Hip pain is localized where the femur joins the pelvis. It is this connection of the bones that allows a person to move his legs normally in any plane. The hip joint is considered to be the largest mobile joint in the human body and helps it to move fully.
Like many other joints in the body, the femur and pelvis can be damaged. In case of any violation, the patient feels pain in the hip joints. Bones, muscles, joints, cartilage, veins, tendons, nerves, and adjacent joints can all be affected by pain syndrome. In this case, the person suffers from unpleasant symptoms that interfere with normal life. When such pains are felt, a person immediately wonders how the syndrome develops and what to do to eliminate it.
Etiology
Pain in the hip joint has various causes. Inflammation of the femur and pelvic joints can occur due to injuries, diseases of the joints and tendons, the manifestation of systemic diseases, infectious processes.
The causes of pain syndrome can be non-traumatic factors:
- osteoarthritis;
- osteoarthritis;
- disruption of blood supply to the bones and the formation of joints.
With the development of such diseases in the hip joints, degenerative changes occur in the articular surfaces. In humans, cartilage and periarticular sac are damaged, the synovial membrane of the joint is destroyed, and the amount of joint fluid is reduced, leading to severe pain and joint damage.
To get rid of an unpleasant syndrome, the patient must determine why the hip joint hurts. The patient must undergo a thorough examination to make a correct diagnosis. Clinicians have found that the pain in the hip joint while walking has a fairly simple cause. The following indicators are included in the category of the most common provocative factors:
- infectious inflammation;
- degenerative changes;
- dislocations;
- fractures;
- aseptic necrosis of the femoral head;
- bursitis;
- inflammation of a non-infectious nature with autoimmune diseases of connective tissues;
- tuberculosis.
It is very difficult to determine the cause of the onset of pain, because it can lead not only to injuries and diseases, but also to pathological processes in the abdomen, lower back and genitals.
Pain in the hip joint during walking is often caused by damage to the bone joints. Injuries that can trigger a similar syndrome include not only displacement or fracture, but also other causes:
- contusion of the pelvis;
- hernia of the acetabulum;
- stretch;
- disruption of the structure of the ligaments and the capsule of the joint.
Also, the causes of the appearance of pain syndrome can be toxic synovitis, primary and secondary oncological pathologies, osteomalacia and osteomyelitis.
Unlike adults, the exacerbation factors in children are slightly different. If the hip joint hurts, the most likely cause is pineal gland, Legg-Calve-Perthes, Still's disease, young rheumatoid arthritis, etc.
For women during pregnancy, there are also characteristic pains in the hip joint. During this period, a woman's body changes significantly and the functionality of many organs changes, so pregnant women can often feel pain in different areas of the body. Pain syndrome in the mobile joints of the pelvic region can develop for the following reasons:
- hormonal changes;
- enlargement of the uterus, which increases the load on the hip joint;
- increasing load on legs;
- exacerbation of early injuries;
- calcium deficiency;
- formation of an inflammatory focus in another area that spreads to the groin area.
All of the above etiological causes can be determined by a doctor after a thorough examination and examination. Pain in the hip joint during pregnancy is a significant concern for a woman, but all syndromes disappear after childbirth.
Classification
Unpleasant feelings experienced by a person are associated with intra-articular and extra-articular factors. The first category of causes includes the formation of effusion in the joint, increased tension, fractures of the trabeculae and rupture of intra-articular ligaments, elongation of the joint capsule, inflammation of the synovial membranes.
Extraarticular factors include muscle spasm, obstruction of the subchondral bone, and impaired venous flow leading to inflammation in the periarticular tendon region.
Clinicians also identified pain types by type:
- mechanical - manifests itself with a load on the joint, increases in the evening and decreases after sleep;
- initial pain - is formed by reactive synovitis, progresses to physical activity, then decreases slightly or disappears altogether;
- against the background of tendinitis or tendobursitis - exacerbated in the presence of damaged tendons and muscles;
- based on spasm of periarticular muscles;
- pain in the hip joint at night - decreases with movement. Blood stasis syndrome is aggravated in the subchondral parts of the bone;
- Synovial surface damage syndrome by osteophytes.
Symptoms
The causes and treatment of the syndrome are interrelated, so the doctor must determine the clinical picture to determine the method of therapy.
When the hip joint is damaged, the cartilage and cartilage pieces become thinner, which causes inflammation of the inner surface of the pelvis and femur. It is this process that provokes the appearance of pain. If there is no cartilage in the joint, then the exposed femur is rubbed into the pelvis, which manifests itself in severe pain syndrome.
Often the patient has feelings that pass from one part of the body to another. Patients often experience pain in the hip during walking, which can spread to the knee as well as the gluteal and lumbar regions. At first, the syndrome may be unstable and not very pronounced, but the intensity of the symptoms increases as the injury progresses. At this point, the pain stabilizes and can manifest itself both during movement and in a calm state.
Depending on the location of the site of inflammation, pain in the hip joint has different manifestations and symptoms:
- In the case of damage to the hip joint - the syndrome disturbs the patient not only in the joint area, but also along the entire thigh, and goes to the lower leg. It is also common for inflammation in the lumbar spine to manifest itself in the area of the hip joint;
- the patient's mobility decreases - the likelihood of hip flexion decreases;
- lameness may appear on the right or left, or one foot will be slightly shorter than the other;
- the joint becomes tight and immobile;
- movement after prolonged sitting can be especially painful;
- fatigue due to inability to walk long distances.
If the symptom manifests itself in serious diseases, then the patient may have more severe symptoms of the disease - high fever, swelling, headache, weakness, redness of the inflamed area.
Diagnostics
If a person continues to have pain in the area of the hip joint on the right or left side, he should definitely consult a specialist. A patient with a similar problem can consult a rheumatologist, traumatologist, physiotherapist or neurologist.
Before treating a symptom, it is necessary to assess the condition and determine the probable cause of the syndrome. In addition to the visible features of severe inflammation, the condition of the hip joint can be assessed in the following ways:
- in the supine position, look at the lower extremities - in the case of dislocation or fracture, they take a forced position, not parallel to the axis of the body;
- you can make several active movements back and forth to determine the mobility of the joint - if the pelvic region is damaged, the patient feels severe pain;
- in the supine position, passive movements may be detected in the moving joint - clicks, cracks and muscle tension may occur;
- During the examination of the patient, the doctor must fully describe all the manifestations of the syndrome.
Symptoms of pain in the hip area can be caused by various pathological processes, so it is important for the clinician to make a differential diagnosis of the disease. The patient undergoes laboratory and instrumental examinations to determine the cause of pain in the hip joint while sitting and walking:
- radiography of the spine, hip area;
- tomography of the spine, pelvis and hips;
- examinations for vascular openness - dopplerography, angiography and other methods;
- electromyography;
- general, biochemical, bacteriological, immunological blood test.
Treatment
If night pain in the hip joint does not develop very quickly in a person and disappears after rest, perhaps the cause was a minor injury or joint load. In this case, doctors recommend the use of small therapies:
- reduce loads;
- ensure joint relaxation;
- use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
- lying on the healthy side.
You can not do without the help of a doctor with severe, severe, persistent and long-lasting pain, especially if there is a noticeable deformation of the joint, redness of the thighs, changes in skin tone of the thighs and poor sensitivity. Self-medication in these conditions can harm the patient and cause the symptoms to progress.
In the hip joint, the pain that spreads to the legs can be reduced after the doctor prescribes various therapies. To eliminate the syndrome, doctors prescribe conservative treatment to patients:
- medicines;
- minimum download sport;
- weight control;
- physiotherapy;
- auxiliary devices - walking sticks, walks, armpits;
- avoid heavy loads;
- balance the emotional state;
- to take vitamins.
The treatment process necessarily consists of drug therapy. For this purpose, doctors prescribe the following drugs to patients:
- diuretics;
- anti-inflammatory;
- muscle relaxant;
- improving microcirculation;
- chondroprotectors;
- vitamins and minerals.
If a woman suddenly begins to have pain in the hip joint during pregnancy, then she must see a doctor. He may be prescribed multivitamin complexes, calcium intake, moderate physical activity, and dressings. To reduce symptoms and prevent the development of complications, the doctor advises the expectant mother to follow simple rules:
- climbing stairs and reducing the number of long walks;
- do not sit for more than an hour;
- it is forbidden to sit or lie on a hard surface;
- with night pains it is recommended to divide the body into parts, first upwards, then the pelvis;
- eat foods high in calcium and vitamin complexes;
- weight control;
- wear a bandage;
- reduce the load on the pelvis and hips.
However, in addition to these methods, there are other technologies in medicine to eliminate the symptom. Therefore, what else can be done to reduce the pain syndrome, says the doctor at the reception. For mild pain in the left or right side of the hip joint, you can use the following methods without consulting your doctor:
- massage;
- physiotherapy;
- hand therapy.
Folk remedies for pain in the hip joint are still used in medicine, but doctors in some cases and only resort to such means as an adjunctive therapy. Patients can apply compresses, tinctures, decoctions and lotions. Each of these agents has an analgesic effect and helps to improve the patient's condition. Patients are advised to use the following herbs and substances:
- lilac leaves;
- bal;
- lemon;
- sword;
- pork fat;
- ficus leaves;
- garlic;
- celery.
All substances are quite familiar and are often used in traditional medicine, but can be used only after consulting a doctor. If you make the wrong ratio, you can damage the body and cause complications. In the treatment of such a syndrome, it is very important to follow the restrictions on physical activity in order not to cause an increase in unpleasant symptoms.