Hip pain is localized where the femur meets the pelvis. It is this connection of bones that provides a person with normal movement of the legs in any plane. The hip joint is considered the largest movable joint in the human body and helps it to move completely.
Like many other joints in the body, the femur and pelvis can be damaged. In case of any interruption of work, the patient feels his hip joints hurt. Bones, muscles, joint circumference, cartilage, vessels, tendons, nerves, and adjacent joints can be affected by pain syndrome. In that case, a person suffers from unpleasant symptoms that interfere with normal life. When such pains are felt, a person is immediately interested in the question of how the syndrome developed and what to do to eliminate it.
Etiology
Pain in the hip joint has several causes. The junction of the femur and pelvis can become inflamed due to injuries, diseases of the joints and tendons, from the manifestation of systemic ailments, infectious processes.
The reasons for the formation of pain syndrome can be non-traumatic factors:
- osteoarthritis;
- osteoarthritis;
- insufficient blood supply to the bones and formation of joints.
With the development of such ailments in the hip joints, degenerative changes occur in the joint surfaces. In humans, the cartilage and the periarticular bursa are damaged, the synovial membrane of the joint is destroyed, the amount of joint fluid decreases, causing severe pain and disturbance of the joint.
To get rid of an unpleasant syndrome, the patient must identify why the hip joint hurts. To make the correct diagnosis, the patient must undergo a complete examination. Doctors have determined that hip joint pain when walking has a fairly simple cause. The following indicators were attributed to the category of the most common provoking 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 quite difficult to establish the cause of the appearance of pain, since it can be triggered not only by injuries and ailments, but also by pathological processes in the abdominal cavity, lumbar region and genitalia.
Pain in the hip joint when walking is often caused by damage to the joint of the bones. Injuries that can lead to a similar syndrome include not only dislocation or fracture, but other reasons as well:
- contusion of the pelvis;
- acetabulum rupture;
- extension;
- violation of the structure of the ligaments and capsule of the joint.
Likewise, the causes of the appearance of the pain syndrome can be toxic synovitis, primary and secondary oncological pathologies, osteomalacia and osteomyelitis.
Unlike adults, children have slightly different exacerbation factors. If your hip joint hurts, the reason is most likely epiphysis, Legg-Calve-Perthes, Still's disease, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, etc.
For women during pregnancy, there are also characteristic pains in the hip joint. During this period, the woman's body changes significantly and the functionality of many organs changes, so pregnant women can often feel pain in various areas of the body. Pain syndrome in the mobile joint of the pelvic region can develop for the following reasons:
- hormonal changes;
- growth of the uterus, which increases the load on the hip joint;
- increased load on the legs;
- exacerbation of early lesions;
- lack of calcium;
- the appearance of a focus of inflammation in another area, which radiates to the groin.
All the above etiological reasons can be identified after a thorough examination and examination by a doctor. During pregnancy, pain in the hip joint is a major inconvenience for women, but after childbirth, all syndromes disappear.
Classification
The unpleasant sensations that a person experiences are associated with intra-articular and extra-articular factors. The first category of reasons includes the formation of effusion in the joint, increased tension, fractures of the trabeculae and rupture of the intra-articular ligaments, stretching of the joint capsule, inflammation in the synovial membranes.
Extra-articular factors include muscle spasm, impaired venous flow, leading to congestion in the subchondral bone, and inflammation in the periarticular tendon area.
Doctors have also identified the types of pain by type:
- mechanical - manifests itself with a load on the joint, increases at night and decreases after sleep;
- initial pains - are formed with reactive synovitis, progress with physical activity, and then decrease a little or, in general, disappear;
- in the context of tendinitis or tendobursitis - exacerbates in places where damaged tendons and muscles are involved;
- based on spasm of the periarticular muscles;
- pain in the hip joint at night; decreases with movement. The syndrome of stagnation of blood in the subchondral parts of the bone is aggravated;
- syndrome of damage to the synovial surface by osteophytes.
Symptoms
The causes and treatment of the syndrome are interrelated, therefore, in order to determine the method of therapy, the doctor must identify the clinical picture.
During damage to the hip joint, the cartilage and cartilage fragments become thinner, causing inflammation of the inner surface of the pelvis and femur. It is this process that causes the appearance of pain. If there is no cartilage in the joint, the exposed femoral bone rubs against the pelvic bone, manifesting in severe pain syndrome.
Very often, the patient has sensations that pass from one part of the body to another. Patients often experience hip pain when walking, which can reach the knee, but also the gluteal and lumbar regions. At first, the syndrome may be unstable and not very pronounced, however, as the damage progresses, the intensity of the symptom increases. At this time, the pain becomes constant, it can manifest itself both during movement and in a calm state.
Depending on the location of the focus of inflammation, pain in the hip joint has different manifestations and symptoms:
- in case of damage to the hip joint, the syndrome worries the patient not only in the joint area, but also in the entire thigh and goes to the lower leg. It also often happens that inflammation in the lumbar spine can manifest itself in the area of the hip joint;
- the mobility of the patient decreases, the possibility of hip flexion decreases;
- lameness may appear on the right or left, or one leg will be slightly shorter than the other;
- the joint becomes tight and inactive;
- movement can be especially painful after prolonged sitting;
- fatigue due to the inability to walk long distances.
If the symptom is manifested by serious diseases, then the patient may have more serious symptoms of the disease: high fever, swelling, headaches, weakness, redness of the inflamed area.
Diagnosis
If a person continues to hurt on the right or left side in the hip joint area, he should definitely seek the advice of a specialist. With a similar problem, the patient can be referred to a rheumatologist, orthopedic surgeon, physical therapist, or neurologist.
Before treating a symptom, you need to assess the condition and identify the suspected cause of the syndrome. In addition to the visible features of severe inflammation, the condition of the hip joint can be assessed using the following methods:
- in a supine position, look at the lower extremities; in case of dislocation or fracture, they take a forced position and not parallel to the axis of the body;
- to identify the mobility of the joint, you can perform various active forward and backward movements; if the pelvic region is damaged, the patient feels severe pain;
- in the supine position, passive movements can be detected in the mobile joint: clicks, crunches and muscle tension can occur;
- During the examination of the patient, the doctor should fully describe all the manifestations of the syndrome.
A symptom of pain in the hip region can be formed from various pathological processes, so it is important for the doctor to make a differential diagnosis of the disease. To establish the cause of pain in the hip joint when sitting and walking, the patient undergoes laboratory and instrumental examinations:
- X-ray of the spine, hip region;
- spine, pelvic and hip tomography;
- vascular patency tests: 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, then perhaps the cause was a minor injury or joint load. In this case, doctors recommend the use of minor therapeutic measures:
- reduce loads;
- provide rest to the joint;
- use a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug;
- Lie on the healthy side.
With severe, severe, constant and prolonged pain, you cannot do without the help of a doctor, especially if there is a noticeable deformation of the joint, redness of the thigh, a change in the tone of the skin on the thigh, and poor sensitivity. In these circumstances, self-medication can harm the patient and cause the symptom to progress.
Pain in the hip joint, radiating to the leg, may disappear after the doctor prescribes different methods of therapy. To eliminate the syndrome, doctors prescribe conservative treatment to patients:
- medicines;
- sports with minimal load;
- weight control;
- physiotherapy;
- auxiliary devices: canes, walkers, crutches;
- avoid heavy loads;
- balance the emotional state;
- taking vitamins.
The treatment process necessarily consists of drug therapy. For this purpose, doctors prescribe the following drugs to patients:
- diuretics;
- anti-inflammatory;
- muscle relaxants;
- improve microcirculation;
- chondroprotectors;
- vitamins and minerals.
If the pain in the hip joint during pregnancy started suddenly in a woman, you should definitely consult a doctor. The use of multivitamin complexes, calcium intake, moderate physical activity and the use of a bandage may be prescribed. To reduce symptoms and prevent the development of complications, the doctor advises the expectant mother to adhere to simple rules:
- reduce the number of stair climbs and long walks;
- do not sit for more than an hour;
- it is forbidden to sit and lie on a hard surface;
- with night pains, it is recommended to turn the body in parts, first the upper one, and then the pelvis;
- eat foods with a lot of calcium and vitamin complexes;
- control weight;
- 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. So 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, these methods can be used without consulting your doctor:
- massage;
- physiotherapy;
- manual therapy.
Treatment of pain in the hip joint with folk remedies is still used in medicine, but doctors turn to such remedies in some cases and only as an additional method of therapy. Patients can apply compresses, make 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 ingredients:
- lilac leaves;
- honey;
- lemon;
- saber;
- pork fat;
- ficus leaves;
- Garlic;
- celery.
All the ingredients are quite familiar and are often used in traditional medicine, but can be used after consulting a doctor. Getting the wrong ratio can harm the body and lead to complications. In the treatment of such a syndrome, it is also very important to adhere to restrictions on physical activity so as not to provoke an increase in an unpleasant symptom.