Pain in the hip joint

A strong, complex structure that withstands large loads, the hip joint is subject to various pathologies that lead to the appearance and development of pain.

Hip pain occurs due to:

• injury;
• contagious infection;
• destructive processes in the joints;
• inflammation;
• metabolic disorders.

One can feel that he "gives" in the groin, buttocks, knees. Perhaps the appearance of lameness, muscle atrophy, their weakness, limited function of limbs.

Practice shows that the nature and intensity of the pain syndrome can be different:

• starts (until you "disperse");
• night;
• afternoon;
• constant (mild, medium, strong).

Why does the leg hurt in the hip area

There are many articular and extra-articular diseases that lead to pain syndrome. Among them:

• coxarthrosis;
• arthritis of various nature;
• pseudogout;
• Eyebrow disease;
• broken bones, dislocations, bruises;
• tendinitis;
• myositis;
• bursitis.

Hip joint pain: which doctor should I go to?

It is clear that the number of pathologies that lead to hip pain or numbness cannot be treated by a specialist. Most likely, you need to contact a traumatologist or a rheumatologist. It is possible that a consultation with a surgeon is required. Due to the fact that pain "shoots" in the groin, buttocks, lower abdomen, a person can be referred to a neurologist. So, coxarthrosis "disguises" as sciatica, problems with nerve roots, herniated discs. But the opposite situation is also possible, when neurological pathology is suspected, but articular disease is detected.

Women often cannot distinguish the cause of pain in the groin - inflammation is appendages or joint disease. A visit to a gynecologist will bring clarity. A urologist will help men determine if there is any prostate pathology.

Diagnostic steps

In medical practice, a well-coordinated scheme has been developed, the use of which allows a person to fully determine why the hip joint hurts, what to do and how to treat it.

During the first visit, the doctor's task is to collect anamnesis. A person is asked about lifestyle, physical activity, knowing if there are relatives suffering from arthritis. External examination of the joint and its palpation are also carried out. In the presence of inflammation, this will help narrow the circle of hypothetical diseases that cause pain.

Further, various laboratory tests and hardware studies are given. As a rule, use:

• tomography;
• radiography;
• endoscopy.

You need immunological and microbiological blood tests, tests for rheumatoid factor. You may need to check the synovial fluid of the joint.

Treatment Methods

Due to the fact that pathologies are quite diverse, they cannot be treated according to a single scheme. For example, inflammation of the hip joint, its symptoms and treatment will be different from the work of a doctor who has an injury. In the event of a fracture or dislocation, a rheumatologist or surgeon will prescribe joint immobilization. In infectious and purulent pathologies, it is necessary to take a course of antibiotics.

Inflammatory and degenerative diseases require the use of the following drug groups:

• non-steroidal;
• diuretics;
• chondroprotector;
• muscle relaxants;
• vitamin complex.

In this case, the treatment is long, carried out by several courses, which can last several years. In addition to drug therapy, a person does exercise, makes efforts to lose weight, undergoes physiotherapy procedures. If it is not possible to help the patient with conservative methods, surgical methods should be used.

How does the hip joint hurt, what symptoms characterize the disease that can cause pain, we have considered traditional methods of treatment. However, various joint diseases have been known to man for thousands of years. Therefore, traditional medicine has developed a large amount of knowledge on how to help patients who are concerned about the joints. Of course, herbal medicines, lotions, compresses, taking decoctions and tinctures cannot be the main method of treatment, but doctors recommend them as an addition to the main therapy. Alone, without consulting a specialist, you should not drink or apply anything, because there is a danger of getting allergic, burning, or just wasting time and effort without getting results.

Treatment of pain in the hip joint with folk remedies helps to get an anesthetic effect, strengthens the body. Often, alternative medicine offers public components: burdock root, lard, garlic, cinquefoil, dandelion, berry bush leaves, buds and fruits. For example, ordinary rosehip soup is a storehouse of vitamin C and an excellent diuretic that removes excess fluid and unnecessary salt, reducing the load on the legs and heart.

Pain radiating to the leg when walking - causes, symptoms

If you feel pain while walkingthighcover the body fromlower backto the bottom of the leg, or localized in the hip area, you need to see a doctor. Diseases of the hip joints, which suffer from a high current loadwalk, running, fitness classes, progress rapidly and can cause disability. In order for the movement to bring joy and benefit, monitor the health of the musculoskeletal system. If there are symptoms of pain, you need to be examined and start treatment as soon as possible. In most diseases, bone tissue, cartilage, and joints are destroyed, which cannot be restored. You can only remove the inflammatory process, stop or slow down their destruction.

General description

The hip joint is multiaxial, cup-shaped. It combines the pelvis and femur into one system, which allows a person to walk, liftlegstop and set aside. It works with every step, squat. When the joint is healthy, we don't feel it. But with inflammation, pinchingnerves, there is pain, pain that is getting stronger or sharper. It is localized atthigh, but with the development of the disease, it spreads,give backinlegs, inlower back.

If nottreatinflammatory process:

• the size of the articular bag is reduced, which contains synovial fluid - an intra-articular lubricant that reduces friction and slows joint wear;
• the membrane that protects the joint is damaged;
• cartilage, bone tissue is destroyed.

Prevention

It is possible to protect the hip joint from destruction, to maintain mobility until old age, if you monitor your health. Diseases of the musculoskeletal system cause excess weight. It increases the load on the articular joints, and they wear out faster. Not only weight in kilograms and height are important, but also the ratio of muscle and adipose tissue. Strong, working out in the gym, muscles form a muscular corset that supports the body in an upright position, reducing the load on the spine, hip and knee joints, and legs.

Destruction of cartilage, bone tissue occurs with a lack of calcium and other trace elements. Include more vegetables, lean fish, dairy products, cheese in the menu. Take a mineral-vitamin complex recommended by your doctor. Avoid injury. Do not wear uncomfortable shoes. Walk more, 2-3 times a weekmakeexercises to strengthen and stretch muscles.

Cause of pain

Hipsmaybefall ill:

• after an awkward fall, blow - if the pain does not go away in 2-3 days, you need to visit a traumatologist,makeradiography;
• with the development of arthrosis - the joint becomes inflamed, the pain is felt at rest and intensifies withwalk;
• with arthritis - aching pain, worse at night;
• violation of metabolism, blood flow - tissues do not receive enough nutrients, oxygen, the removal of toxins is delayed;
• if the infection enters - abrasions, scratches, purulent rashes on the thigh can be the entrance for infection, penetrating into the joint, it causes acute infectious bursitis with unbearable acute pain;
• with diabetes mellitus, other systemic diseases;
• with inflammatory processes in the body, accompanied by fever or with the risk of spreading to the joints.

It is impossible to make an accurate diagnosis on your own. For pain that does not go away for 2-3 days, you need to see a doctor,makesurvey.

Various pains

Acute pain in the hip joint occurs with injuries and local inflammatory processes. It may start withrightorleft behindside, but with the development of inflammation, covering the circumferencehips,give backinlower back, inlegs. The doctor, after examining, will prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs that will relieve the pain quickly. But sometimes it is necessary to continue treatment after its loss to eliminate the causes that cause inflammation.

With excruciating pain, it is more difficult for doctors to make the correct diagnosis. It can arise in one place, and give to another. If it appears periodically, you need to see what is related to its manifestation: during rest, withwalk, squatting, sudden movements.

If pain symptoms appear for more than 6 months, the disease has become chronic. To establish a diagnosis, hardware examinations are carried out: X-ray, ultrasound, MRI,doingblood analysis.

Diseases and their characteristic symptoms

Deep painthighoccurs with various diseases:

• bursitis;
• osteoarthritis;
• coxarthrosis;
• arthritis;
• ligament inflammation;
• neuralgia.

Bursitis

Bursitis is an inflammatory process in the articular bag. It is manifested by acute pain, fever, deterioration in general well-being. Under the skin, a hot, painful lump forms. HealingThis disease is an orthopedic traumatologist.

Osteoarthritis

A chronic disease in which bone tissue and joint cartilage are destroyed. It develops after injury, during menopause in women, with metabolic disorders, with excessive stress in athletes and during heavy physical work. Feeling tired in the early stageswalkpain with sudden movementlegs.If you start treatment at an early stage, the progression of osteoarthritis can be very slow and motor activity can be maintained in old age. In the second stage, destructive processes in the joints affectnerves. The pain comes in the morning and goes away in the afternoon. He cangiveon the knees,lower back. There is tissue swelling. With the development of osteoarthritis, pain continues all the time, mobility is limited.

Coxarthrosis

With coxarthrosis, the composition of the synovial fluid changes. It does not lubricate the joint components, and with every movement, severe pain is felt, the head of the femur is displaced and deformed. This disease develops in old age or after an injury. In the early stages, pain is felt withrightorleft behindside while walking. When experiencing deformationpinched nerve, pain intensifies, lameness appears. In the third stageleft behindorrightthe leg is shortened due to deformation of the femoral head, the difference can be 1-1. 5 cm.

Joint pain

It hurts outsidehipsback many consider symptomsosteochondrosis. But when making a diagnosis, it is necessary to exclude or confirm arthritis with hardware diagnostics. Different types of arthritis are diagnosed: purulent, rheumatoid, tuberculous, psoriatic, reactive.

Ligament inflammation

Tendinitis - inflammation of ligaments, tendons is manifested by unbearable pain, swelling, redness of the skin, creaking noise when walking, fever. Inflamed tissue canPinchnerve endings, which increase pain symptoms. It is forbiddentreathis own painkillers. Such treatment can give a complication - the development of tendinosis, when the inflamed ligament begins to collapse.

Neuralgia

In casehip hurts, gives way in legsburning pain along the side surface, additional examination is carried out to confirm neuralgia,cause of pinched nerve.

Other symptoms

To understand if there is pathology in the hip joint or if the pain is due to that factosteochondrosis gives in the legs, the following symptoms will help:

• when walking, running, bending, joints crackle or click;
• flexibility is lost, freedom of movement is limited - it is difficult to bend, climb stairs, sit;
• body temperature rises,osteochondrosisno such symptoms;
• gait changes;
• symptoms of pain manifest themselves when walking, trying to lift, move the legs, but the movement of the body, hands does not cause discomfort.

Pathological diagnosis

Onosteochondrosisand hip joint pathology of the same symptoms. To make an accurate diagnosis, the doctor examines the patient, explains the complaints, nature and localization of the pain. To determine,how to treat diseasewhich drugs are contraindicated for patients, additional examinations are prescribed:

• blood test - it shows whether there is an inflammatory process in the body, how strong it is;
• urinalysis - reveals hidden edema, disorders in the excretory system, the level of intoxication of the body;
• blood test for the amount of fibrinogen, other non-specific markers;
• rheumatic test - determine the rheumatoid factor;
• proteinogram - reveals inflammatory processes, malignant and benign neoplasms, characterizes the composition of protein compounds in the blood;
• radiography - showing the condition of bones, cartilage, tendons, revealing fractures, cracks, ruptures, dislocations, the degree of destruction or deformation;
• magnetic resonance or computed tomography is needed to see pathology of soft tissues: muscles, ligaments;
• Ultrasound - shows the condition of the joints, an increase in the volume of their membranes during inflammation, the presence of synovial fluid in various parts of the joint.

Characteristics of pain treatment of different nature

There is no single scheme for the treatment of hip joint pathology. Arthritis only needs medication ifstucknerve endings are different. The doctor, after diagnosing, prescribes treatment, taking into account the stage of the disease, gender, age of the patient, other chronic diseases, and possible allergic reactions.

Painful sensations, inflammation in arthritis are suppressed by anti-inflammatory drugs. To prevent the disease from developing, patients take hormonal drugs. In addition to drug therapy, physiotherapy is carried out.

Bursitis is treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. If the test shows a strong inflammatory process, the injection is made directly into the joint. The doctor chooses an injection solution, after studying the characteristics of the course of the disease, the general condition of the patient's body. With a high risk of complications, severe disease, treatment with corticosteroids is performed.

In the early stages of coxarthrosis, treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs is effective. But if the patient does not go to the doctor when he feels thatheartachelegs when walking, and the disease progresses, complete or partial joint replacement is required. To restore cartilage tissue, chondoprotectors are prescribed.

In connective tissue pathology, glucocorticosteroids are prescribed.

It is impossible to use strong drugs on your own, without the supervision of a doctor. During therapy, the doctor monitors the general condition of the body, periodically prescribing blood and urine tests.

Inflamed hip joint what to do how to treat

Septic arthritis of the hip. Diagnosis and treatment

Septic arthritis- a childhood disease, and for the hip joint, the average age is lower than other localized arthritis: 70% of cases occur in children under 4 years of age. The younger the child, the worse the outcome of hip arthritis. A child's reluctance to walk is often associated with a bacterial infection of the hip joint.

In oneresearch, where the authors excluded all patients who refused to walk because of obvious previous pathology, it was found that in 21 out of 22 patients the cause was a bacterial infection. Osteomyelitis and septic arthritis occur with equal frequency and account for 14 cases out of 22. Discitis also occurs in a large number of cases.
Increasetemperaturewas in 82% of patients with bacterial infection, but in only 17% of those without infection. The number of leukocytes in the blood and ESR did not increase.

Pathogenesis of septic arthritis of the hip joint

Onseptic arthritis of the hipIn the inflammatory process, Staphylococcus aureus is most often seeded. Infection usually affects the joint cavity from an osteomyelitic focus in the joint capsule. Osteomyelitis, as a rule, is of hematogenous origin and affects the metaphysis of the thigh, penetrating through the supply channel. Infection can come to the surface in the form of a subperiosteal abscess.

Hip joint inflammationusually develops due to pathogen penetration from the focus of osteomyelitis in the neck of the femur into the joint capsule. There is a significant difference between the development of the disease in older and younger children. In older children, this disease is usually caused by osteomyelitis of the femoral neck. In infants, it may result from hematogenous spread in generalized septicemia.

articular cartilageunable to withstand increased intra-articular pressure caused by pus produced by staphylococci. In addition, staphylococcus produces an activator of staphylokinase, which contributes to the destruction of articular cartilage. Cartilage can withstand this force for 4-5 days before the onset of destructive changes. Other organisms that can cause septic arthritis of the hip in children include pyogenic streptococcus and Pfeiffer's bacillus.

streptococcal infectionusually accompanied by a more rapid improvement in signs and symptoms. Pfeiffer bacillus infection is usually responsible for septic arthritis that develops in children in the first 12 months of life, although it can occur in the first 2 years of life. Gonococcal arthritis should be suspected in young adults.

Clinical picture of septic arthritis of the hip joint

Usually,childYou are admitted to the emergency department with a high fever, irritability, and severe pain in the affected hip joint, accompanied by significant limitation of movement in it in all directions and muscle spasms. The child walks with a limp or refuses to walk at all. The affected hip is flexed, externally rotated and abducted. During the examination, the patient experienced pain in the groin and above the hip joint, dizziness.

Numberleukocytesin synovial fluid, on average, it is 57, 000 µl, but it can vary from 10, 000 to 250, 000 µl. Shift of the formula to the left is characteristic, positive blood culture in more than 50% of cases. The level of mucin in the joint fluid was lowered in all cases, as well as the level of glucose compared to its content in the blood in most of the patients examined. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate is usually increased.

In one study, all patients had some degree of soft tissue swelling in the hip area. The younger the child, the more likely it is to detect the expansion of the joint space. In other studies, many patients had normal radiographs initially. The most typical is pathological subluxation of the hip with widening of the joint space. Some patients have osteomyelitis of the proximal femur.

Differential diagnosis of septic arthritis of the hip

Septic arthritis of the hipshould be distinguished from some other diseases. Temporary synovitis can be manifested by severe pain, severe lameness and limitation of movement in the hip joint. Radioisotope scanning helps distinguish this disease from septic arthritis. If it is not possible to conduct it, skin traction on the bed in the hospital will help to make a differential diagnosis. A significant improvement in the condition with a decrease in symptoms within 24 hours indicates transient synovitis.

If the doctor suspectsseptic arthritis, the joint should be punctured, the effusion removed, and antibiotic treatment started. Hemophilia can be difficult to distinguish, but such patients are usually registered for this disease. If this disease is suspected, immediate decompression is indicated to prevent damage to the femoral head due to increased intra-articular pressure.

Rheumatic attackmay present with significant pain and limited range of motion in the hip joint. As a rule, with this disease there is unstable arthritis and arthralgia, which helps in the differential diagnosis.

Treatment of septic arthritis of the hip

Perhaps the most importantfor a whileWhat emergency physicians should be aware of is that delays in diagnosing this disease and late starting treatment worsen the prognosis and outcome of this disease. In one study, a poor outcome was noted in almost all cases when treatment was started more than 4 days after the onset of symptoms.

Purpose of treatment- removal of effusion from the joint to prevent destruction of articular cartilage and adhesion formation, as well as joint decompression to prevent impaired blood supply to the epiphysis. An adequate dose of parenteral antibiotics is required. Initially, it was recommended to use antibiotics from the penicillin group, but recently other drugs are preferred. An important component of the treatment is the puncture of the joint cavity and its washing. The doctor should choose the appropriate antibiotic based on the most likely suspected microorganism based on the patient's age and onset characteristics. Inoculation and Gram staining play an important role in antibiotic selection.

Most often foundstaphylococcal arthritis, can receive therapy with methicillin or oxacillin. If gonococcal arthritis is suspected in adults, it is recommended to prescribe penicillin intravenously at a dose of 10 million IU / day.

Unfortunately, a way to get rid of coxarthrosis completely has not been invented. Even joint arthroplasty does not guarantee that dystrophic changes will stop in it. Of course, the earlier the diagnosis is made, the easier it is to control the disease and prevent recurrence. With the disease at stage 1-2, it is quite possible to live and feel comfortable if you follow some rules and restrictions.

Treatment will be effective only after a comprehensive diagnosis. The task of treating osteoarthritis in this case is to increase joint space, restore joint efficiency, and, to the extent possible, regenerate cartilage tissue.

If you have frequent or recurring hip pain, don't close your eyes. Is it possible to detect the disease at an early stage? You can stop the disease and prevent its development. If the doctor will please you in the absence of a serious diagnosis, even better! Continue to live a healthy lifestyle and do not forget to visit the orthopedist regularly - after all, the first alarm bells have already sounded.