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 widely, so a thorough diagnosis is imperative.
Causes of hip pain
Pain in the joints in the hip area varies - acute and regular, constant and periodic. Most often, unpleasant sensations occur in people over 50 years old, although they can also occur 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 deformed.
Pain in the right and left hip joint can have other causes:
- injuries - fractures, cracks, dislocations;
- connective tissue damage and autoimmune pathologies;
- osteochondropathy;
- disorders of skeletal development;
- inflammation.
Sometimes the cause of severe pain is damage to other parts of the body (for example, spine, sacrum, intestines). In this case, the treatment should address the underlying problem, only then will the hip joint stop bothering the person.
Injuries as a cause of pain
Sharp pain involving 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 the neck of the femur hurts after a fall or bruise, you should definitely do an instrumental diagnosis!
A car accident can cause a pertrochanteric fracture of the femur. A sharp pain appears in the hip joint as the nerves are pressed.
Also, pain on the right or left appears against the 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 provoke congenital dislocation. Without treatment, the child's legs may have different lengths in the future and coxarthrosis develops early.
Provocation of diseases in adults and children
If symptoms recur or pain in the hip joint becomes chronic, they are often caused by systemic pathology or disease of the hip joint itself.
In addition to coxarthrosis, the hip joint hurts for the following reasons:
Purulent 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 appears mainly at a young age. Without treatment, there is a risk of muscle and tendon atrophy and the person becomes disabled.Myositis ossificans. It comes 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 movement due to fusion of the joint cavity.Osteochondritis dissecans of the femur. The cartilage of the hip joint delaminates and tissue necrosis often develops.Bursitis and synovitis. In this case, severe pain in the hip joint area 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 lesions with radicular syndrome;
- deformities of legs, feet, knees;
- enthesopathy.
In pregnant women, the cause of joint pain on the right or left is often symphysitis - inflammation of the pubic symphysis when the pubic bones change. In rare cases, hip tumors and gout can cause symptoms in people.
Symptoms of pathologies
Symptoms 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 hip area. The surrounding tissue swells and there is a limp. The latter with a slight bruise goes away quickly. If there is a dislocation, fracture, leg movements are limited or impossible.
For a hip fracture, the symptoms are:
- increasing pain during movement;
- radiation of sensations on the inner surface of the leg;
- swelling, bruising;
- lameness;
- common click;
- muscle numbness.
When the bursa or synovial membrane 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 painful pain, which is stronger in the morning and goes away during the day. With rheumatoid arthritis, the hip joint hurts with lumbago, the temperature inside it rises and muscle stiffness appears.
Burning and nagging pain can be a sign of ankylosing spondylitis, and the sensations radiate to the pelvis, sacrum and become stronger at night. Pain in the hip joint area in chronic inflammatory diseases - arthritis, gout (not worsening).
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 bending and stretching, pain, burning sensations appear, movements are limited, abduction on the sides is especially difficult.
The hip joint is located deep enough, so instrumental examinations become the main diagnostic methods:
- CT;
- MRI;
- radiography.
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 treating hip joint pain, a rheumatoid factor test should be performed to rule out rheumatism.
Treatment of 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 dividers - 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 will have to be performed.
For a hip fracture, surgical treatment is indicated, as conservative measures often do not help. Pins, screws or endoprosthetics are placed. Only if there are contraindications, bandages are applied to the legs 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 should you do if the hip joint area hurts a lot due to infectious inflammation? In this case, treatment with antibiotics is carried out. Medicines are given as injections, administered by drops or directly into the cavity of the hip joint. Treatment also includes limiting the mobility of the leg to speed up recovery. To relieve 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.
Treatment measures
The choice of drug treatment methods is carried out only by a doctor, depending on the type of disease. The pain of the pain is usually well relieved by taking analgesics, although the sensations often return quickly. If your leg hurts badly and severely, anesthetic blocks will need to be inserted into the hip joint area. Treatment of chronic hip pathologies should be carried out with regular courses of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - only they will remove recurring symptoms, although they will not affect the course of the disease itself. Hormonal medications are usually administered for coxarthrosis, which 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. Improves nutrition of the hip joint, accelerates biochemical reactions.Chondroprotectors. They supplement the lack of chondroitin and glucosamine and help restore damaged cartilage.
If a child regularly has pain in the hip joint and the diagnosis of avascular necrosis is confirmed, the basis of treatment is the administration and injections of vascular drugs. Medicines improve blood microcirculation, metabolism and help tissues to regenerate.
Orthopedic equipment and physiotherapy
Treatment for diseases of the hip joint includes the use of orthopedic products. Most often they are used after injuries, when complete or partial immobilization is needed for several weeks or even months. Thus, for fractures, a rigid fixing orthosis is used, which, unlike plaster, does not cause irritation and allergies.
If a person has to lie down for a long time, he definitely needs a mattress against bed pain. During rehabilitation after an injury, walkers, canes and crutches are used for support. With symphysis, pregnant women are recommended to wear a pelvic corset with rigid ribs. It is equally important during treatment and for prevention to wear orthopedic shoes that lighten the load on the feet.
Physiotherapy is also indicated to improve the condition of the hip joint. This treatment eliminates symptoms, relieves pain and optimizes blood circulation. During course therapy, inflammation decreases, swelling goes away and tissue repair process begins. Laser therapy has proven itself the best - laser rays heat tissues up to 10 cm thick, quickly relieve pain and relieve inflammation.
Other physiotherapy techniques used are:
- electrophoresis;
- darsonval;
- magnetic therapy;
- shock wave therapy;
- balneotherapy;
- microcurrent;
- turpentine baths.
It is also recommended to regularly use a needle applicator at home - it increases blood circulation and helps reduce pain. In the acute phase of the disease, it is used for 5 minutes to 5 times a day, in the chronic phase, the time increases to 20 minutes three times a day.
Traditional treatment for pain in the hip joint
Traditional medicine can also answer how to treat diseases of the hip joint. Unconventional treatment must be combined with conservative treatment, otherwise it will not bring the desired effect. External methods are less effective, because the location of this bone articulation is very deep. External measures can be applied through massage.
The treatment is carried out as follows:
- mix equal parts mint, hop cones, St. John's wort;
- pour 100 ml of petroleum jelly melted in a water bath into a spoon;
- leave it in a warm place for 2 days;
- Reheat the mass, strain;
- Apply for gentle rubbing with massaging movements.
Baths can be used in the treatment of 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 performed. You should also take the following pain medications 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, brew 300 ml of boiling water, drink 150 ml twice a day for a month;
- boil 1 kg of beef bones, pour the liquid into a separate container, eat 250 g of this "jelly" every day.
Other treatments
If the hip joint is affected, therapeutic exercises are indicated. The bone joint must move, then it will produce a greater volume of intra-articular fluid. As a result, the quality of nutrition and the rate of tissue restoration will increase. The group of exercises is selected individually, it is different for different diseases (according to the permissible load). At first, the number of repetitions is small, after which it increases. You should not make sudden movements - they can provoke a new attack of pain.
In some cases, surgical treatment of the hip joint is required. It is indicated for injuries, advanced forms of coxarthrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, which cause severe bone deformation. They also operate on a limb when abscesses (ulcers) appear in the joint cavity or soft tissues.
The most popular types of operations are:
- endoprosthetics;
- installation of pins;
- arthroscopy;
- osteotomy;
- osteosynthesis.
Prevention of joint diseases
Pain in the hip joint can be prevented if preventive measures are taken in time. It is necessary to avoid serious loads on the femur and joints, protect yourself from blows, falls and do not lift heavy objects. Already at the initial stage, it is necessary to treat any inflammatory disease in the body, as well as to keep vascular problems under control.
Gymnastics, exercise therapy, 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, smoked meat and salty foods. It is also useful 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 to avoid surgery.