Osteoarthritis of the hip is a disease called coxarthrosis. The insidiousness of the disease is that it differs in an inconspicuous course for a long time.
Symptoms may not alert the patient for more than two years until they gradually worsen and force him to see a doctor.
Symptomatology is divided into 3 stages, depending on the severity.
Symptoms of the disease
The main symptom is joint pain while walking. As a chronic, coxarthrosis sometimes worsens - and then the pain becomes more pronounced. The localization is often in the groin area, on the outside of the thigh, its front surface and echo in the knee or buttocks. The pain causes a change in gait as the patient adapts, trying to avoid the pain. This can lead (especially in advanced cases) to shortening of the legs. Let's look at the symptoms of osteoarthritis in more detail.
Attention!The disease mainly affects women.
Osteoarthritis of the hip - grade 1
It is characterized by mild, painful pain that occurs after strenuous exercise, mainly running or walking for a long time. The pain quickly disappears after rest without disturbing the dynamics of movements, so it does not cause vigilance in the patient. The x-ray shows small bone changes - a growth that does not exceed the articular lip.
Osteoarthritis of the hip - grade 2
The pain becomes more intense, localized in the joint, radiating to the groin and thigh, appearing even at rest. The work of the joint is disturbed, the long walk causes lameness. The abduction of the hip joint and the internal rotation are limited, and the muscles that allow the abduction and stretching of the hip joint become weaker.
Osteoarthritis of the hip - grade 3
The pain of coxarthrosis bothers the patient constantly, even at night. The muscles of the legs (thigh, lower leg) and buttocks atrophy, their volume decreases and a cane is needed while walking. This shortens the limb, the patient is forced to stand on tiptoe, bent forward. In grade 3 disease, the pain is often stronger in the knee than in the groin or thigh, so the doctor may make a wrong diagnosis.
Causes of the disease
There are many causes of coxarthrosis. Let's look at the main ones:
- Excessive stress on the joint, its injuries, especially common in athletes.
- Hereditary diseases. These include congenital hip dislocation, hip dysplasia and others.
- Hereditary predisposition. Despite the fact that coxarthrosis is not genetically transmitted, a child can inherit a weak skeleton or structural features of cartilage tissue from relatives.
- Arthritis, even if cured, can provoke osteoarthritis of the hip.
- Chronic stress and long-term experiences, scientists say, have an extremely negative effect on joint health.
- Heart attack (aseptic necrosis) of the hip joint leads to circulatory disorders.
- Hormonal changes, diabetes, loss of sensitivity of the lower extremities in nervous diseases.
Important!Significantly increases the risk of developing obesity. In 5-10% of cases this is what leads to the development of the disease.
Folk remedies
Bees
Apiproducts have established themselves as an effective treatment for many internal diseases. Not surprisingly, bees can also help with deformed joints - bee venom has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, normalizes the mobility of diseased joints, relieves swelling and prevents deterioration. Mostly bee stings are used, which are prescribed only by a specialist. Therapy starts with one bite, but usually the result is visible after the first procedure. The poison acts at the site of inflammation and helps the body fight infection on its own. It will also help deal with other bodily problems - eliminating infections, restoring the functioning of the nervous system and stopping the aging of the body.
Treatment with mud
Mud covers provide positive results as adjunctive therapy. The efficiency of the heated mud is higher, so it is recommended to heat it up to 40 degrees before use. Apply mud cake (clay diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 7) on the damaged joint and fix it with a sheet, glue and heat it on top with a towel. The duration of the procedure is 30 minutes. Rinse it with warm water and leave to rest for half an hour. Make wraps at least once a day for a month.
The following types of dirt are used:
- mud;
- peat;
- sapropel.
Gelatin treatment
Gelatin is a natural substance used by mankind for centuries. Its main advantage is that it is not only useful but also completely safe.
Attention!Gelatin helps to improve the condition of the hair, eliminate dryness and hair loss, as well as increase the functionality of the whole body. To cure the hair, it is enough to dilute the powder with cold water and, leaving it to steam, dilute it in equal proportions with shampoo.
What are the benefits of gelatin for the joints? It contains amino acids that give elasticity to the joints and slow down (or stop completely) their destructive changes. In terms of chemical composition, gelatin is collagen and is almost 90% protein, and protein food is especially useful for joint problems.
Patients taking gelatin report a reduction in the pathological process and the intensity of joint pain, which allows them to move more freely. Of course, it can not be considered as the main type of treatment, but in combination with other measures it is very effective.
How to make gelatin:
- Pour a teaspoon of powder with half a glass of cold water (pre-boiled).
- Leave to infuse - should swell.
- In the morning, add hot water to a glass and stir in a teaspoon of honey for sweetness and extra effect.
- After stirring, take the gelatin while it is still warm, in the morning on an empty stomach.
- Course: 10 days of treatment / 10 days of rest for 3 months.
Healing of leeches
Hirudotherapy (or leech therapy) gives positive results in the initial stages of the disease - I and II. The benefit of a leech bite is that its saliva contains enzymes whose action corresponds to the effect of drugs injected into the periarticular area. In addition, leeches improve blood flow to the damaged joint.
In stage III coxarthrosis, the use of leeches eliminates nocturnal joint pain and pain at rest. In the postoperative period, the recovery of damaged muscles and joints is accelerated.
The procedures are conducted with an interval of 2-6 days, the course includes 6-8 sessions. 4 to 8 medicinal leeches are used during the session. Already after 4 sessions there is a noticeable improvement, but the maximum effect is achieved approximately 2 weeks after the end of the course of hirudotherapy.
Herbs
Prescriptions of traditional medicine are often the only way to eliminate a difficult disease. The herbs are applied both topically and internally. Some of them even help with grade III coxarthrosis.
Recipe # 1:
- You will need lemon (3 pcs. ), celery (250 g), garlic (120 g).
- After grinding, put the ingredients in a 3-liter jar, cover with boiling water and warm with a blanket, leaving overnight.
- Take the drug in the morning, 70 g daily, half an hour before meals, for three months. Banks are often enough for 1 month.
Stir and consume one glass every day for a month.
Attention!Before consuming lemon, make sure that stomach acid is not too acidic - citrus fruits increase it.
Recipe # 2. Take 3 lemons, cut them into small pieces together with the peel, pour boiling water (three liters) and leave to cool completely, then dissolve 3 tablespoons of linden honey.
Tip!If your tendons and muscles are pulling, you can make celandine oil. Take 8 tablespoons of flowers and stems of the plant, chop them and cover with 1 liter of olive oil. Leave the oil in a warm place for 2 weeks. When infused, strain it and rub it into the sore spots, isolating them with a warm towel.
Compression for joint pain
Take equal proportions of iodine, glycerin, alcohol and colored honey. After 2-3 hours the medicine will be ready. You should use it by applying it on a cotton swab and rubbing it thoroughly into the skin in the area of the inflamed joint. You need to lubricate the skin from the bottom up, along the lymph and blood. The effectiveness of the compression will be higher if you additionally lubricate the tissues around the area of inflammation - this will improve blood circulation and cause the disease to subside.
Cabbage
Cabbage compress will reduce pain in the damaged joint. You will need a head of cabbage from which you need to separate a few large and fresh leaves before bed. Lubricate the area of inflammation with colored honey and attach the cabbage, then fix it with a plastic bag and warm it with a towel or handkerchief. In the morning, wash the remaining honey and repeat the procedure. You have to walk with a compress until the evening. Repeat the procedure for one month.
Mint
Peppermint ointment for joint pain.
Cut with a knife 50 g of mint leaves and eucalyptus and then add 50 ml of aloe juice.
Mix the ingredients and lubricate the inflamed joints 3 times a day.
Treatment without surgery
Sometimes patients come to a doctor with an extremely advanced stage of coxarthrosis. In this case, it is almost impossible to help them without surgery. However, medical practice shows that regular therapeutic exercise and the appointment of certain drugs can not only reduce the manifestations of the disease, but also almost completely eliminate them.
The treatment in this case is purely individual and consists in addition to gymnastics in taking drugs that strengthen the bones. If the joint can still be saved, it makes sense to prescribe drugs to restore cartilage.
There are a number of alternative methods that help with coxarthrosis:
- Manual therapy.
- Applied kinesiology (motor therapy).
- Hardware clutch.
- Non-apparatus adhesion of the joints (postisometric relaxation).
Preparation
The following groups of drugs help with this diagnosis.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Despite the fact that they do not cure the disease itself, these drugs can effectively eliminate pain and reduce severe inflammation. Their constant intake is not recommended due to the harmful effects on the body.
Chondroprotectors, unlike NVP, not only relieve symptoms but also affect the underlying disease. They restore the structure of cartilage, improve the production of joint fluid. However, they do not work immediately - it will take at least 2-3 courses to achieve positive results.
Attention! Chondroprotectors can help only in the early stages of the disease.
Muscle relaxants (muscle relaxants) are good for relieving muscle spasms surrounding inflamed tissue. They are effective in combination with joint traction and chondroprotectors, because if you do not start to restore the joint itself, relieving the spasm can lead to its accelerated destruction.
Tip!The doctor claims that muscle oxidants rarely help to significantly improve the patient's condition, as their appointment is not always justified.
Vasodilators. They increase blood circulation in the joint, which contributes to its faster recovery, as well as reduce pain, relieve vascular spasms and improve joint nutrition. For a start, the tablets are taken one by one, but after a few days, if there are no side effects, they move on to the recommended course of administration.
Injections
Injections are injected directly into the joint or surrounding tissue. However, most often the injection is not made in the lumen of the damaged joint, but in the periarticular tissue, as there is a high risk of excessive firing, damage to nerve endings.
- Corticosteroid hormones are used to relieve pain.
- The introduction of chondroprotectors through the thigh is very useful (2-3 courses per year).
- Hyaluronic acid, an artificial lubrication of the joints, must be injected into the lumen of the joint, which is very difficult to enter, so the treatment gives only a 30% positive effect.
Ointments
Ointments are not so effective, they do not always reach the joint - the process of rubbing in the ointment itself often has a positive effect, replacing a light massage. You should rub the ointment with clean hands for 15 minutes. circular and spiral movements from bottom to top until a feeling of warmth appears.
The composition of the ointments is different - it can be plant raw materials, bee and snake venom, bovine cartilage extract. Ointments with honey or mustard and other warming components in the composition will be good. You can even prepare such funds yourself. Ointments also have an analgesic effect.
Exercises
Therapeutic gymnastics is very effective in the early stages of the disease and sometimes proves effective even in advanced cases. The main goal of the exercise is to develop the affected joint and strengthen the nearby muscles. If discomfort occurs in the thigh area after exercise, massage should be performed to minimize discomfort.
Important!Do not strain the joint during gymnastics - turn off its axial load, as this can lead to deterioration. Also, try not to make sudden and deep movements.
There is a whole set of exercises that are important to do regularly - in this case the result will be really noticeable.
Here are some exercises.
- I. p. - upright. Grasp the support with both hands and slowly squat 10 times.
- I. p. - upright. Transfer your body weight to your healthy leg and support yourself with your hand on the same side (table or chair back). Slowly swing back and forth with your sore foot.
- I. p. - lying on his stomach. Place your hands on your hips and lift your straight legs sequentially.
- I. p. - stand firmly on both feet and support the support with both hands. Get up on your toes and lower your heels to the floor. Perform - 10 times.
The set of exercises consists of three series and is performed slowly but surely for one hour. It is imperative that you do the exercises correctly.
Diet
Proper nutrition is one of the keys to success in any disease, including osteoarthritis. Here are products that will help restore cartilage tissue and do not provoke weight gain:
- low-fat milk and fermented milk products;
- lean meat and fish;
- елда;
- beans, lentils.
- Fat is essential for normal metabolism. Give preference to unrefined vegetable and oil oils, fish or shark oil.
- Carbohydrates fill the body with energy. It is better to eat complex carbohydrates (vegetables, fruits) than simple ones, which include sugar and other sweets.
- Minerals and vitamins are found in foods such as baked potatoes, bananas, nuts, eggs, chicken, whole grain bread.
Doctors advise to consume no more than 1 teaspoon of salt a day, to give up preservatives, smoked meats and other unhealthy foods high in fat.
Tip!Water is life. In coxarthrosis, drink plenty of water - up to two liters a day.
Prevention
Prevention consists of an active lifestyle, proper nutrition, avoidance of excessive stress on the joints (which athletes often abuse). Be healthy!