Pain in the hip joint, what to do
The hip joint plays a huge role in the human body, since it is on it that the longest and greatest load falls. It not only supports the bulk of the human body's weight, but also maintains its balance and provides movement. Therefore, pain in the hip joint gives a person great discomfort and can be a serious obstacle to normal life. Such painful sensations of a chronic nature require examination and immediate treatment.
Pain in the hip joints, causes
Pain in the hip joint can be the result of damage to its various structures, as well as tissues located nearby: cartilage, bones, muscles, tendons, etc. If we talk about the main causes of pain in the hip joints, the following can be distinguished:
- Physical injury;
- Arthritis;
- Coxarthrosis;
- Trochanteric bursitis;
- Tendinitis
- Infectious diseases;
- Hereditary diseases;
- Tumors of soft tissues and bones.
The most common cause of pain in the hip joints is traumatic injury. Since the most vulnerable part of the hip joint is the femoral neck, its fracture is a very common injury. Elderly people are especially susceptible to it. This fact is due to the fact that over the years, a huge number of people develop osteoporosis, in connection with which the bones become fragile and lose strength. In young people, this diagnosis can be the result of traffic accidents or sports injury.
Often, pain in the hip joint is provoked by its dislocation. This physical injury is usually the result of an underdeveloped acetabulum, from which the head of the femur easily falls out. Such a diagnosis can also be the result of an accident, falls or work injuries. In this case, at the first symptoms of pain in the hip joint, the help of a doctor is needed, since the pain sensations can become simply unbearable.
Arthritis is an inflammation of a joint. This disease is a typical ailment of the elderly, since in old age, inflammatory and dystrophic processes in the joints are often observed, and the hip joint is perhaps the first to be exposed to them. With arthritis, as a rule, the leg hurts badly, the pain also moves to the groin area, radiates to the front or side of the thigh, and sometimes reaches the knee. The symptoms of pain in the hip joint in this case are exacerbated during walking, when the load on the leg increases.
Coxarthrosis is also known as arthrosis deformans. This disease is more common among middle-aged people. In its early stages, pain in the hip joint is tolerable, but with the development of the disease, pain sensations also worsen. Already at the second stage of the disease, the patient complains of pain when turning the body and when standing up. Almost any movement is uncomfortable. In addition, the symptoms of pain in the hip joint with coxarthrosis are accompanied by constant muscle tension in the affected area, even during sleep. That is why painful sensations often disturb patients at night.
Inflammation of the trochanteric sac, which is located over the prominence of the femur, is also called bursitis. This disease is characterized by pain in the outer region of the buttocks. If the patient lies on the affected side, the pain in the hip joint increases sharply. There are cases of inflammatory processes in other fluid bags of the joint, but the trochanteric bag is damaged much more often.
Inflammation of the tendons, or tendonitis, usually affects people who are exposed to regular, intense physical activity. Most often they are athletes. It should be noted that this disease sometimes goes unnoticed, especially if the patient reduces the load on the hip joint. And, conversely, with too active movements and heavy loads, the pain becomes very strong.
Infectious processes can also cause pain in the hip joints. For example, with infectious arthritis, swelling forms in the area of the affected joint, and fever may begin. When touched or even minor movements, there is acute pain in the hip joint. Tuberculous arthritis develops somewhat differently, which manifests itself gradually. Initially, the patient is worried about mild pain in the knee and hip area while walking. As the disease progresses, the hip is restricted in movement, the affected area swells.
Sometimes pain in the hip joint is a consequence of a hereditary disease. For example, Legg Calve Perthes disease, which affects mainly boys at an early age. This pathology is one-sided: pain is observed either in the right or in the left hip joint. Sometimes the disease manifests itself not only in pain specifically in the joint area, but also in the knee.
New growths in bone and muscle tissue also provoke pain in the hip joint. However, the nature of pain and additional symptoms directly depends on whether a person's tumor is benign or malignant.
Hip pain, treatment
Treatment of pain in the hip joint should be in accordance with the disease that caused it. Therefore, it is not recommended to self-medicate until an accurate diagnosis is made. Depending on the nature of the disease, the following are used to eliminate pain:
- Drug treatment;
- Surgery;
- Massage procedures;
- Physiotherapy exercises.
As a rule, for inflammatory processes, the doctor prescribes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the form of tablets, injections, gels and ointments. In the case of degenerative processes (for example, osteoarthritis), substances are added to them that contribute to the nutrition of the cartilage tissue. They are called chondroprotectors.
Surgical treatment for pain in the hip joint is usually used for physical injuries. For example, in case of a hip fracture in the elderly, endoprosthetics is used, that is, the head and neck are replaced with artificial elements. In young people, the trauma is treated by fixing the bones with special screws.
Massage treatments are helpful in treating pain in the hip joint. The main thing is that they do not cause pain. The most effective course consists of at least 10 procedures.
Physical therapy is recommended for the rehabilitation process and should be carried out under the supervision of a physician. It is also very important that the exercise does not hurt. Many experts advise to conduct classes in warm water: it helps to relax the muscles, and the patient's body becomes more flexible. By the way, doctors call swimming the best type of physical activity for people suffering from pain in the hip joint. Sometimes it is able to cure a person without additional methods.
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