Hip pain - causes, symptoms and treatment

The hip joint is the large bony joint that connects the femur to the pelvic bone, giving the limb the ability to bend, extend, and abduct. Hip pain is a symptom of many inflammatory, infectious, degenerative and other conditions. There are many causes of hip pain, so a thorough diagnosis is essential.

causes of hip pain

Pain in the hip area varies - acute, regular, persistent and periodic. Most often, the unpleasant sensation occurs in people over the age of 50, but it can occur even in children. There are many causes of hip pain. The most common is coxarthrosis, a degenerative disease with the wear and tear of joint cartilage, in which the bones begin to move closer together and become deformed.Pain in the left and right hip joints may have other causes:

• Injuries – fractures, cracks, dislocations;
• Connective tissue damage and autoimmune pathology;
• osteochondrosis;
• skeletal development disorders;
• inflammation.

Sometimes, fairly severe pain is caused by damage to other parts of the body (e. g. , spine, sacrum, intestines). In this case, treatment should address the underlying problem so that the hip joint no longer bothers the patient.

Injury is the cause of pain

Severe pain involving only one hip joint may be a symptom of trauma. It's difficult for a healthy person to fracture a hip, but if you have osteoporosis, it happens more often. Basically, "femoral neck fracture" is diagnosed in women over 60-65 years old whose osteoporosis is caused by menopause and dysfunction of hormone-producing organs. If your femoral neck hurts after a fall or bump, you should definitely get an instrumented diagnosis!A car accident may result in an intertrochanteric fracture of the femur. When the nerve becomes pinched, severe pain occurs in the hip joint.In addition, pain on the right or left side can occur on the following backgrounds:

• Bruised bones and joints due to a fall or direct blow;
• Traumatic hip dislocation;
• Congenital dislocation of the hip.

Congenital dislocations may occur as a result of birth injury and bone deformation during intrauterine development. If left untreated, the child may have shorter legs in the future and develop hip joint disease earlier.

Causes diseases in adults and children

If symptoms recur, or if hip pain becomes chronic, it is usually caused by systemic pathology or disease in the hip joint itself.In addition to hip arthrosis, hip pain can also have the following causes:

1. Septic arthritis.Occurs due to purulent bacterial infection in the thigh area. Due to severe pain, any activity becomes impossible and the affected area becomes red and swollen.
2. Aseptic necrosis of the femoral head.The cause is poor blood circulation in the hip joint. The disease mainly occurs in adolescence. If left untreated, there is a risk of muscle and tendon atrophy and even disability.
3. Myositis ossificans.It comes from inflammation of the muscles and connective tissues, is genetically linked, or occurs after an injury.
4. Ankylosing spondylitis.Causes inflammatory damage to bones and joints, leading to joint cavity fusion and limited movement.
5. Osteochondritis dissecans of the femur. The hip cartilage becomes delaminated and tissue necrosis often occurs.
6. Bursitis and synovitis.In this condition, severe pain in the hip area is associated with inflammation of the bursa, or bursa.

Why do hip joints hurt on one or both sides, and what other causes are there?The causes may be the following diseases:

• Wright syndrome;
• Rheumatoid Arthritis;
• Spinal pathology associated with radiculopathy;
• Deformities of feet, legs, and knees;
• Enthesopathy.

In pregnant women, the cause of joint pain on the right or left side is often pubic syndesmitis, an inflammation of the pubic symphysis when the pubic bones separate. In rare cases, hip tumors and gout can trigger symptoms in people.

Pathological symptoms

Symptoms of the disease, as well as treatment procedures, vary widely. Hip pain after a serious injury is severe, intense, and concentrated in the thigh area. Surrounding tissue swells, and lameness is observed. The latter has a slight bruise that disappears quickly. If dislocation or fracture occurs, leg movement will be limited or impossible.Symptoms of hip fracture are:

• Pain that worsens when moving;
• radiates sensation to the inner surface of the leg;
• swelling, bruising;
• limp;
• joint click;
• Muscle numbness.

When the bursa or synovium becomes inflamed, the pain is accompanied by a burning sensation and is worse when walking. With osteochondrosis, you may experience tingling and goosebumps in your hip joints. Hip arthritis is accompanied by aches and pains that are stronger in the morning and disappear during the day. When you have rheumatoid arthritis, you may experience symptoms such as low back pain, pain, increased internal temperature, and muscle stiffness in the hip joint.A burning, nagging pain that radiates into the pelvis, sacrum, and becomes more intense at night may be a sign of ankylosing spondylitis. Chronic inflammatory diseases - arthritis, gout (not exacerbations) cause pain in the hip area.

Disease diagnosis

Treatment for any of these symptoms should begin immediately after diagnosis by an orthopedic surgeon, surgeon, or traumatologist. During the initial examination, the doctor will be able to advise whether the left or right hip joint is damaged. Pain and burning sensation occur during passive flexion and extension, and movement is limited. It is especially difficult to abduct to both sides.The hip joint is located deeper, and instrumental examination becomes the main diagnostic method:

• CT;
• MRI;
• Radiography.

In some cases, additional diagnostic measures are necessary. Therefore, in the case of infections and purulent processes, synovial fluid needs to be studied. If malignancy is suspected, a biopsy is performed. If the blood vessels in the hip joint are affected, a Doppler ultrasound will be done. Before treating hip pain, a rheumatoid factor test must be done to rule out rheumatism.

Treats hip pain caused by injury and infection

In infants, congenital hip dislocation requires treatment. To do this, they use Freik pillows and spacers - special orthopedic devices that help keep the legs in the correct position. Treatment time can be 6-8 months; if it does not help, bone reduction surgery will be necessary. For hip fractures, surgical treatment is required because conservative measures often do not help. Install pins, screws or perform endoprosthetic repairs. A bandage is tied to the leg from the waist to the heel only if there are contraindications. Unfortunately, in old age, this rarely results in the hip bones becoming fused and the patient is unable to walk normally or even sit down.What should I do if I have severe pain in my hip joint due to infectious inflammation? In this case, treatment with antibiotics is required. These drugs are given by injection, drip, or directly into the hip joint cavity. Treatment also includes limiting leg movement to speed recovery. To relieve symptoms, analgesics and anesthetics are injected into the joint. For septic arthritis, surgery is needed to remove the abscess and clean the joint space with antibiotics.

Drug treatment measures

The choice of drug treatment is made solely by the doctor based on the type of disease. Taking painkillers usually provides good relief, but the feeling usually returns quickly. If your leg pain is severe and severe, the hip area must be blocked with an anesthetic. Treatment of chronic hip pathologies requires regular administration of NSAIDs - only they can eliminate recurring symptoms, although they do not affect the course of the disease itself. For hip joint disease, hormonal medications are often used, which can provide long-term relief of inflammation and pain.Treatment of hip joint disease can be carried out using the following methods:

1. Muscle relaxants.Used to reduce muscle spasms, which can increase pain.
2. Diuretics.Helps relieve severe swelling affecting soft tissue.
3. Vitamin preparations.Improve hip joint nutrition and accelerate biochemical reactions.
4. Chondroprotectant.They replenish chondroitin and glucosamine deficiencies and help restore damaged cartilage.

If a child has frequent hip pain and osteonecrosis of the femoral head is diagnosed, the basis of treatment is ingestion and injection of vascular medications. Medications can enhance blood microcirculation, metabolism and aid tissue regeneration.

Orthopedic equipment and physical therapy

Treatment for hip disease includes the use of orthopedic products. Most often, they are used after an injury that requires complete or partial immobilization for weeks or even months. Therefore, for fractures, a rigid fixed orthosis is used, which, unlike a cast, does not cause irritation and allergies.If a person is going to lie down for long periods of time, an anti-decubitus mattress is definitely needed. Walkers, canes, and crutches are needed to provide support during the recovery process after an injury. Pregnant women with syndesmosis are recommended to wear a pelvic corset with rigid ribs. Wearing orthopedic shoes that reduce the load on the foot is equally important during treatment and prevention.Physical therapy can also improve the condition of your hip joint. This treatment eliminates symptoms, reduces pain, and optimizes circulation. During the course of treatment, inflammation is reduced, swelling disappears, and the tissue repair process begins. Laser therapy has been proven to be the best treatment - laser beams heat tissue up to 10cm thick, providing rapid pain relief and reducing inflammation.Other physiotherapy techniques used are:

• electrophoresis;
• Darsenvar;
• magnet therapy;
• shockwave therapy;
• balneotherapy;
• microcurrent;
• Turpentine bath.

Regular use of the needle applicator at home is also recommended - it improves circulation and helps reduce pain. In the acute stage of the condition, the time is 5 minutes each time, up to 5 times a day; in the chronic stage, the time is increased to 20 minutes, 3 times a day.

Traditional treatments for hip pain

Traditional medicine can also provide answers on how to treat hip disease. Unconventional treatments must be combined with conservative treatments, otherwise they will not bring about the desired results. External methods are less effective because of the deep location of this bone joint. Topical treatments can be given through massage.Treatment methods are as follows:

• Mix equal parts mint, hop cones, and St. John's wort;
• Pour 100 ml of Vaseline melted in a water bath onto a spoon;
• Keep in a warm place for 2 days;
• Heat the mass again and filter;
• Rub gently with massaging motions.

Baths can be used to treat hip joints - they provide quick pain relief. Pour mint and pine needle decoction (50 grams of raw material per liter of water) into warm water and take a sitz bath for 15 minutes. Repeat every other day for a total of 10 times. You should also take the following pain relievers internally:

• Pour ½ cup of lilac flowers into 250 ml of vodka and leave it for 10 days. Drink 3 teaspoons a day for 14 days;
• Mix one tablespoon of birch buds and linden flowers, brew 300 ml of boiling water, and drink 150 ml twice a day for one month;
• Boil 1 kilogram of beef bones, pour the soup into a container, and eat 250 grams of this "jelly" every day.

Other treatments

If the hip joint is affected, therapeutic exercises are required. Bone joints must move, and a large amount of fluid is produced in the joints. As a result, nutritional quality and tissue recovery rates will improve. This set of exercises is chosen individually; there are different exercises for different diseases (according to the allowed load). The number of repetitions is small at first and gradually increases. You should not make sudden movements—they may trigger new episodes of pain.In some cases, surgical treatment of the hip joint is required. It is indicated for the treatment of injuries, advanced hip joint disease, and rheumatoid arthritis that cause severe bone deformation. They also perform surgery on limbs when an abscess (ulcer) develops in the joint cavity or soft tissue.The most popular types of operations are:

• Endoprosthesis;
• Installation of dowels;
• Arthroscopy;
• Osteotomy;
• Osteosynthesis.

Prevent joint diseases

Hip pain is preventable if prompt preventive measures are taken. To avoid severe loading on the femur and joints, protect yourself from impacts, falls, and do not lift heavy objects. In the initial stages, it is necessary to treat any inflammatory diseases in the body and control vascular problems.Gymnastics, exercise therapy, yoga, and swimming can help strengthen your hip joints. It is important to maintain a normal body weight to avoid overloading the femoral neck and entire hip joint. To lose weight, avoid fatty, sweet, flour-based foods, bacon and salty foods. Wearing preventative bandages, comfortable shoes, and insoles can also be beneficial to the hip joint. When unpleasant symptoms first appear, you should immediately consult a doctor and receive prompt treatment - this will help avoid surgery.