Pain in the hip joint

Powerful, complex in structure, bearing large loads, the hip joint is subject to various pathologies that lead to the onset and development of pain.

hip joint pain

Hip pain occurs due to:

  • injuries;
  • infectious infection;
  • destructive processes in the joints;
  • inflammation;
  • metabolic disturbances.

A person can feel that he "gives" in the groin, buttocks, knee. Perhaps the appearance of lameness, muscle atrophy, their weakness, limited functionality of the limbs.

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

  • starting (until you "scatter");
  • night;
  • afternoon;
  • constant (light, medium, strong).

Why does the leg hurt in the hip area?

leg pain in the hip area

There are quite a few articular and extra-articular ailments that lead to pain syndrome. Among them:

  • coxarthrosis;
  • arthritis of various nature;
  • pseudogout;
  • Kenning's disease;
  • fractures, dislocations, bruises;
  • tendonitis;
  • myositis;
  • bursitis.

Pain in the hip joint: which doctor should I go to?

hip joint injections

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

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

diagnostic measures

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

During the first visit, the doctor's task is to collect an anamnesis. A person is asked about lifestyle, physical activity, whether there is a relative who suffers from joint diseases. An 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 pain-giving ailments.

In addition, various laboratory tests and hardware studies are assigned. As a general rule, resort to:

  • tomography;
  • bone scan;
  • endoscopy

You will need immunological and microbiological blood tests, a rheumatoid factor test. You may need to examine the synovial fluid in the joint.

treatment methods

Due to the fact that the 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 with an injury. In case of fracture or dislocation, a rheumatologist or surgeon will prescribe immobilization of the joint. In infectious and purulent pathologies, it is necessary to take a course of antibiotics.

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

  • non-steroidal;
  • diuretics;
  • chondroprotectors;
  • muscle relaxants;
  • vitamin complexes.
hip pain symptoms

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

How the hip joint hurts, what symptoms characterize diseases that can cause pain, we have considered traditional treatment methods. However, various diseases of the joints have been known to man for many thousands of years. Therefore, traditional medicine has developed a significant amount of knowledge on how to help a patient with joint concern. Of course, herbal medicine, lotions, compresses, ingestion of decoctions and tinctures cannot be the main method of treatment, but doctors recommend it as an adjunct to the main therapy. Himself, without consulting a specialist, you can not drink or apply anything, because there is a danger of getting an allergy, a burn, or simply wasting time and effort without getting results.

Treatment of pain in the hip joint with folk remedies helps to obtain an anesthetic effect and strengthens the body. Quite often, alternative medicine offers public components: burdock roots, pork fat, garlic, cinquefoil, dandelion, leaves of berry bushes, buds and fruits. For example, the usual rosehip broth is a storehouse of vitamin C and an excellent diuretic, removing excess fluid and unnecessary salts, reducing the load on the legs and heart.

Pain radiates to the leg when walking: causes, symptoms

If you feel pain when walkingthighcovering the body oflower backon the lower leg, or located in the hip area, you should see a doctor. Diseases of the hip joints, experiencing large loads duringwalking, running, fitness classes, progress quickly and can lead to 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 should be examined and treatment started 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 its destruction.

general description

The hip joint is multiaxial, cup-shaped. Combines the pelvis and femur into a single system, allowing a person to walk, liftlegup and book. It works with every step, squatting. Although the joint is healthy, we do not feel it. But with inflammation, pinching.nerves, there is severe, intense or sharp pain. is located inthigh, but with the progression of the disease, it spreads,bring backinleg, inlower back.

Notreatinflammatory process:

  • the size of the joint bag, which contains synovial fluid, an intra-articular lubricant that reduces friction and slows wear on the joints, is reduced;
  • the membranes that protect the joint are damaged;
  • cartilaginous, bone tissue is destroyed.

Prevention

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

The destruction of cartilage, bone tissue occurs with a lack of calcium and other trace elements. Include more vegetables, lean fish, dairy products, cheeses in the menu. Take the vitamin and mineral complexes recommended by your doctor. Avoid injury. Don't wear uncomfortable shoes. Walk more, 2-3 times a weekdoExercises to strengthen and stretch muscles.

Causes of pain

Hipmaybeto get sick:

  • after an uncomfortable fall, blow - if the pain does not go away in 2-3 days, you need to visit a traumatologist,dobone scan;
  • with the development of arthrosis - the joint becomes inflamed, the pain is felt at rest and intensifies withwalking;
  • with arthritis - aching pain, aggravated at night;
  • in violation of metabolism, blood flow - the tissues do not receive enough nutrients, oxygen, the removal of toxins is delayed;
  • if an infection enters - abrasions, scratches, purulent rashes on the thigh can become a gateway for infection, penetrating into the joint, causing acute infectious bursitis with sharp excruciating pain;
  • with diabetes mellitus, other systemic diseases;
  • with inflammatory processes in the body, accompanied by fever or with risk of extension to the joint.

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

varieties of pain

Acute pain in the hip joint occurs with injuries and local inflammatory processes. You can start withCorrecteitherleftside, but with the development of inflammation, it covers the circumferencehips, bring backinlower back, inlegs. The doctor, after examining, will prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs that will quickly relieve pain. But sometimes it is required to continue treatment after its disappearance in order to eliminate the causes that caused the inflammation.

With severe pain, it is more difficult for a doctor to make a correct diagnosis. It can arise in one place and give to another. If it appears periodically, you should note what its manifestations are connected with: at rest, withwalking, squats, sudden movements.

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

Diseases and their characteristic symptoms.

Pain inthighThey occur with various diseases:

  • bursitis;
  • osteoarthritis;
  • coxarthrosis;
  • arthritis;
  • inflammation of the ligaments;
  • neuralgia.

Bursitis

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

Osteoarthritis

A chronic disease in which the bone and cartilage tissues of the joint are destroyed. It develops after injuries, during menopause in women, with metabolic disorders, with excessive stress in athletes, and during heavy physical labor. Feeling tired in the early stages. walkingpain with sudden movementsfeet.If you start treatment at an early stage, the progression of osteoarthritis can be slowed down considerably and motor activity can be maintained into old age. In the second stage, destructive processes in the joint affectnerves. The pain appears in the morning and disappears in the afternoon. She candonateon knees,lower back. There is swelling of the tissues. With the progression of osteoarthritis, pain persists throughout the day, mobility is limited.

coxarthrosis

With coxarthrosis, the composition of the synovial fluid changes. It does not lubricate the components of the joint, and with each movement, severe pain is felt, the head of the femur is displaced and deformed. The disease develops in old age or after injuries. In the initial stage, aching pain is felt withCorrecteitherleftside as she walks. when under deformationpinched nerves, the pain intensifies, lameness appears. in the third stagelefteitherCorrectthe leg is shortened due to the deformity of the femoral head, the difference can be 1-1. 5 cm.

Arthritis

aching pain on the outsidehipsbuttocks 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.

inflammation of the ligaments

Tendonitis - inflammation of the ligaments, tendons are manifested by excruciating pain, swelling, redness of the skin, creaking when walking, fever. The inflamed tissue canpinchnerve endings, which increases the pain symptom. is prohibitedtreattheir own pain relievers. Such treatment can cause complications - the development of tendinosis, when the inflamed ligaments begin to collapse.

Neuralgia

if athe hip hurts, it gives in the legburning pain along its lateral surface, additional examinations are carried out to confirm neuralgia,causes of pinched nerve.

other symptoms

To understand if there is a pathology in the hip joint or if the pain is caused by the fact thatosteochondrosis gives on the leg, the following symptoms will help:

  • when walking, running, bending over, the joint creaks or clicks;
  • flexibility is lost, freedom of movement is limited: it is difficult to bend over, climb stairs, sit down;
  • body temperature risesosteochondrosisthere is no such symptom;
  • gait changes;
  • Pain symptoms are manifested when walking, trying to lift, push the leg away, but the movements of the body, hands do not cause discomfort.

pathology diagnosis

Aosteochondrosisand pathologies of the hip joint similar symptoms. To make an accurate diagnosis, the doctor examines the patient, clarifies the complaints, the nature and localization of pain. To determine,how to treat the diseasewhich drugs are contraindicated for the patient, additional examinations are prescribed:

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

Features of pain treatment of different nature

There is no single scheme for the treatment of pathologies of the hip joint. Arthritis only needs medication iftightThe nerve 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 progressing, patients take hormonal drugs. In addition to drug therapy, physiotherapy is carried out.

Bursitis is treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. If the tests show a strong inflammatory process, injections are made directly into the joint. The doctor chooses a solution for injection after having studied the features of the course of the disease, the general condition of the patient's body. With a high risk of complications, a severe course of the disease, treatment with a corticosteroid is performed.

In the initial stages of coxarthrosis, treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs is effective. But if the patient did not go to the doctor when she felt thathurtsleg when walking, and the disease is advanced, a total or partial replacement of the joint is needed. To restore cartilage tissue, condoprotectors are prescribed.

In pathologies of connective tissues, glucocorticosteroids are prescribed.

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

Inflamed hip joint what to do how to treat

Septic arthritis of the hip. Diagnosis and treatment

Septic arthritis- a disease of childhood, and for the hip joint, the average age is even lower than for arthritis of other localization: 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 refusal to walk is often associated with bacterial infections of the hip joint.

In oneresearch, during which the authors excluded all patients who refused to walk due to obvious prior pathology, found that in 21 of 22 patients the cause was a bacterial infection. Osteomyelitis and septic arthritis occurred with equal frequency, accounting for 14 cases out of 22. Discitis also occurred in a significant number of cases.
Raisedtemperatureit was in 82% of patients with a bacterial infection, but only 17% of those without an infection. The number of leukocytes in the blood and ESR did not increase.

Pathogenesis of septic arthritis of the hip joint

Aseptic arthritis of the hipIn the inflammatory process, Staphylococcus aureus is most often sown. The infection usually affects the joint cavity from an osteomyelitic focus within the joint capsule. Osteomyelitis, as a rule, is of hematogenous origin and affects the metaphysis of the thigh, penetrating through the blood vessels. Infection may surface as a subperiosteal abscess.

Inflammation of the hip joint.it usually develops due to the penetration of the pathogen 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 the result of osteomyelitis of the femoral neck. In infants, it may result from hematogenous spread in generalized sepsis.

Articular cartilagecannot withstand the increase in intra-articular pressure caused by the pus produced by staphylococci. In addition, staphylococcus produces a staphylocinase activator, which contributes to the destruction of articular cartilage. Cartilage can withstand these forces for 4-5 days before destructive changes begin. Other organisms that can cause septic arthritis of the hip in children include pyogenic streptococcus and Pfeiffer's bacillus.

strep infectionit is usually accompanied by a much more rapid increase in signs and symptoms. Pfeiffer's 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.

hip joint diagnosis

Clinical picture of septic arthritis of the hip joint.

Usually,little boyShe is admitted to the emergency department with a high fever, irritability, and severe pain in the affected hip joint, accompanied by severe limitation of movement in all directions and muscle spasm. The child walks with a limp or refuses to walk. The affected hip is flexed, turned outward, and abducted. During the examination, the patient has pain in the groin and above the hip joint, intoxication.

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

In one study, all patients had some degree of soft tissue inflammation in the hip area. The younger the child, the more likely they are to detect joint space expansion. In another study, many patients had normal x-rays at the start. The most typical was a pathological subluxation of the hip with widening of the joint space. Some patients had osteomyelitis of the proximal femur.

Differential diagnosis of septic arthritis of the hip

Septic arthritis of the hipIt must be differentiated from other diseases. Transient synovitis can manifest as severe pain, severe lameness, and limited movement in the hip joint. Radioisotope scanning helps differentiate this disease from septic arthritis. If this is not possible, then skin traction in the hospital bed 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 differentiate, but these patients are usually registered for this disease. Suspecting this pathology, urgent decompression is indicated to avoid damage to the femoral head due to increased intra-articular pressure.

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

Treatment of septic arthritis of the hip

perhaps most importantmomentWhat the emergency physician must take into account is that the delay in the diagnosis of this disease and the late initiation of treatment worsen the prognosis and evolution of this disease. In one study, a poor outcome was seen in almost all cases when treatment was started more than 4 days after the onset of symptoms.

Purpose of the treatment- removal of effusions from the joint to prevent the destruction of articular cartilage and the formation of adhesions, as well as decompression of the joint to prevent deterioration of the blood supply to the epiphysis. Adequate doses of parenteral antibiotics are required. Initially it is recommended to use antibiotics from the penicillin group, but recently other drugs have been preferred. An important component of treatment is puncture of the joint cavity and its washing. The physician should select the appropriate antibiotic based on the most likely organism to be suspected based on the patient's age and onset characteristics. Inoculation and Gram stain play an important role in the choice of antibiotic.

It is most often foundstaph arthritis, amenable to therapy with methicillin or oxacillin. If gonococcal arthritis is suspected in adults, it is recommended to prescribe intravenous penicillin at a dose of 10 million IU/day.

Unfortunately, a way to completely get rid of coxarthrosis has not yet been invented. Even joint arthroplasty does not guarantee that dystrophic changes will stop in it. Of course, the sooner the diagnosis is made, the easier it will be to keep the disease under control and prevent relapses. With a disease in stages 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 full diagnosis. The task of treatment of arthrosis in this case is to increase the joint space, restore the efficiency of the joint and, as far as possible, regenerate cartilage tissue.

If you experience frequent or recurring hip pain, do not close your eyes. Will it be possible to detect the disease at an early stage? You can stop the disease and prevent its development. If the doctor will please you with the absence of a serious diagnosis, so much the better! Continue to lead a healthy lifestyle and do not forget to visit the orthopedist regularly; after all, the first alarm bell has already sounded.