The appearance of pain in the hip is the reason for an early visit to the doctor. The sooner the cause of the discomfort is determined and the treatment is prescribed, the more likely it is that you will get rid of the pain completely.
The largest joint in the body is the hip. This gives the largest and longest daily load. Its main function is to keep people moving and in balance. Pain in the hip joint makes life difficult, causes many inconveniences and problems.
A doctor should be consulted urgently if unpleasant symptoms occur. It can be caused by various diseases. Limb injuries rank first among the provocateurs of pain.
Less obvious factors that cause pain in the hip joint include the development of pathological processes. The main pathological causes of pain are:
- arthritis;
- osteoarthritis;
- infectious arthritis;
- inflammatory processes in tendons;
- coxarthrosis and others.
If the treatment is not started in time, these diseases lead to complications and degenerative processes in the joint. These changes primarily include:
- damage to the cartilage surface;
- damage to the structures near the joint;
- a decrease in the amount of fluid in the joint.
Often there is no obvious reason for pain in the hip joint, and the pain does not go away and increases every day. These are signs of an already developed disease. To find out what kind of disease has developed, you need to see a doctor, but if this is not possible, you can first determine the symptoms and, accordingly, the pathology itself and the methods of getting rid of it.
Joint injury
The most obvious causes of hip joint pain are injuries. The most common fracture is the femoral neck. This is the most common since the neck is the thinnest part of the thigh. If the pain is caused by a fracture, you should be very careful because this condition is very dangerous. Older people are more likely to get this injury.
Hip pain caused by a fracture should only be treated under medical supervision. In advanced cases, the methods of prosthesis or endoprosthesis must be used.
Arthritis
This disease mostly affects the elderly. With advancing age, the development of degenerative, dystrophic and inflammatory processes in the joints can often be observed. This disease causes pain in the hip and groin, on the side of the thigh, and pain can occur up to the knee at night. Leaning on a leg with a sore joint, the patient feels increasing pain, and when he gets up from a sitting position, the leg seems to shoot through him.
Pathology is common in elderly people. At this stage of life, many people may encounter all degenerative, dystrophic and inflammatory processes of the joints. One of the first changes is the hip joint.
The main symptoms of arthritis are:
- pain in the limb;
- pain in the inguinal region, which radiates to the leg and reaches the region of the knee;
- increased symptoms while walking;
- shot when rising from a sitting position.
What to do when the first signs of arthritis appear? In case of severe pain and elevated temperature, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs should be taken. With their help, you can remove or eliminate the symptoms of the inflammatory process. Children are prescribed medicines intended for children.
It is also necessary to rest and comfortably place the sore leg. It is strictly forbidden to perform any developmental exercises. Treatment is conservative at the beginning of the disease. In advanced cases, prosthesis or endoprosthesis surgery is performed.
Coxarthrosis
Coxarthrosis (deforming arthrosis) is a common pathology. The disease mainly occurs in people over 40 years of age. In the case of coxarthrosis, the first symptoms are visible from the beginning of development. A feeling of pain appears in both one and two joints, gradually developing. Coxarthrosis is divided into primary (disease of unknown origin) and secondary, the causes of which are as follows:
- congenital dislocations of the hip;
- necrosis and death of the tissues of the femoral head;
- improperly formed hip joint;
- Perthes disease;
- injury;
- inflammation.
In case of primary coxarthrosis, the spine and knee joint can also be affected. Changes in the fluid that lubricates the joint lead to the development of this disease. This causes the surface of the cartilage to dry out, resulting in roughness and cracking. During the friction, the cartilage thins, the bones come under great pressure, which causes deformation in coxarthrosis.
The joint begins to ache slightly, but with the development of the pathology, the unpleasant sensations begin to manifest themselves with increasing intensity. In the second stage of the development of the disease, severe pain occurs:
- every time you stand up from a sitting position;
- upper body movements;
- the beginning of the walk;
- in the district itself.
The pain radiates to the groin and knee area. There is constant muscle tone in the affected area. This explains the appearance of pain at night.
Over time, blood circulation is disturbed, which causes the metabolism to slow down. This leads to gradual muscle atrophy. Symptoms of coxarthrosis in the 2nd and 3rd stages:
- pain in the hip joint, groin, knee;
- restricted movements;
- appearance of lameness;
- the length of the leg decreases with the affected joint;
- atrophy of thigh muscles.
In case of coxarthrosis, the pain may appear even at night. The doctor must prescribe the treatment after a complete examination. The sooner the patient asks for help, the better and faster the result will be. They also resort to prosthetic and endoprosthesis methods.
If pain occurs during walking caused by arthrosis, then drug treatment is possible only in the 1st and 2nd stages of development. Stage 3 requires surgery. You should not wait for complete recovery (with the exception of joint surgery). But it is possible to relieve discomfort and pain, as well as stop the development of arthrosis. Medical treatment:
- pain relievers;
- anti-inflammatory;
- compresses using dimexide;
- physiotherapy.
But this treatment is not enough, complex therapy is needed. So the doctor can prescribe massage, diet, gymnastics, taking chondroprotectors.
Tendinitis and bursitis of the trochanteric bursa
The trochanteric bursa is located above the prominence of the femur. Inflammation of this part of the musculoskeletal system causes pain in the hip joint and buttocks. If you lie on the side where the sac of fluid is affected, the pain will increase. The inflammatory process can also develop in the iliac crest or ischial bags, but this is much less common. The development of the disease can begin after joint prosthesis and arthroplasty.
Tendinitis is an inflammatory process of tendons. The risk of this pathology is in people who are exposed to regular stress. Basically, this pathology appears in athletes.
Inflammation of the tendons causes joint pain during active movements or walking. There should be no discomfort when you are at rest and under light load.
What to do if the pain while walking is caused by bursitis or tendinitis is determined by an orthopedist or traumatologist. In order to save the patient from these pathologies, the specialist prescribes therapy aimed at reducing inflammation. The affected limb should be given complete rest. Injections are prescribed to eliminate pain. During the procedure, fluid is pumped out of the sac and an antibiotic is injected into it.
In advanced cases, surgical intervention is necessary.
To relieve pain, if chronic pelvic pain syndrome or mild forms of the disease are detected, treatment with alternative methods will help. Keep some Kalanchoe leaves in the refrigerator for a day and then squeeze the juice out of them. Make a poultice out of it, which must be changed 6 times in the first days, after which you can only apply it at night.
Chronic pelvic pain syndrome from bursitis is alleviated by a poultice made from fresh cabbage leaves or burdock. These leaves should be applied internally to a place previously smeared with oil or cream. Then the poultice should be wrapped in polyethylene and wrapped in a cloth. If such treatment is carried out daily, the inflammation will decrease after 1-2 months.
infections
The causes of infectious arthritis are influenza viruses, streptococci, staphylococci and other pathogens. If the pain is caused by an infectious disease, the development of other symptoms does not take long. Pain and swelling in the area of the affected joint is inappropriate. A fever may develop, and the pain is not only painful when walking, but also with the slightest movement. Even light touches cause suffering.
Tuberculous arthritis, which most often affects the hip joint, causes slightly different symptoms:
- The pain first appears when walking. It is not strong, it extends to the knee or the middle of the thigh.
- After that, hip movement is limited.
- There is swelling in the area of the affected bone.
Heredity
Chronic pelvic pain syndrome is inherited. This is Perthes disease, which is more common in boys but more severe in girls. The disease affects one side of the hip joint, sometimes pain may occur in the knee.
The cause of the disease is myelodysplasia (underdeveloped lumbar spinal cord). Pathology should not bother you throughout your life. But serious violations provoke various orthopedic pathologies. Perthe's disease can be caused by:
- inflammation of the joint;
- injury;
- increased stress on the joints.
Symptoms of the disease:
- lameness;
- sharp pain in the knee joint for no reason;
- pain in the hip joint;
- change in gait;
- temperature increase;
- blood test shows inflammation.
The treatment must be carried out under the supervision of a doctor and according to his recommendations. Patients with Perthes' disease are prescribed long-term complex therapy.
Tumors
Arthritis causes pain in the hip joint. Their nature depends on the location and quality of education in the tissues.
The causes of joint pain extending to the leg lie in the defeat of the joint itself. This includes tumors of the muscles or bones. The intensity of the pain and its area of manifestation are different. This is due to the nature of the tumors (benign or malignant) and their location.
When joint pain occurs, it is imperative to seek medical attention, regardless of what caused the symptom. After all, all joint diseases in the initial stage can be cured conservatively, without surgery. But home treatment of the tumor process is unacceptable.