The hip joint is a large bony joint that connects the femur and pelvis bones, giving the limb the ability to flex, extend, and abduct. Pain in the hip joint is a symptom of many inflammatory, infectious, degenerative and other diseases. The causes of hip pain vary greatly, so a thorough diagnosis is essential.
Causes of hip pain
Joint pain in the hip area varies - sharp and regular, constant and periodic. Most often, unpleasant sensations appear in people over 50 years old, although they can appear even in children. The causes of hip pain vary widely. The most common is coxarthrosis, a degenerative disease with wear and tear of articular cartilage, in which the bones begin to move closer together and become misshapen.
Pain in the right and left hip joint can have other causes:
- injuries - fractures, cracks, dislocations.
- connective tissue damage and autoimmune pathologies.
- osteochondropathy;
- skeletal growth disorders;
- inflammation.
Sometimes the cause of quite severe pain is damage to other parts of the body (for example, the spine, sacrum, intestines). In this case, treatment should address the underlying problem, only then will the hip joint stop bothering the person.
Injuries as a cause of pain
Sharp pain affecting only one hip joint can be a symptom of a traumatic injury. It is difficult for a healthy person to break a hip joint, but if you have osteoporosis, it happens regularly. Basically, the diagnosis of "fracture of the femoral neck" is given to women over 60-65 years old, in whom the cause of osteoporosis is menopause and disorders in the functioning of hormone-producing organs. If your femoral neck hurts after a fall or bruise, you should definitely get an instrumental diagnosis!
A car accident can cause a pertrochanteric fracture of the femur. A sharp pain occurs in the hip joint as the nerves are pinched.
Also, pain on the right or left side occurs against a background of:
- bruising of a bone joint due to a fall or direct blow.
- traumatic hip dislocation;
- congenital hip dislocation.
Birth injuries and bone deformities during intrauterine development can cause congenital dislocation. Without treatment, the child's legs may have different lengths in the future and coxarthrosis develops early.
Cause disease in adults and children
If symptoms recur or hip joint pain becomes chronic, they are often caused by systemic pathologies or diseases of the hip joint itself.
In addition to coxarthrosis, the hip joint hurts for the following reasons:
Suppurative arthritis. It occurs due to infection of the thigh area with pyogenic bacteria. Any movement becomes impossible due to acute pain, the affected area becomes red and swollen.Aseptic necrosis of the femoral head. The reason is poor circulation in the hip joint. The disease occurs mainly at a young age. Without treatment, there is a risk of muscle and tendon atrophy and the person becomes disabled.Osteoid myositis. It originates from inflammation of muscles and connective tissue, is related to heredity or occurs after injury.Ankylosing spondylitis. It causes inflammatory damage to the bone joint, leading to limited mobility due to fusion of the joint cavity.Anatomical osteochondritis of the femur. The cartilage of the hip joint detaches and tissue necrosis often develops.Bursitis and arthritis. In this case, severe pain in the area of the hip joint is associated with inflammation of the synovial bursa or capsule.
Why do hip joints hurt on one or both sides, what other reasons are there?
The following diseases can be the cause:
- Reiter's syndrome?
- rheumatoid arthritis;
- Spinal cord injuries with radicular syndrome.
- deformities of the legs, feet, knees.
- enthesopathy.
In pregnant women, the cause of joint pain on the right or left side is often symphysitis - inflammation of the pubic symphysis when the pubic bones diverge. In rare cases, tumors and gout of the hip joint can trigger symptoms in people.
Symptoms of pathologies
Signs of diseases, as well as treatment procedures, vary greatly. Pain in the hip joint after a serious injury is strong, sharp and localized in the thigh area. The surrounding tissues swell and lameness is observed. The latter, with a slight bruise, quickly leaves. If there is a dislocation, fracture, leg movements are limited or impossible.
For a hip fracture, the symptoms are:
- increased pain during movement.
- sensation radiation on the inner surface of the foot.
- swelling, bruising;
- lameness;
- common click;
- muscle numbness.
When the bursa or synovium is inflamed, the pain is accompanied by a burning sensation and intensifies when walking. With osteochondrosis, tingling and lumps appear in the hip joint. Coxarthrosis is accompanied by aching pains, which are more intense in the morning and subside during the day. With rheumatoid arthritis, the hip joint hurts with the lumbar spine, the temperature inside it rises and muscle stiffness occurs.
Burning, nagging pain can be signs of ankylosing spondylitis, and the sensations radiate to the pelvis, sacrum and become stronger at night. The hip joint area hurts in chronic inflammatory diseases - arthritis, gout (not flare).
Diagnosis of diseases
Treatment for any of these symptoms should begin immediately after diagnosis by an orthopedist, surgeon, or traumatologist. The doctor will be able to suggest damage to the left or right hip joint during the initial examination. During passive flexion and extension, pain, burning sensation occurs, movements are limited, abduction to the sides is particularly difficult.
The hip joint is located deep enough, so organic examinations become the main diagnostic methods:
- CT?
- MRI?
- x-ray.
In some cases, it is necessary to carry out additional diagnostic measures. Thus, in case of infectious and purulent processes, a study of the synovial fluid is prescribed. If a malignant tumor is suspected, a biopsy is performed. If the vessels of the hip joint are affected, a Doppler ultrasound will be required. Before treatment for hip joint pain, a rheumatoid factor test should be done to rule out rheumatism.
Treating hip pain due to injuries and infections
Congenital dislocation of the hip joint is treated in infants. To do this, they use a Freik pillow and spacers - special orthopedic devices that help keep the legs in the right position. The duration of treatment can be 6-8 months; if it does not help, surgical reduction of the bone should be done.
For a hip fracture, surgical treatment is indicated, as conservative measures most often do not help. Pins, screws or endoprosthetics are placed. Only if there are contraindications, bandages are applied to the leg from the waist to the heel. Unfortunately, in old age this rarely leads to fusion of the hip bone and the patient cannot walk or even sit normally.
What to do if the hip joint area hurts badly due to infectious inflammation? In this case, treatment with antibiotics is carried out. The drugs are given as injections, given by instillation or directly into the cavity of the hip joint. Treatment also includes limiting the leg's mobility to speed recovery. To relieve the symptoms, analgesics and anesthetics are injected into the joint. For purulent arthritis, surgery is performed to remove abscesses and wash the joint cavity with antibiotics.
Pharmaceutical measures
The choice of drug treatment methods is carried out only by a doctor, depending on the type of disease. Pain is usually well relieved by taking pain relievers, although sensation often returns quickly. If your leg is in severe and severe pain, blocks with anesthetics should be inserted in the area of the hip joint. Treatment of chronic hip pathologies should be carried out with regular courses of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - only these will remove recurring symptoms, although they will not affect the course of the disease itself. Hormonal drugs are usually prescribed for coxarthrosis that relieve inflammation and pain for a long time.
Treatment of diseases of the hip joint can be carried out using the following means:
Muscle relaxants. It is used to reduce muscle spasm, which increases pain.Diuretics. Help relieve severe swelling affecting soft tissue.Vitamin preparations. It improves the nutrition of the hip joint, accelerates biochemical reactions.Carboprotectors. They make up for the deficiency of chondroitin and glucosamine and help restore damaged cartilage.
If a child regularly has pain in the hip joint and the diagnosis of vascular necrosis is confirmed, the basis of treatment is the administration and injections of vascular drugs. Medicines enhance blood microcirculation, metabolism and help tissues to regenerate.
Orthopedic machines and physical therapy
Treatment for hip joint disorders includes the use of orthopedic products. Most often they are used after injuries, when complete or partial immobilization is required for several weeks or even months. Thus, for fractures, a rigid fixation is used, which, unlike plaster, does not cause irritations and allergies.
If one has to lie down for a long time, one definitely needs an anti-slump mattress. During rehabilitation after an injury, walkers, canes and crutches are used for support. With symphysis, pregnant women are advised to wear a pelvic corset with stiff ribs. It is equally important during treatment and for prevention to wear orthopedic shoes that relieve the load on the foot.
Physiotherapy is also indicated to improve the condition of the hip joint. This treatment eliminates symptoms, relieves pain and optimizes blood circulation. During the treatment, the inflammation is reduced, the swelling subsides and the tissue repair process begins. Laser therapy has proven to be better - laser rays heat tissue up to 10 cm thick, quickly relieve pain and relieve inflammation.
Other physiotherapy techniques used are:
- electrophoresis?
- Darsonval?
- magnetic therapy;
- shock wave therapy;
- spa therapy?
- microcurrents;
- turpentine baths.
Regular use of a needle applicator at home is also recommended - it increases blood circulation and helps reduce pain. In the acute stage of the disease, it is used for 5 minutes to 5 times a day, in the chronic stage, the time is increased to 20 minutes three times a day.
Traditional treatment for pain in the hip joint
Traditional medicine can also answer how to treat hip joint diseases. Unconventional treatment must be combined with conservative treatment, otherwise it will not bring the desired result. External methods are less effective, because the location of this bone joint is very deep. External measures can be applied through massage.
The treatment is carried out as follows:
- Mix equal parts mint, hop cones, hypericum.
- Pour 100 ml of petroleum jelly melted in a water bath into a spoon.
- leave in a warm place for 2 days.
- Heat the mass again, drain.
- Apply for gentle rubbing with massaging movements.
Baths can be used in the treatment of the hip joint - they quickly relieve pain. A decoction of mint and pine needles (50 g of raw material per liter of water) is poured into warm water, a bath is taken for 15 minutes, the procedures are repeated every other day, 10 sessions are carried out. You should also take the following pain relievers internally:
- Pour ½ cup of lilac flowers into 250 ml of vodka, leave for 10 days, drink a teaspoon three times a day for 14 days.
- mix a tablespoon of birch buds and linden flowers, prepare 300 ml of boiling water, drink 150 ml twice a day for a month.
- boil 1 kg of beef bones, pour the broth into portioned containers, eat 250 grams of this "jelly" daily.
Other treatments
If the hip joint is affected, therapeutic exercises are indicated. The joint of the bones must move, then it will produce a larger volume of intra-articular fluid. As a result, the quality of nutrition and the rate of tissue recovery will increase. The set of exercises is selected individually, it is different for different diseases (depending on the permissible load). At first the number of repetitions is small and then increases. You should not make sudden movements - they can cause a new attack of pain.
In some cases, surgical treatment of the hip joint is required. Indicated for injuries, advanced forms of coxarthrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, which cause severe bone deformity. They also work on an extremity when abscesses (ulcers) occur in the joint cavity or soft tissues.
The most popular types of functions are:
- endoprosthetic;
- pin installation;
- arthroscopy;
- osteotomy;
- osteosynthesis.
Prevention of joint diseases
Hip joint pain can be prevented if early preventive measures are taken. It is necessary to avoid heavy loads on the femur and joint, protect yourself from impacts, falls and do not lift heavy objects. Already at the initial stage, it is necessary to treat any inflammatory diseases in the body, as well as to keep vascular problems under control.
Gymnastics, gymnastics, yoga and swimming will help strengthen the hip joint. It is important to maintain a normal weight so as not to overload the femoral neck and the entire hip joint. To reduce body weight, use a diet that avoids fatty, sweet, floury foods, smoked meats and salty foods. It is also beneficial for the hip joint to wear preventive bandages, comfortable shoes and insoles. When the first unpleasant symptoms appear, you should immediately consult a doctor and receive timely treatment - this will help you avoid surgery.