Hip pain

Hip pain is localized where the femur joins the pelvis. It is this connection of the bones that ensures a person's normal movement of the legs in each 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 malfunction, the patient feels pain in the hip joints. Bones, muscles, the circumference of joints, cartilage, blood vessels, tendons, nerves and adjacent joints can be affected by the pain syndrome. In this case, the person suffers from unpleasant symptoms that interfere with normal life. When such pain is felt, one is immediately interested in the question of how the syndrome developed and what to do to eliminate it.

Etiology

There are various causes for hip pain. The connection of the femur and pelvis can become inflamed due to injuries, diseases of the joints and tendons, the manifestation of systemic diseases, infectious processes.

The reasons for the formation of pain syndrome can be such non-traumatic factors:

• osteoarthritis;
• osteoarthritis;
• impaired blood supply to bones and joint formation.

With the development of such diseases in the hip joints degenerative changes in the joint surfaces occur. In humans, cartilage and the periarticular sac are damaged, the synovial membrane of the joint is destroyed, the amount of joint fluid decreases, leading to severe pain and joint damage.

To get rid of the unpleasant syndrome, the patient must identify why the hip joint hurts. In order to make a correct diagnosis, the patient must undergo a complete examination. Clinicians have found that hip pain when walking has a fairly simple cause. The following indicators were classified as the most common provoking factors:

• infectious inflammation;
• degenerative changes;
• sprains;
• fractures;
• aseptic necrosis of the femoral head;
• bursitis;
• non-infectious inflammation with autoimmune connective tissue diseases;
• tuberculosis.

It is quite difficult to determine the cause of pain, as it can be caused not only by injuries and diseases, but also by pathological processes in the abdominal cavity, lumbar region and genitals.

Hip pain when walking is often caused by damage to the junction of the bones. Injuries that can provoke such a syndrome include not only dislocation or fracture, but also other causes:

• pelvic injury;
• rupture of the acetabulum;
• stretching;
• violation of the structure of the ligaments and the capsule of the joint.

Also, the causes 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 the hip joint hurts, then most likely the cause lies in the pineal gland, Legg-Calve-Perthes, Still's disease, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and others.

For women during pregnancy there is also characteristic pain 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 various areas of the body. Pelvic pain syndrome 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 injuries;
• lack of calcium;
• the appearance of a focus of inflammation in another area radiating to the groin.

All the above etiological causes can be identified after a complete examination and examination by a physician. During pregnancy, pain in the hip joint is a significant inconvenience for the woman, but after childbirth all the syndromes disappear.

Classification

The unpleasant sensations that a person experiences are related to 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, distension of the joint capsule, inflammation of the synovial membranes.

Extraarticular factors include muscle spasm, impaired venous outflow, which provokes congestion in the subchondral bone, and inflammation in the periarticular tendon.

Clinicians have also identified the types of pain by type:

• mechanical - manifests itself with a load on the joint, increases in the evening and disappears after sleep;
• initial pain - are formed with reactive synovitis, progress with physical activity and then disappear slightly or disappear altogether;
• against the background of tendinitis or tendobursitis - exacerbated in places where damaged tendons and muscles are affected;
• based on spasm of the periarticular muscles;
• hip pain at night - decreases with movement. The syndrome of blood stagnation in the subchondral parts of the bone worsens;
• syndrome of synovial surface damage by osteophytes.

Symptoms

The causes and treatment of the syndrome are interrelated, therefore, to determine the method of therapy, the doctor must identify the clinical picture.

When the hip joint is damaged, the cartilage and cartilage fragments become thinner, which causes inflammation of the inner surface of the pelvis and femur. It is this process that provokes the onset of pain. If there is no cartilage in the joint, then the exposed femur rubs against the pelvis, which manifests itself in severe pain.

Quite often the patient has sensations that pass from one part of the body to another. Patients often experience pain in the hip joint during walking, which can move to the knee, but also to the gluteal and lumbar region. Initially, the syndrome may be unstable and not very pronounced, but as the damage progresses, the intensity of the symptom increases. At this point, the pain becomes permanent, it can occur both during movement and at rest.

Depending on the location of the source 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 joints, but also throughout the thigh and goes to the lower leg. It is also common for inflammation in the lumbar spine to occur in the hip area;
• the patient's mobility decreases - the ability to bend the hip joint 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 inability to walk long distances.

If the symptom is manifested by serious diseases, then the patient may have more severe symptoms of the disease - fever, swelling, headache, weakness, redness of the inflamed area.

Diagnosis

If a person continues to have pain on the right or left side in the area of the hip joint, then he should definitely seek professional advice. In such a problem, the patient may be referred to a rheumatologist, traumatologist, physiotherapist or neurologist.

Before treating a symptom, you should assess the condition and identify the presumed cause of the syndrome. In addition to the visible characteristics of severe inflammation, the condition of the hip joint can be assessed by the following methods:

• lying down look at the lower limbs - in case of dislocation or fracture they occupy a forced position, not parallel to the axis of the body;
• to identify the mobility of the joint, you can make several active movements back and forth - if the pelvic area is damaged, the patient experiences severe pain;
• lying down, passive movements can be found in the mobile joint - clicks, cracking and muscle tension may occur;
• during the examination of the patient the doctor must fully describe all manifestations of the syndrome.

A symptom of pain in the hip joint can be formed by various pathological processes, so it is important for the clinician to make a differential diagnosis of the disease. To determine the cause of pain in the hip joint when sitting and walking, the patient undergoes laboratory and instrumental tests:

• X-ray of the spine, hip area;
• tomography of the spine, pelvis and hip joint;
• vascular patency tests - Doppler, angiography and other methods;
• electromyography;
• general, biochemical, bacteriological, immunological blood test.

Treatment

If the nocturnal pain in the hip joint does not develop very quickly in a person and disappears after a break, then perhaps the cause is a slight injury or strain on the joints. In this case, doctors recommend the use of minor therapeutic measures:

• load reduction;
• provide joint rest;
• use a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug;
• lie on your healthy side.

With strong, strong, constant and prolonged pain you can not without the help of a doctor, especially if there is a noticeable deformity of the joint, redness of the thigh, change in skin tone of the thigh and poor sensitivity. In these circumstances, self-medication can harm the patient and lead to progression of the symptom.

Pain in the hip joint radiating to the leg may subside after the doctor prescribes various therapies. To eliminate the syndrome, doctors prescribe conservative treatment to patients:

• medicines;
• sports with a minimum load;
• weight control;
• physiotherapy;
• auxiliary devices - canes, walkers, crutches;
• avoid heavy loads;
• balancing the emotional state;
• taking vitamins.

The treatment process necessarily consists of drug therapy. To this end, doctors prescribe patients the following drugs:

• diuretics;
• anti-inflammatory;
• muscle relaxants;
• improving microcirculation;
• chondroprotectors;
• vitamins and minerals.

If the pain in the hip joint during pregnancy has started suddenly in a woman, then she should definitely consult a doctor. She may be prescribed multivitamins, calcium, moderate physical activity and a bandage. To reduce symptoms and prevent complications, the doctor advises the expectant mother to follow simple rules:

• reduce the number of stairs and long walks;
• do not sit for more than an hour;
• it is forbidden to sit and lie on a hard surface;
• in night pain it is recommended to turn the body in parts, first the upper and then the pelvis;
• eat foods high in calcium and vitamin complexes;
• weight control;
• wear a bandage;
• reducing the load on the pelvis and thighs.

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, these methods can be used without consulting your doctor:

• massage;
• physiotherapy;
• manual therapy.

The treatment of hip pain with folk remedies is still used in medicine, but doctors resort to such means in some cases and only as an additional method of therapy. Patients can apply compresses, make tinctures, decoctions and lotions. Each of these drugs has an analgesic effect and helps to improve the patient's condition. Patients are advised to use the following plants and ingredients:

• lilac leaves;
• honey;
• lemon;
• saber;
• lard;
• ficus leaves;
• garlic;
• celery.

All ingredients are quite familiar and are often used in traditional medicine, but can be used after consulting a doctor. If you make the wrong proportion, you can harm the body and provoke complications. In the treatment of such a syndrome, it is also very important to observe the restrictions on physical activity, so as not to provoke an increase in unpleasant symptoms.