Acute or aching chronic pain in the hip joint (HJ) often indicates the development of diseases of the musculoskeletal system, which is important to diagnose and treat in a timely manner. At the initial stages of the development of the pathology, it will be possible to relieve pain in the joints conservatively, using special tablets and ointments. When the disease begins, the joint becomes immobile and the constant pain syndrome worries, and surgical intervention is indispensable.
Possible causes and symptoms
Severe pain in the hip joint can be caused by various degenerative-dystrophic pathologies, under the influence of which the joints are destroyed, erased and completely stop working. Periodic pain is often worried about diseases of the spine, due to which there is tension in the muscles and clamping of nerve fibers. Symptoms of pain in the pelvic bones occur due to injuries, bruises, fractures of the head or neck of the femur. To accurately determine the causes of hip pain, you need to see a doctor.
traumatic factors
severe bruising
Sharp pain when sitting, walking, or abducting the leg occurs due to bruising that occurs from a fall to the side or a direct blow to the femoral joint. With bruises, the structure of the bone tissue remains intact, but the soft fibers suffer greatly, and damage to the ligaments can occur. An extensive bruise is formed at the impact site, which hurts when pressed, but if the person is at rest, there is no pain syndrome. When the pain in the hip joint on the left or right side gradually increases, it is worth visiting a doctor to rule out a fracture.
hip dislocation
Such a violation occurs under the influence of a large force along the axis, bent at the knee joint with a fixed torso. A typical situation of this condition is an accident or a fall from a great height. With dislocations, a person is worried about sharp pain in the joints, radiating to the leg and inguinal areas, which completely disrupts the function of the limb. You can alleviate the condition by applying cold to the affected area, in addition, qualified medical assistance is needed.
It is important to note that if a dislocation is suspected, it is prohibited to attempt to position the joint on your own.
Hip fracture
It often becomes the cause of pain in the hip joint in women of advanced age. Integrity damage often occurs due to a fall and a strong impact of the trochanter on a hard surface. A fracture of the femoral neck is considered one of the most dangerous pathologies, because there is a high risk of complications in the form of thrombosis, infection and necrosis. Typical symptoms:
- Severe pain in the left or right hip joint, aggravated by attempts to move the limb or take it to one side.
- When sitting or lying down, the victim cannot lift the leg off the ground.
- Relative to a healthy injured leg, it looks shortened.
- If the nervous structures are affected, a feeling of numbness appears in one limb.
After the operation
Often, pain in the hip joint, lower back and back occurs after surgery associated with the installation of the implant. The need to place a stent appears in cases where the native joint has become worn and worn for some reason, and it is not possible to cure the problem conservatively. To prevent further destruction of the joint, an endoprosthesis is made. After the operation, until the wound is completely healed, the pain will bother the patient, however, with each new day its intensity will decrease.
Complications after hip replacement negatively affect not only the hip area, but also the general physical condition, psychological state, physical activity, and the ability to walk. In order to restore the former health, it is necessary to undergo a number of rehabilitation measures, which are prescribed based on the developed pathologies and problems. For a quick and effective recovery, it is necessary to establish the causes of complications and limitations after hip arthroplasty.
Diseases
infectious inflammation
A dangerous complication that causes pain in the hip joint. There are such types of purulent inflammation:
- Primary. The main reason is the penetration directly into the joint cavity of pathogenic microflora.
- Secondary. The infection penetrates into the joint structures with blood from other inflammatory foci.
The symptoms of an inflammatory complication are:
- musculoskeletal pain;
- edema formation;
- redness of the skin;
- heat;
- limb dysfunction.
inflammatory bursitis
Often frequent joint injuries lead to an inflammatory process in their bags.
This disease is often diagnosed in athletes whose knee and hip joints are prone to frequent injury and bruising.
Under the influence of a traumatic factor, inflammation develops in the articular bags. Gradually, pathological exudate accumulates in the bursa, joins an inflammatory complication. When walking, pain in the groin and below begins to bother, giving way to the knee. There is a feeling of stiffness of movements, in advanced cases, the limb hurts even at rest, the temperature rises, swelling forms.
Tumors of various etiologies.
Pain in the hip joint on the right or left side can cause neoplasms:
- Benign. As they increase in size, they compress nerve structures, causing discomfort and causing periodic unpleasant symptoms in the spine and hip.
- Evil one. These are dangerous neoplasms that tend to grow rapidly and spread metastases throughout the body. In the initial stages, the patient complains that his joints ache after running or walking. Increasing, the tumor compresses the nerve structures, a person's leg is removed, the sacrum is very sore, painful symptoms are felt in the lumbar regions. The usual painkillers in this case can not relieve pain in the hip joint.
- Femoral neck sarcoma. Serious cancerous disease of the bone, during the progression of which the patient's pelvic bones are very sore after sitting, walking, standing. The disease is characterized by chronic fractures of the femoral neck, whereby the function of the joint is significantly limited. Also worried about signs of intoxication, under the influence of which the general condition of the patient deteriorates significantly.
Other reasons
Due to the destruction of the cartilage in the joint, a person begins to experience difficulty in moving.
If a person has pain in the leg and hip joint, the following pathologies can cause such symptoms:
- Coxarthrosis. A chronic, degenerative-dystrophic disease characterized by the destruction of interarticular cartilage and the growth of osteophytes in bone structures. In the initial stages, the symptoms are not expressed, but as the progression progresses, the functional mobility of the joint is disturbed, the patient suffers from excruciating pain, muscle deformities and atrophy are observed. If treatment is not started in a timely manner, the person becomes disabled.
- Osteochondrosis. A disease of a degenerative nature, in which the lumbar spine is subject to destruction and deformation. Due to inflammation and pinching of nerve fibers, the pain radiates to the thigh, the patient's motor activity is significantly reduced, discomfort worries even in a state of complete rest.
If the hip joint hurts in a child, the development of such pathologies is possible:
- dysplasia and subluxations of the hip joint;
- osteochondropathy;
- epiphyseolysis.
diagnostic methods
With severe and continuous pain in the hip joint, you should contact an orthopedist who will help you establish an accurate diagnosis and prescribe an adequate treatment regimen.
After conducting an initial examination and collecting an anamnesis, the doctor will give instructions for the passage of such diagnostic measures:
- X-ray examination of the spine and hip joint;
- dopplerography and angiography of vessels;
- electromyography;
- CT, MRI of the thigh;
- laboratory tests that will show the presence or absence of other dangerous pathologies in the body.
Which is the treatment?
effective drugs
Depending on the patient's diagnosis, the doctor selects an appropriate drug therapy regimen aimed at eliminating the concomitant symptoms and alleviating the general condition of the patient. During the period of conservative treatment, it is important to limit the load on the joint, if necessary, observe bed rest and wear orthopedic devices. The following groups of funds are used:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Helps relieve inflammation, swelling, pain.
- Analgesics. Reduce acute pain.
- Glucocorticosteroids. If NSAIDs did not help to eliminate the inflammatory complication, steroids are prescribed, which are injected directly into the joint cavity.
- Muscle relaxants. Relieves muscle spasms.
- haemostatic. Promote the resorption of bruises.
- Chondroprotectors. Restore cartilage structures, prevent their further destruction.
helper methods
The exercise "bike" will help to avoid joint problems.
To speed up recovery and normalize the functioning of the hip joint, it is useful to regularly perform therapeutic exercises. The doctor selects the training complex for each patient individually, taking into account the general condition and diagnosis. For prevention, it is recommended to do the following exercises daily:
- bike;
- scissors;
- pick up small objects with your toes;
- walk barefoot on toes and heels.
In parallel, a course of physiotherapeutic procedures is prescribed, for example, electrophoresis, phonophoresis, laser therapy, massage. When malignant tumors or advanced pathologies of a disfiguring nature are diagnosed, surgical intervention is essential. During the operation, the surgeon removes the affected tissue, if necessary, installs an implant. To prevent relapse and speed up recovery, rehabilitation is prescribed.