Hip pain is localized at the junction of the femur with the pelvis. It is this connection of the bones that allows a person to move his legs normally in any plane. The hip joint is considered to be the largest moving 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 malfunction, the patient feels pain in the hip joints. Bones, muscles, joint circumference, cartilage, veins, tendons, nerves, and adjacent joints can be affected by pain syndrome. In this case, the person suffers from unpleasant symptoms that interfere with normal life. When such pain is felt, the person is immediately interested in the question of how the syndrome developed and what to do to eliminate it.
Etiology
Hip pain has a variety of causes. The joint of the femur and pelvis can become inflamed due to injuries, diseases of the joints and tendons, from the manifestation of systemic problems, infectious processes.
The reasons for the development of pain syndrome can be such non-traumatic factors:
- osteoarthritis;
- osteoarthritis;
- failure to supply blood to bones and form joints.
With the development of such problems in the hip joints, degenerative changes occur on the joint surfaces. In humans, cartilage and periarticular sac are damaged, the synovial membrane of the joint is destroyed, the amount of joint fluid is reduced, which leads to severe pain and joint disorders.
To get rid of the unpleasant syndrome, the patient needs to determine why the hip joint hurts. In order to make a correct diagnosis, the patient must undergo a complete examination. Clinicians have found that pain in the hip joint when walking has a fairly simple cause. The following indicators are assigned 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 connective tissue diseases;
- tuberculosis.
The cause of pain is quite difficult to determine, because it can be caused not only by injuries and diseases, but also by pathological processes in the abdominal cavity, lumbar region and genitals.
Pain in the hip joint when walking is often caused by damage to the bone joint. Injuries that can cause a similar syndrome include not only dislocation or fracture, but also other reasons:
- pelvic contusion;
- acetabular rupture;
- stretching;
- violation of the structure of the ligaments and capsules of the joint.
Also, the causes of 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 the most probable reason lies in the pineal gland, Legg-Calve-Perthes, Still's disease, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, etc.
Hip pain is also characteristic of women during pregnancy. During this period, a woman's body changes significantly and the functionality of many organs changes, so pregnant women can often feel pain in different parts of the body. Pelvic joint 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;
- calcium deficiency;
- the appearance of foci of inflammation in the second zone, which radiates to the groin.
All the above etiological reasons can be identified after a complete examination and examination by a physician. During pregnancy, pain in the hip joint is a significant inconvenience for a woman, but after childbirth, all syndromes disappear.
Classification
Unpleasant sensations that a person experiences are related to intra-articular and extra-articular factors. The first category of reasons includes the creation of effusions in the joint, increased stress, trabecular fractures and ruptures of intra-articular ligaments, stretching of the joint capsule, inflammation in the synovial membranes.
Extraarticular factors include muscle spasm, impaired venous outflow, which causes congestion in the subchondral bone and inflammation in the periarticular tendon.
Clinicians also identified types of pain by type:
- mechanical - manifested by strain on the joint, increases in the evening and subsides after sleep;
- initial pain - occurs with reactive synovitis, progresses with physical activity, and then recedes slightly or, in general, disappears;
- on the background of tendinitis or tendobursitis - worsen in places where damaged tendons and muscles are affected;
- based on periarticular muscle spasm;
- hip pain at night - decreases with movement. Blood stagnation syndrome in subchondral parts of bone worsens;
- syndrome of synovial surface damage by osteophytes.
Symptoms
The causes and treatment of the syndrome are interrelated, therefore, in order to determine the method of therapy, the physician needs to identify the clinical picture.
When the hip joint is damaged, the cartilage and fragments of cartilage become thinner, which causes inflammation of the inner surface of the pelvis and femur. It is this process that causes pain. If there is no cartilage in the joint, then the exposed femoral bone rubs against the pelvic bone, which is manifested by a strong pain syndrome.
Very often the patient has feelings that pass from one part of the body to another. Often, patients feel pain in the hip during walking, which can move to the knee, but also to the gluteal and lumbar region. The syndrome may be unstable at first and not very pronounced, however, as the damage progresses, the intensity of the symptoms increases. At this moment, the pain becomes constant, it can be manifested both during movement and at rest.
Depending on the localization of the focus of inflammation, pain in the hip joint has different manifestations and symptoms:
- in the case of damage to the hip joint - the syndrome worries the patient not only in the joint area, but also throughout the thigh and spreads to the lower leg. It also often happens that inflammation in the lumbar spine can manifest in the hip joint area;
- the patient's mobility is reduced - the possibility of bending the hip is reduced;
- lameness may occur on the right or left side, 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 must definitely seek expert advice. With a similar problem, the patient may be referred to a rheumatologist, traumatologist, physiotherapist or neurologist.
Before treating the symptoms, you need to 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:
- in the supine position look at the lower extremities - in the case of dislocation or fracture, occupy a forced position, not parallel to the axis of the body;
- to identify joint mobility, you can make several active movements back and forth - if the pelvic area is damaged, the patient feels severe pain;
- in the supine position, passive movements in the movable joint can be detected - clicks, cracking and muscle tension may occur;
- When examining a patient, the physician should fully describe all manifestations of the syndrome.
The symptom of pain in the area of the hip can occur as a consequence of 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 examinations:
- X-ray of the spine, hip regions;
- tomography of the spine, pelvis and hip;
- examinations of vascular patency - Doppler, angiography and other methods;
- electromyography;
- general, biochemical, bacteriological, immunological blood test.
Treatment
If a person's nocturnal hip pain does not develop very quickly and disappears after rest, then the cause may have been a minor injury or strain on the joint. In this case, doctors recommend the use of smaller measures of therapy:
- reduce loads;
- provide joint rest;
- use a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug;
- lie on the healthy side.
With severe, severe, persistent and long-lasting pain, you can not do without the help of a doctor, especially if there is noticeable deformity of the joint, redness of the thigh, discoloration of the skin on the thigh and poor sensitivity. In such circumstances, self-medication can harm the patient and cause the symptoms to progress.
Pain in the hip joint, radiating to the leg, can be relieved after the doctor prescribes various methods of therapy. To eliminate the syndrome, doctors prescribe conservative treatment to patients:
- medicines;
- sports with a minimum load;
- weight control;
- physiotherapy;
- auxiliary devices - sticks, walkers, crutches;
- avoid heavy loads;
- balancing the emotional state;
- taking vitamins.
The healing process necessarily consists of drug therapy. For this purpose, doctors prescribe the following medications to patients:
- diuretics;
- anti-inflammatory;
- muscle relaxants;
- improving microcirculation;
- chondroprotectors;
- vitamins and minerals.
If a woman suddenly develops pain in the hip joint during pregnancy, then she should definitely consult a doctor. She may be prescribed the use of multivitamin complexes, calcium intake, moderate physical activity and wearing bandages. 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;
- in case of night pain, it is recommended to turn the body into parts, first the upper and then the pelvis;
- eat foods high in calcium and vitamin complexes;
- weight control;
- 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 symptoms. So, what else can be done to reduce the pain syndrome, the doctor says 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 hip pain with folk remedies is still used in medicine, but doctors resort to such drugs 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 well known 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 cause complications. In the treatment of such a syndrome it is also very important to adhere to the restrictions of physical activity so as not to cause an increase in unpleasant symptoms.