How to treat arthrosis of the hip joint - methods and means

Coxarthrosis is a disease that affects the patient's hip joint.Treatment is long-term.Just a few decades ago, such a diagnosis was practically a death sentence for the patient, promising him: severe debilitating pain, gradual loss of mobility, early disability.

However, thanks to modern, most effective treatment methods, it was possible not only to stop the degenerative process, but even to completely cure coxarthrosis in the early stages.

Understanding the causes of the disease has prompted the use of an integrated approach in therapy.Treatment of arthrosis of the hip joint can include both drug and physiotherapeutic methods.

What is hip arthrosis?

Arthritis is a disease in which the normal structure of the cartilage tissue of the joints is disturbed.Unlike arthritis, the cause of deformation is not infectious inflammation of the tissues, but a violation of metabolic processes.

Deformation arthrosis of the hip joint is observed in patients over 40 years old with rare exceptions.The development of pathology occurs as follows:

• Metabolism is disturbed.Cartilage tissue does not have blood vessels, so its nutrition is provided by the adjacent muscle tissue.The synthesis of substances is disturbed for various reasons.
• Due to insufficient nutrition, cartilage begins to lose elasticity.It gets thinner over time.Interosseous clearance is significantly reduced.Arthrosis in the hip joint, 3rd grade, is characterized by the rubbing of growths in the bone tissue.Cartilage tissue is practically absent.

• The load on the bones and the decrease in the thickness of the cartilage contribute to the deformation of the bone tissue.

After the onset of degenerative changes, it may take years for the patient to develop the third stage of the disease, but in unfavorable conditions and if precautions are not taken, pathological changes can occur much faster.

How does arthrosis manifest itself?

Symptoms of arthrosis of the hip joint and their nature depend on the degree of development of the disease.The most characteristic symptom is pain.It is precisely because of pain that patients turn to a doctor for qualified help.Moreover, the insidiousness of the disease is that in the initial stage of degenerative changes, pain, as a rule, does not cause great discomfort, is short-term and is often associated with ordinary fatigue.

The delay leads to the fact that the best moment to start treatment is missed, and the treatment of hip arthrosis of the 2nd degree requires more time and effort.There are still chances of a successful prognosis, provided that the therapy is correctly prescribed.

Symptoms of the disease are as follows:

1. Pain can occur in the hip, groin, and the joint itself.If signs of pain appear at rest, you should be careful.This indicates the need for an urgent visit to an arthrologist.
2. Stiffness of movement, lameness.It is observed after a long period of immobility of the leg, for example, after sleep.
3. Over time, the diseased leg becomes shorter than the healthy one, atrophy of muscle tissue is observed during palpation.

The disease cannot be diagnosed without modern diagnostic studies.Thus, grade 1 hip arthrosis is diagnosed only using X-rays, CT and MRI.The image clearly shows the change and narrowing of the interosseous space.

Stages of hip arthrosis

After diagnosis of the pathology, the patient is assigned a code according to ICD 10.This is an international classification of diseases that is revised every 10 years.

Thanks to the assigned code, not only statistics are collected.Treatments with the most significant results can be selected.Thanks to international cooperation, the drug treatment of hip arthrosis has improved significantly over time.

In world practice, it is accepted that arthrosis of the hip joint has three developmental stages or stages.Each of them has its own symptoms.Namely:

1. The first stage.Painful sensations occur only against the background of extreme stress: jogging, sports, sports, etc.The pain is mainly concentrated in the joint area.Usually the pain goes away on its own after some rest.At the same time, leg mobility remains complete, muscle strength is not limited.First-degree arthrosis can only be diagnosed using radiography or tomography.The image clearly shows slight deformations of the bone tissue that do not go beyond the so-called labrum.The joint space narrows slightly, usually in uneven places.
2. The second stage.Migrating pain is characteristic, starting to spread to the groin and thigh.May occur spontaneously at rest.In the second stage, due to arthrosis of the hip joint, the pain does not go away by itself and requires the patient to take anesthetic.The range of motion is disturbed, atrophy of muscle tissue is observed.The image clearly shows bone growths and deformations of the femoral head.Perhaps the appearance of a cyst in the most loaded part of the thigh - the acetabulum.At the second stage, the diagnosis of arthrosis is made quickly.Even with a cursory examination, pathological changes are obvious.An X-ray or MRI is prescribed to see the extent of the deformity.
3. The third stage.The pain becomes chronic.Arthrosis can be determined even without a comprehensive examination.The patient cannot move without a cane;there is a tilt of the pelvis, which causes the leg to be shortened.When moving, the patient should bend his body to the injured joint.As a result, it leads to greater degenerative changes.The picture shows extensive bone deformation.The joint cavity is almost invisible.

Therapeutic treatment of deforming arthrosis of the hip joint is effective only in the 1-2 stages of the disease.The third stage of the development of pathology often leads to the need for surgical intervention.

How to treat arthrosis in the hip joint

Regardless of what is used, gymnastics or medication for arthrosis of the hip joint, all approaches are based on six main principles.Namely:

• Eliminate pain.
• Ensure the normal nutrition of the cartilage tissue and restore it if possible.
• Improve blood flow to the affected area.
• Reduce stress on the joint.
• Strengthen atrophic muscles.
• Restore joint mobility.

To achieve all six goals, it is necessary to use complex therapy.So, for example, by prescribing an injection into a joint, but not paying attention to reducing the load on it, you can negate all the beneficial effects of chondroprotectors.It is not surprising that in world practice, depending on the patient's condition, usually from 2 to 10 different approaches are applied at the same time.

How to treat hip arthrosis

An integrated approach to the treatment of the hip joint gives better results than the use of only one therapeutic agent - this is a fact recognized by the world's leading arthrologists.Therefore, the patient is often prescribed several types of treatment from the following at the same time:

• NSAIDs- Non-steroidal drugs are the "classics" of treatment to eliminate the inflammatory process.Medicines for arthrosis of the hip joint are necessarily prescribed either together with non-steroidal drugs or contain them.NSAIDs are particularly effective during exacerbations.Help relieve pain and reduce swelling.The appointment allows you to perform physical therapy exercises for arthrosis of the hip joint, go to massage, gymnastics and other physiotherapeutic procedures.The disadvantage of NSAIDs is their negative effect on the gastric mucosa.Patients should understand that non-steroidal drugs for the treatment of hip arthrosis do not cure the disease, but simply relieve the symptoms and make therapy possible.
• Chondroprotectors and hyaluronic acid.These drugs are a new stage in the treatment of the hip joint, so they can be divided into a separate group.
  1. Chondroprotectors are prescribed as restorative therapy.With long-term use, chondroprotectors restore damaged cartilage tissue, but their effectiveness is limited to the initial stage of the disease.
  2. Hyaluronic acid reduces the load on the joint by creating a layer between the bones.It is effective as a restorative therapy.
• Muscle relaxants- are vasodilators and allow to eliminate spasm of muscle tissue.It is prescribed to reduce the joint load.Muscle relaxants can only be used as part of complex drug therapy.
• Pain reliever ointment- despite the advertisements that talk about ointments that miraculously eliminate the disease, in fact they only eliminate the unpleasant symptoms of the disease.On the other hand, painkillers in the form of ointment increase the effectiveness of conservative treatment, allow to remove swelling and alleviate the patient's condition.
• Intra-articular injections- designed to relieve pain, restore cartilage tissue or prevent excessive pressure on the joint.The most commonly used are corticosteroids.They relieve pain and allow the patient to begin treatment with physical therapy.The group of corticosteroids also includes hyaluronic acid preparations.The effectiveness of intra-articular injections mainly depends on how experienced the surgeon is (according to statistics, 30% of doctors miss the joint capsule during manipulation).

Some medicines can harm the body.Self-medication is strictly prohibited!

Bandage of the hip joint will relieve the load on the joint and reduce the factor that is the main reason for the onset of tissue irritation, which leads to the inflammatory process.Therefore, together with drug treatment, fixation of the damaged area is often prescribed.

Non-traditional methods and physiotherapy

In addition to prescribing anti-inflammatory drugs, intra-articular injections and other drugs, the patient can undergo physiotherapy and use alternative therapy methods.

• Manual therapy- this procedure has a gentler effect on damaged tissues than massage of the hip joint for arthrosis.Any aggressive impact on the damaged area can easily trigger the beginning of the inflammatory process.In our region we are not yet used to manual therapy, but in the West it is widespread and one of the official methods of therapy.
• Therapeutic exercisewith deforming arthrosis - a wide area where the patient can choose between traditional and non-traditional methods.For hip arthrosis, Pilates, yoga, as well as water exercises and other methods to restore the function of atrophied muscles are popular.Physical education and moderate exercise together with medication have a beneficial effect and help the patient recover.
• Traditional medicine- most arthrologists are against this method as an independent therapy.And their opinion has a basis.Many patients who refused the help of traditional medicine became disabled.However, it is quite possible to effectively treat arthrosis of the hip joint with folk remedies under the supervision of the attending physician.Most herbs and infusions used have anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.Some drugs have serious contraindications, so you should consult an arthrologist before taking them.It is recommended to use non-traditional folk methods with caution for the treatment of arthrosis of the hip joint.Some recipes not only do not help to improve, but also cause the opposite effect, which leads to the rapid destruction of cartilage.
• Homeopathy- helps to normalize the synthesis of substances in the body.Homeopathy is especially effective for post-traumatic arthrosis, allowing to overcome the main factor that causes the development of the disease.
• Apitherapy- bee sting treatment is very effective, allowing to combine the effects of acupuncture and drug treatment.Not surprisingly, many warming and effective salves contain processed bee venom.Often, the use of apitherapy is more effective than hip block.The appropriateness of using apitherapy should be determined by the attending physician.
• Magnetotherapy- used as auxiliary treatment and prevention of diseases.The effect of a magnet increases blood flow to tissues and helps restore metabolic processes.Removes salt deposits.
• Hirudotherapy- Leech treatment has been used for several centuries.It has been proven that the saliva of leeches entering the blood contains a substance that helps to dilute it.As a result, blood can enter even atrophied capillaries and veins.
• Mud therapy- has a moderate warming effect, helps to obtain essential nutrients.With the correct use of mud treatment, the inflammatory process and pain syndrome are reduced.It is prohibited for purulent arthrosis of the hip joint.It is prescribed with caution in the presence of blood coagulation and vascular diseases.
• Shilajit for arthrosis- used both in its pure form and as part of tinctures and compresses.Beneficial substances included in Mumiyo promote tissue regeneration.Mumiyo is especially effective in the early stages of the disease.
• Self-massage- sharp aggressive pops and pressures are eliminated.When massaging, it is necessary to ensure the flow of blood and lymph.A chiropractor or experienced massage therapist will show you the types and directions of movement.

Treatment of arthrosis of the hip joint at home using non-traditional methods should be completed with proper nutrition.

Losing just 5 kg of weight will reduce the likelihood of the inflammatory process starting by about 30%.

Hip joint arthrosis and pregnancy

Pregnancy with arthrosis in the hip joint is a double stress for the female body.It is forbidden to take most medicines during pregnancy.At the very least, they should be treated very carefully so as not to harm the child.

If hip arthrosis is at an early stage during pregnancy, it is recommended to postpone drug treatment until after delivery.

It is possible to give birth with arthrosis in the hip joint, but you should understand all the risks associated with it.After the birth of a child, complications are not uncommon, and deformation of the cartilage tissue occurs at an accelerated rate.

Even when planning a child, it is necessary to undergo a full examination of the body.All medicines, ointments and pain relievers can be taken only as prescribed by the doctor.

Consequences of arthrosis

In the later stages of the disease, it is impossible to treat coxarthrosis with the usual method.Urgent surgical intervention is required.Surgery is a last resort and can be done in a variety of ways.

1. Joint replacement- fully restores all motor functions.The disadvantage of the solution is that the period of use of the prosthesis is limited.On average, a second operation will be required to replace it after 15 years.
2. Laser therapy for operative arthrosiship joint - used in case of rejection of the articular part of the bone.Using laser therapy, the damaged surface is removed and replaced with an artificial insert.

All types of surgical interventions are temporary, but without them the patient becomes disabled.

Early diagnosis of coxarthrosis and a properly prescribed course of restorative therapy is the only reliable way to fight the disease.Ignoring symptoms leads to disability.