The hip joint is a large bony joint that connects the femur and pelvis, allowing the limb 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 are very different, so a comprehensive diagnosis is indispensable.
Causes of hip pain
Pain in the joint in the hip area is different - sharp and regular, constant and periodic. Most often, unpleasant sensations occur in people over 50 years of age, although they can occur even in children. There are many different causes of hip pain. The most common is coxarthrosis, a degenerative disease accompanied by wear of the articular cartilage, in which the bones begin to move closer together and become deformed.
Other causes of pain in the right and left hip joint may be:
- injuries - fractures, cracks, dislocations;
- connective tissue damage and autoimmune pathologies;
- osteochondropathy;
- skeletal development disorder;
- inflammation.
Sometimes the cause of severe enough pain is damage to other parts of the body (for example, spine, sacrum, intestines). In this case, the treatment should solve 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 can be a sign 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 "femur neck fracture" is given to women over 60-65 years of age who have menopause and hormone-producing organs as the cause of osteoporosis. If your femoral neck hurts after a fall or bruise, you should definitely do instrumental diagnostics!
A car accident can cause a pertrochanteric femur fracture. Sharp pain appears in the hip joint due to pinched nerves.
It also appears against the background of pain on the right or left side:
- decay of the bone joint as a result of a fall or direct impact;
- 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.
Inciting diseases in adults and children
If the symptoms are repeated or the pain in the hip joint 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 as a result of infection of the thigh area with pyogenic bacteria. Due to sharp pain, any movement becomes impossible, 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 mainly occurs at a young age. If left untreated, there is a risk of muscle and tendon atrophy and the person becomes disabled.Ossific myositis. It results from inflammation of the muscles and connective tissue, is linked to heredity, or occurs after an injury.Ankylosing spondylitis. It causes inflammatory damage to the bone joint, causing limitation of mobility due to fusion of the articular cavity.Dissecting osteochondritis 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 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 cause:
- Reiter's syndrome;
- rheumatoid arthritis;
- spinal lesions with radicular syndrome;
- deformations of legs, feet, knees;
- enthesopathy.
The cause of pain in the right or left joint in pregnant women is often symphysitis - inflammation of the pubic symphysis when the pubic bones separate. Rarely, hip tumors and gout can cause symptoms in people.
Symptoms of pathology
Symptoms of diseases, as well as treatment procedures, are very different. After a serious injury, the pain in the hip joint is strong, sharp and localized in the thigh region. Surrounding tissues swell, lameness is observed. The latter, with a light bruise, quickly disappears. If there is a sprain, fracture, leg movements are limited or impossible.
Symptoms for a hip fracture include:
- increased pain when moving;
- radiation of sensations to the inner surface of the leg;
- swelling, bruising;
- lameness;
- joint 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 goosebumps appear in the hip joint. Coxarthrosis is accompanied by aching pain, which is stronger in the morning and disappears during the day. With rheumatoid arthritis, the hip joint hurts with lumbago, the temperature in it rises and muscle stiffness appears.
Burning, throbbing pain can be symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis, and the sensation spreads to the pelvis, sacrum, and worsens at night. In chronic inflammatory diseases - arthritis, gout (not exacerbation), the hip joint area hurts.
Diagnosis of diseases
Treatment of any of these symptoms should begin immediately after diagnosis by an orthopedist, surgeon or traumatologist. During the initial examination, the doctor will be able to suggest an injury to the left or right hip joint. During passive bending and stretching, pain and burning sensation appear, movements are limited, abduction to the sides is especially difficult.
The hip joint is located very deep, 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, the study of synovial fluid is prescribed. If a malignant tumor is suspected, a biopsy is performed. If the vessels of the hip joint are affected, ultrasound with Doppler ultrasound will be required. Rheumatoid factor test should be done to rule out rheumatism before treating hip pain.
Treatment of hip pain due to injuries and infections
Congenital dislocation of the hip joint in babies is treated. For this, they use the Freik pillow and spacers - special orthopedic devices that help keep the feet in the correct position. The duration of treatment can be 6-8 months, if it does not help, surgical reduction of the bone will have to be done.
Surgical treatment for a hip fracture is indicated, as conservative measures often do not help. Pins, screws are installed or endoprosthetics are performed. Only if there are contraindications, a bandage is 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 is unable to walk or even sit normally.
What to do if the area of the hip joint is seriously painful due to infectious inflammation? In this case, treatment with antibiotics is carried out. Medicines are given in the form of injections, drops or directly into the cavity of the hip joint. Treatment also involves limiting the mobility of the leg to speed healing. Analgesics and anesthetics are administered together to relieve symptoms. In case of purulent arthritis, surgical intervention is performed to remove abscesses and wash the joint cavity with antibiotics.
Drug measures
The choice of drug treatment methods is carried out only by a doctor, depending on the type of disease. Painful pain is usually well relieved by taking analgesics, although the sensation often returns quickly. If your leg is in sharp and severe pain, blocks with anesthetics should be inserted into 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 they will eliminate recurring symptoms, although they will not affect the course of the disease. 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 using the following means:
Muscle relaxants. It is used to reduce muscle spasms that increase pain.Diuretics. Help relieve severe swelling affecting soft tissues.Vitamin preparations. It improves the nutrition of the hip joint and accelerates biochemical reactions.Chondroprotectors. They make up for the lack 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 of intravenous drugs and injections. Medicines improve blood microcirculation, metabolism and help tissue regeneration.
Orthopedic devices and physiotherapy
Treatment of diseases of the hip joint involves the use of orthopedic products. Often they are used after injuries, when complete or partial immobilization is necessary for several weeks or even months. Thus, for fractures, in contrast to plaster, a rigid fixation orthosis is used, which does not cause irritation and allergies.
If a person has to lie down for a long time, he definitely needs an anti-bed mattress. Walkers, canes, and crutches are used for support during rehabilitation after an injury. Pregnant women with symphysis are advised to wear a pelvic corset with stiff ribs. It is equally important to wear orthopedic shoes that lighten the load on the foot during treatment and for prevention.
Physiotherapy is also indicated to improve the condition of the hip joint. This treatment relieves symptoms, relieves pain and optimizes blood circulation. During the course of therapy, inflammation decreases, swelling disappears, and the process of tissue regeneration begins. Laser therapy has proven itself in the best way - laser rays heat tissues up to 10 cm thick, quickly relieve pain and eliminate inflammation.
Other physiotherapy methods used:
- electrophoresis;
- darsonval;
- magnetic therapy;
- shock wave therapy;
- balneotherapy;
- micro currents;
- turpentine baths.
It is also recommended to use the needle applicator regularly at home - it increases blood circulation and helps reduce pain. In the acute stage of the disease, it is used from 5 minutes to 5 times a day, and in the chronic stage, it is increased to 20 minutes three times a day.
Traditional treatment for pain in the hip joint
Traditional medicine can also provide answers on how to treat diseases of the hip joint. Non-traditional treatment should 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.
Treatment is carried out as follows:
- mix mint, hop cones, St. John's wort in equal parts;
- pour 100 ml of vaseline melted in a water bath onto a spoon;
- Leave in a warm place for 2 days;
- Reheat the mass, filter;
- Apply for gentle rubbing with massage 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 materials per liter of water) is poured into warm water, a bath is taken for 15 minutes, the procedures are repeated every day, 10 sessions are carried out. 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 spoonful 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 bone, pour the broth into portions, eat 250 g 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 speed of tissue regeneration will increase. The set of exercises is selected individually, it is different for different diseases (according to the permissible load). At first, the number of repetitions is small, and then it increases. You should not make sudden movements - they can cause a new pain attack.
In some cases, surgical treatment of the hip joint is required. It is indicated for injuries causing severe bone deformation, advanced forms of coxarthrosis, rheumatoid arthritis. When abscesses (ulcers) appear in the joint cavity or soft tissues, they also operate on one limb.
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 joint, protect yourself from blows, 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, exercise therapy, yoga and swimming will help strengthen the hip joint. It is important to maintain a normal weight to avoid overloading the femoral neck and the entire hip joint. To reduce body weight, use a diet away from fatty, sweet, floury foods, smoked meat and salty foods. It is also helpful to wear preventive bandages, comfortable shoes and socks 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.