The hip joint is a large bony joint that connects the femur and pelvis, allowing the limb to flex, extend, and abduct. Hip pain is a symptom of many inflammatory, infectious, degenerative and other diseases. The causes of pain in the hip joint are very different, so a thorough diagnosis is indispensable.
Causes of hip pain
Pain in the joint in the hip area is different - acute 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 are very different. The most common is coxarthrosis, a degenerative disease with wear and tear of the articular cartilage, in which the bones begin to move closer together and become deformed.
Pain in the right and left hip joints can have other causes:
- injuries - fractures, cracks, dislocations;
- connective tissue damage and autoimmune pathologies;
- osteochondropathy;
- disorders of skeletal development;
- 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, the treatment should be aimed at the main problem, only then the hip joint will stop bothering the person.
Injuries as a cause of pain
Sharp pain involving only one hip joint may be a symptom of a traumatic injury. It's hard for a healthy person to break a hip, but if you have osteoporosis, it happens regularly. In general, the diagnosis of "fracture of the neck of the femur" is given to women over 60-65 years old, in which the cause of osteoporosis is menopause and disorders in the functioning of the organs that produce hormones. If the neck of the femur hurts after a fall or a bruise, you definitely need to perform instrumental diagnostics!
A car accident can cause a pertrochanteric fracture of the femur. A sharp pain occurs in the hip joint as the nerves are compressed.
Also, pain on the right or left appears against the background of:
- bruising of a bone joint due to a fall or direct impact;
- traumatic dislocation of the hip joint;
- congenital dislocation of the hip joint.
Birth and bone deformities during intrauterine development can provoke a congenital dislocation. Without treatment, the child's legs may have a different length in the future and coxarthrosis develops early.
Provocation of diseases in adults and children
If symptoms recur or hip 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:
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 blood circulation in the hip joint. The disease occurs mostly at a young age. Without treatment, there is a risk of muscle and tendon atrophy and the person becomes disabled.Myositis ossificans. It results from inflammation of the muscles and connective tissue, is related to heredity, or occurs after an injury.Ankylosing spondylitis. It causes inflammatory damage to the bone joint, leading to limited mobility due to fusion of the joint cavity.Dissecting osteochondritis of the femur. The cartilage of the hip joint becomes delaminated and tissue necrosis often develops.Bursitis and synovitis. 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 lesions with radicular syndrome;
- deformities of the feet, legs, 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, hip tumors and gout can cause symptoms in humans.
Symptoms of pathologies
The signs of the disease, as well as the treatment procedures, vary greatly. Pain in the hip joint after a severe injury is strong, sharp and localized in the thigh area. The surrounding tissues swell and lameness is observed. The latter, with a slight bruise, passes quickly. If there is a luxation, fracture, leg movements are limited or impossible.
In case of a hip fracture, the symptoms are:
- increased pain with movement;
- radiating sensations in the inner surface of the leg;
- swelling, bruising;
- lameness;
- joint click;
- muscle numbness.
In case of inflammation of the bursa or synovial membrane, the pain is accompanied by a burning sensation and increases when walking. With osteochondrosis, tingling and goosebumps appear in the hip joint. Coxarthrosis is accompanied by aching pain, which is stronger in the morning and disappears during the day. In rheumatoid arthritis, the hip joint hurts with lumbago, the temperature inside it rises and muscle stiffness appears.
Burning, aching pain can be a sign of ankylosing spondylitis, and the sensations radiate to the pelvis, sacrum and intensify at night. Pain in the area of the hip joint in chronic inflammatory diseases - arthritis, gout (without exacerbation).
Diagnosis of diseases
Treatment of each 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. With passive flexion and extension, pain, burning sensation appear, movements are limited, abduction to the side is especially difficult.
The hip joint is located quite deep, so instrumental studies become the main diagnostic methods:
- CT;
- MRI;
- radiography.
In some cases, it is necessary to carry out additional diagnostic measures. Thus, in infectious and purulent processes, an examination 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 is necessary. Before treating hip pain, a rheumatoid factor test should be done to rule out rheumatism.
Treatment of hip pain due to injury and infection
Congenital hip dislocation 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, a surgical reduction of the bone will have to be performed.
For a hip fracture, surgical treatment is indicated, as conservative measures most often do not help. Pins, screws or endoprosthetics are installed. Only if there are contraindications, bandages are applied to the leg from the waist to the heel. Unfortunately, in old age this rarely results in fusion of the hip bone and the patient cannot walk or even sit normally.
What to do if the area of the hip joint hurts a lot due to infectious inflammation? In this case, treatment with antibiotics is carried out. Medicines are administered in the form of injections, administered dripwise or directly into the cavity of the hip joint. Treatment also includes limiting the mobility of the leg to speed up recovery. Analgesics and anesthetics are injected into the joint to relieve symptoms. In purulent arthritis, an operation is performed to remove abscesses and wash the joint cavity with antibiotics.
Medicinal measures
The choice of drug treatment methods is made only by a doctor, depending on the type of disease. The pain is usually well relieved by taking analgesics, although the sensations often return quickly. If your leg hurts sharply and badly, anesthetic blocks will need to be introduced in 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 eliminate recurring symptoms, although they will not affect the course of the disease itself. Hormonal drugs are usually prescribed for coxarthrosis, which relieve inflammation and pain for a long time.
Treatment of diseases of the hip joint can be carried out with the help of the following means:
Muscle relaxants. It is used to reduce muscle spasm that increases pain.Diuretics. It helps relieve severe edema affecting soft tissues.Vitamin preparations. Improves nutrition of the hip joint, accelerates biochemical reactions.Chondroprotectors. They replenish the deficiency of chondroitin and glucosamine and help restore damaged cartilage.
If the 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 support tissue regeneration.
Orthopedic devices and physiotherapy
The treatment of diseases of the hip joint 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, in case of 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 an anti-bedsore mattress. During rehabilitation after an injury, walkers, canes and crutches are used for support. For symphysitis, 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 course therapy, inflammation decreases, swelling disappears and the process of tissue recovery begins. Laser therapy has proven to be the best - 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;
- balneotherapy;
- 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 up to 5 times a day, in the chronic stage, the time is increased to 20 minutes three times a day.
Traditional treatment for hip pain
Traditional medicine can also answer how to treat diseases of the hip joint. Unconventional treatment must be combined with conservative, otherwise it will not produce the desired effect. External methods are less effective because the location of this bony 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, onto a spoon;
- leave in a warm place for 2 days;
- Heat the mass again, strain;
- It is applied 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 with warm water, a bath is made for 15 minutes, the procedures are repeated every other day, 10 sessions are held. 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 one 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 broth into serving dishes, eat 250 g of this "jelly" per day.
Other treatments
If the hip joint is affected, therapeutic exercises are indicated. The joint of the bones needs to move, then it will produce a larger volume of intra-articular fluid. As a result, the quality of nutrition and the speed of tissue recovery will increase. The complex of exercises is selected individually, it is different for different diseases (according to the permissible load). At first, the number of repetitions is small, then 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 in the soft tissues.
The most popular types of operations are:
- endoprosthetics;
- installation of pins;
- arthroscopy;
- osteotomy;
- osteosynthesis.
Prevention of joint diseases
Hip pain can be prevented if preventive measures are taken in time. It is necessary to avoid serious loads on the femur and joint, to protect them from blows, falls and not to lift heavy objects. Already in the initial stage, it is necessary to treat all inflammatory diseases of 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 strain the femoral neck and the entire hip joint. To reduce body weight, use a diet that avoids fatty, sweet, floury foods, smoked meat and salty foods. Wearing prophylactic bandages, comfortable shoes and insoles is also beneficial for the hip joint. When the first unpleasant symptoms appear, you should immediately consult a doctor and receive timely treatment - this will help to avoid surgery.