, headache, local hyperemia, edema and other local manifestations. Do not be afraid to call a specialist's attention to the possible causes of the disease. Describe in detail everything that bothers you.
How is hip pain treated?
What to do if painful symptoms are found around the hip joint? After all, the pelvis is an important part of the musculoskeletal system. And if there is severe pain, you should immediately consult a specialist. He will help diagnose and identify the cause of the problem. The earlier the diagnosis is made, the more effective the treatment will be.
If you suspect that mild pain is associated with a minor injury or joint overload, the following actions can be taken:
- avoid stress on the sore joint, keep it still;
- are taking a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug;
- When sleeping, it is advisable to lie on the healthy side.
Drug treatment consists of a complex taking of drugs in different directions:
- Hondoprotectors, mineral and vitamin complexes.
- Muscle relaxants that reduce the cramps associated with pain.
- NSAIDs and steroids. Steroid drugs are only prescribed for severe symptoms.
- Means to improve microcirculation. They relieve edema and hypoxic manifestations in the affected area.
- Diuretics to reduce swelling in the inflamed area.
Physiotherapeutic measures are also of great importance in the treatment of diseases of the hip joints. They are performed after the removal of acute inflammation and severe pain. Electrophoresis has proven itself, with the help of which a high concentration of active substances can be generated directly in the affected area.
Laser therapy, which produces pain relieving, absorbent and anti-inflammatory effects, is seen as a progressive method. Magnetotherapy, diode dynamotherapy and medicinal phonophoresis are also used successfully.