When the hip joint hurts, the questions of what to do and how to treat the disease are the most exciting.The hip joint is one of the most significant and loaded joints in the entire musculoskeletal system.Loss of mobility in it due to pain can partially or completely deprive a person of the ability to move.The answer to the question of how to treat pain is simple - to identify and remove its cause.
Possible causes of hip pain
First of all, you need to pay attention at what moment the pain in the hip joints occurs.This can happen at the following points:
- during the morning rise;
- during physical activity, when running;
- during normal walking;
- in a state without movement.
It is worth listening to your body and trying to discern the systemic nature of the pain.
Important!In diseases of the hip joint, due to the structural characteristics of the nerve bundles, the pain may radiate to the leg.This reaches to the extent that the patient thinks that his leg or knee hurts until the last moment, and does not suspect that the source of the pain is in the hip.
The nature of hip pain can also vary.The following types of hip pain occur:
- painful;
- periodically acute;
- sudden acute.
It is necessary to accurately determine the main causes of pain in the hip joint.
Trauma
It is most often preceded by a fall or sharp jump from a height.Signs of injury are as follows:
- sharp pain;
- edema;
- restriction of movement;
- visual deformation;
- inability to rotate the foot outwards.
The injury is a dislocation, fracture or bruise.
Coxarthrosis
This is arthrosis of the hip joint, a degenerative change in cartilage and bone tissue.Signs of coxarthrosis are as follows:
- crunch;
- stiffness in movements;
- painful and periodic sharp pain;
- increased pain in bad weather and at night;
- deformation;
- island.
Older people are most often encountered.
Bursitis of the trochanteric bursa
The trochanteric bursa or bursa contains synovial fluid, and its inflammation is called bursitis.The source of the pain is often felt in the buttocks.The pain intensifies if you lie on the damaged joint.Exacerbations occur at night.
Systemic lupus erythematosus
This is an autoimmune disease.Your own cells are attacked by the immune system, causing inflammation in your muscles and joints.Symptoms of lupus erythematosus are as follows:
- high temperature;
- blisters, ulcers on the mucous membrane and skin;
- muscle weakness;
- joint and muscle pain.
There may be one symptom or all at once.But it usually starts with one, and then the others join.
Arthritis
Generally speaking, this is inflammation of the hip joint.The cause may be a partial or complete absence of the shock-absorbing cartilage layer between the bones or infections.Symptoms other than pain include:
- local increase in temperature of the painful area;
- edema;
- sharp pain when moving.
Arthritis can be primary infectious or secondary, resulting from an injury or arthrosis.
Symphysitis of pregnant women
The pregnant woman's body prepares for childbirth, the bones gradually move apart in the area of the symphysis.The disease is possible only during pregnancy and most often in the 2nd or 3rd trimester.The symptoms are as follows:
- pubic bone pain;
- swelling in the affected area;
- severe pain when walking;
This often brings sharp pain to the woman when moving and changing position.No pain is felt at rest.
Aseptic necrosis
Necrosis is tissue death due to insufficient blood supply.In most cases, it affects the neck or head of the hip joint.This can happen for several reasons:
- compression due to injury;
- loss of message due to injury;
- blood clots;
- diseases that thicken the blood.
The disease progresses quite quickly and affects young people more, because they move more actively.
Oncology
Unfortunately, something starts to hurt because of neoplasms already in the last stages.Early stages are almost asymptomatic.But once the pain occurs, it cannot be relieved by ordinary painkillers.Risk factors for the development of sarcoma or myeloma are trauma and prolonged inflammation.Pain may be accompanied by swelling and fever.
Fact!The pain may subside for a while and return with renewed vigor.The severity of the pain in the hip joints will be directly proportional to the size of the tumor.
In most cases, pain in the right or left hip joint is caused by one of these reasons, but in rare cases it may be something else.
Diagnostics
For hip pain, it is best to contact a general practitioner or a rheumatologist.The specialist will examine and palpate the joint and choose a diagnostic method.Diagnostic methods can be the following:
- blood test for the presence of inflammation and infection;
- Ultrasound of the hip joint;
- tomography;
- radiography;
- osteoscintigraphy in case of suspected oncology;
- magnetic resonance imaging.
After establishing the diagnosis, the doctor will start treating the pain in the hip joint himself or will refer you to a more specialized specialist if the specific case is not within his competence.
Several specialists treat diseases that cause hip pain:
- neurologist;
- orthopedist;
- allergist;
- oncologist.
When the causes are known, then the answers to the questions when choosing the treatment are on the surface.
Treatment
When the hip joint hurts, different treatments may be needed, and it directly depends on the diagnosis.
In case of injury, the patient must immobilize the limb and wait for further instructions from the doctor.If a fracture or dislocation is detected, then, if necessary, the damaged area is reduced and fixed with plaster or knitting needles.After that, drugs are prescribed that promote rapid regeneration and complete rest.
With symphysitis during pregnancy, calcium and vitamin D supplementation often helps, the reserves of which are depleted by the growing fetus.
Cancer is treated by:
- radiation therapy;
- chemotherapy;
- bone marrow transplantation.
In cases of degenerative changes in the joints, conservative methods are usually used.
Medicines
The following types of drugs are used to treat coxarthrosis:
- Anti-inflammatory.To alleviate inflammatory processes in most cases, it is necessary to eliminate the cause of inflammation.But, in addition, local ointments are also used.
- Hormonal anti-inflammatory.
- Hondoprotectors.They are designed to accelerate the regeneration of interarticular fluid and hyaline cartilage.
- Painkillers.Anti-inflammatory ointments almost always contain pain relievers, but may not help with severe pain.Then stronger drugs are prescribed.This is not done so that the person will be cured, but so that he does not suffer from severe pain and gains strength.
Basically, the drugs are used in combination.
Operation
In advanced stages of coxarthrosis, when the layer between the bones is practically absent and the person can no longer walk, surgical intervention may be required.During which the following manipulations will be performed:
- replacement of parts of the joint or cartilage layer;
- tumor removal;
- fusion of bones.
The following treatment methods are often used in addition to drug treatment or during rehabilitation after surgery:
- Therapeutic exercise.Both its classic version and the author's class system.
- Physiotherapy.Mud baths, drug administration with the help of electricity and laser exposure.
- Massage.It improves blood circulation and disperses lymph.But massage can cause inflammation.
All physical effects are aimed at improving blood circulation, after which healing will proceed faster.But at first it may seem like your health is only getting worse.
Classes
The author's method of exercise therapy is becoming increasingly popular.In essence, it is the same physical therapy, exercises in which are based on the mobilization of the body's own resources, in addition to physical, and on a psychological level.
Interesting!The author of the technique is convinced that the patient must believe that his bones do not hurt, because they cannot hurt - muscles do and can be restored by exercise.
All simulators used for training according to this system were developed by the author himself.
Before treating the joints with exercises, you must know that the following points are contraindications for degenerative changes in the pelvis:
- acute pain;
- oncology;
- pre-infarction and post-infarction conditions;
- elevated temperature;
- postoperative rehabilitation;
- inflammatory processes;
- significant excess weight.
There are several other unproven techniques used to treat conditions that cause hip pain:
- hirudotherapy;
- osteopathy;
- traditional methods;
- ozonotherapy;
- acupuncture;
- Su-jok therapy.
It is possible that they have helped many, but relying only on such methods is dangerous, because time is often wasted, which is invaluable in such a matter.