The hip joint is a large bony joint that connects the femur and pelvic bones, giving the limb the ability to bend, 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 complete diagnosis is essential.
Causes of hip pain
Pain in the hip joint varies – 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. The causes of hip pain vary greatly. The most common is Coxarthrosis, a degenerative disease with wear of the articular cartilage, in which the bones begin to move closer to each other 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;
- skeletal development disorders;
- inflammation.
Sometimes the cause of rather severe pain is damage to other parts of the body (for example, spine, sacrum, intestines). In this case, treatment must address the underlying problem, only then will the hip joint stop bothering the person.
Injuries as a cause of pain
Sharp pain involving just one hip joint can be a symptom of a traumatic injury. It's difficult for a healthy person to break their 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 of age, in whom the cause of osteoporosis is menopause and disorders in the functioning of hormone-producing organs. If the femoral neck hurts after a fall or bruise, you should definitely carry out an instrumental diagnosis!
A car accident can cause a pertrochanteric fracture of the femur. A sharp pain appears in the hip joint when the nerves are compressed.
Also, pain on the right or left appears against the background of:
- bruise on 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 dislocations. Without treatment, the child's legs may be different lengths in the future, and coxarthrosis develops early.
Causing diseases in adults and children
If symptoms reappear 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:
- Purulent arthritis.It occurs due to infection of the thigh region by pyogenic bacteria. Any movement becomes impossible due to the sharp pain, the affected area turns red and swells.
- 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 will become disabled.
- Myositis ossificans.It comes from inflammation of muscles and connective tissue, is associated with 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.
- Osteochondritis dissecans of the femur.The cartilage of the hip joint delaminates and tissue necrosis often occurs.
- Bursitis and synovitis.In this case, severe pain in the region of the hip joint is associated with inflammation of the synovial bag or capsule.
Why do hip joints hurt on one or both sides, what other reasons are there?
The following diseases may be the cause:
- Reiter's syndrome;
- rheumatoid arthritis;
- spinal injuries with radicular syndrome;
- deformities of the feet, legs, knees;
- enthesopathy.
In pregnant women, the cause of pain in the right or left joint is often symphysitis - inflammation of the pubic symphysis when the pubic bones diverge. In rare cases, tumors and gout in the hip joint can trigger symptoms in people.
Symptoms of pathologies
Signs of illness, 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 disappears. If there is a dislocation, fracture, leg movements are limited or impossible.
For a hip fracture, the symptoms are:
- increased pain when moving;
- irradiation of sensations on the inner surface of the leg;
- swelling, bruising;
- lameness;
- click set;
- 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 strongest in the morning and disappears during the day. In rheumatoid arthritis, the hip joint hurts with low back pain, the internal temperature rises and muscle stiffness appears.
Burning, dull pain can be a sign 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 exacerbation).
Disease diagnosis
Treatment of any of these symptoms should begin immediately after diagnosis by an orthopedist, surgeon or traumatologist. The doctor may suggest damage to the left or right hip joint during the initial examination. During passive flexion and extension, pain, a burning sensation appear, movements are limited, abduction to the sides is especially difficult.
The hip joint is located quite deep, so instrumental examinations become the main diagnostic methods:
- TC;
- magnetic resonance imaging;
- radiography.
In some cases, additional diagnostic measures are required. So, in case of infectious and purulent processes, a 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, an ultrasound scan with Doppler ultrasound will be required. Before treating hip joint pain, a rheumatoid factor test should be performed to rule out rheumatism.
Treating hip pain due to injuries and infections
In infants, congenital dislocation of the hip joint is treated. To do this, they use a Freik pillow and spacers - special orthopedic devices that help keep the legs in the correct position. The duration of treatment can be 6 to 8 months, if it does not help, surgical reduction of the bone will be necessary.
For hip fractures, surgical treatment is indicated, as conservative measures most of the time do not help. Pins, screws are installed or endoprostheses are made. Only if there are contraindications, bandages are applied to the leg from waist to 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 hip joint area hurts a lot due to infectious inflammation? In this case, antibiotic treatment is carried out. Medicines are administered in the form of injections, by drip or directly into the cavity of the hip joint. Treatment also involves limiting mobility in the leg to speed recovery. To alleviate symptoms, painkillers and anesthetics are injected into the joint. In purulent arthritis, surgery is performed to remove abscesses and wash the joint cavity with antibiotics.
Medication measures
The choice of drug treatment methods is made only by the doctor, depending on the type of disease. The pain is usually well relieved by the use of analgesics, although sensations usually return quickly. If your leg hurts badly and severely, anesthetic blocks should be introduced 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 recurrent symptoms, although they will not affect the course of the disease itself. For Coxarthrosis, hormonal medications are usually administered, which relieve inflammation and pain for a long time.
Treatment of diseases of the hip joint can be carried out by the following means:
- Muscle relaxants.Used to reduce muscle spasm, which increases pain.
- Diuretics.Helps relieve severe swelling affecting soft tissues.
- Vitamin preparations.Improves nutrition of the hip joint, accelerates biochemical reactions.
- Chondroprotectors.They replenish chondroitin and glucosamine deficiency and help restore damaged cartilage.
If a child regularly experiences pain in the hip joint and the diagnosis of avascular necrosis is confirmed, the basis of treatment is the intake and injections of vascular medications. Medicines improve blood microcirculation, metabolism and help regenerate tissues.
Orthopedic devices and physical therapy
Treatment of hip joint diseases 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. So, for fractures, a rigid fixation 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. With symphysitis, 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 take the load off 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 course of therapy, inflammation subsides, swelling disappears and the tissue repair process begins. Laser therapy has proven to be the best - laser beams 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;
- 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 phase of the disease it is used for 5 minutes up to 5 times a day, in the chronic phase the time is increased to 20 minutes three times a day.
Traditional treatment for hip joint pain
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 effect. External methods are less effective because the location of this bone joint is very deep. External measures can be applied through massage.
Treatment is carried out as follows:
- mix equal parts of mint, hop cones and St. John's wort;
- 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, strain;
- Apply to rub gently with massage movements.
Baths can be used to treat 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 with 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, 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 portioned containers, 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, so 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 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, then it increases. Do not make sudden movements - they can provoke a new attack of pain.
In some cases, surgical treatment of the hip joint is necessary. It is indicated for injuries, advanced forms of coxarthrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, which cause serious bone deformations. They also operate on a limb when abscesses (ulcers) appear in the joint cavity or in soft tissue.
The most popular types of operations are:
- endoprostheses;
- pin installation;
- arthroscopy;
- osteotomy;
- osteosynthesis.
Prevention of joint diseases
Hip joint pain can be avoided if preventive measures are taken on time. It is necessary to avoid serious loads on the femur and joint, protect yourself from impacts, falls and not lift heavy objects. In the initial phase, it is necessary to treat any inflammatory diseases of the body, in addition to keeping vascular problems under control.
Gymnastics, exercise therapy, yoga and swimming help to 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, follow a diet that avoids fatty, sweet, floury foods, smoked meats and salty foods. It is also beneficial for the hip joint to use 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 avoid surgery.