Chronic acute or aching pain in the hip joint (HJ) often indicates the development of diseases of the musculoskeletal system, which are important to diagnose and treat in time. In the initial stages of the development of the pathology, it will be possible to relieve joint pain in a conservative way, using special tablets and ointments. When the disease begins, the joint becomes immobile and the constant pain syndrome is alarming and surgery is necessary.
Possible causes and symptoms
Severe pain in the hip joint can be caused by various degenerative-dystrophic pathologies, under the influence of which the joints are destroyed, erased and cease to function completely. Periodic pain often worries about diseases of the spine, due to which there is tension in the muscles and pinching of nerve fibers. Symptoms of pain in the bones of the pelvis appear due to injuries, bruises, fractures of the head or neck of the femur. To accurately determine the causes of hip pain, you need to go to the doctor.
Traumatic factors
Severe bruising
Sharp pain when sitting, walking or abducting the leg occurs due to bruises that occur due to a fall on the side or a direct blow to the femoral joint. With bruises, the structure of the bone tissue remains intact, but the soft fibers suffer a lot and damage to the ligament may occur. An extensive hematoma forms at the point of impact, which hurts when pressed, but if the person is at rest, there is no pain syndrome. When pain in the hip joint on the left or right side gradually increases, it is worth visiting a doctor to rule out a fracture.
hip dislocation
Such a violation occurs under the influence of a large force along the axis, bent at the knee joint with a fixed trunk. A typical situation of this situation is an accident or a fall from a great height. With dislocations, a person is worried about a sharp pain in the joints that radiates to the leg and groin areas, which completely disrupts the function of the limb. You can relieve the condition by applying cold to the affected area, further specialized medical assistance is required.
It is important to keep in mind that if a dislocation is suspected, it is forbidden to try to adjust the joint yourself.
Hip fracture
It often becomes the cause of pain in the hip joint in women of old age. Damage to the integrity often occurs due to a fall and a strong impact of the trochanter on a hard surface. Fracture of the femoral neck is considered one of the most dangerous pathologies, because there is a high risk of complications in the form of thrombosis, infection and necrosis. Typical symptoms:
- Severe pain in the left or right hip joint, aggravated by attempts to move the limb or take it to the side.
- When sitting or lying down, the victim cannot lift his leg off the floor.
- Compared to a healthy, injured leg it looks short.
- If the nerve structures are affected, a feeling of numbness occurs in one limb.
After the operation
Often pain in the hip joint, lower back and back occurs after surgery related to the installation of the implant. The need to insert an endoprosthesis occurs in cases where the native joint has worn out and wears out for some reason and conservative treatment of the problem is not possible. To prevent further damage to the joint, an endoprosthesis is performed. After the operation, until the wound is completely healed, the patient will be bothered by pains, but with each new day their intensity will decrease.
Complications after hip arthroplasty negatively affect not only the hip area, but also affect the general physical, psychological state, physical activity and walking ability. To restore the previous health, it is necessary to undergo a series of rehabilitation measures, which are prescribed based on the developed pathologies and problems. For quick and effective recovery, it is necessary to determine the causes of complications and limitations after hip replacement.
Illnesses
infectious inflammation
A dangerous complication that causes pain in the hip joint. There are such types of purulent inflammation:
- Primary. The main reason is the penetration directly into the joint cavity of pathogenic microflora.
- Secondary. The infection penetrates into the joint structures with blood from other inflammatory foci.
Symptoms of an inflammatory complication are:
- musculoskeletal pain;
- edema formation;
- redness of the skin;
- heat;
- limb dysfunction.
Inflammatory folliculitis
Often, frequent injuries to the joints lead to an inflammatory process in his bags.
This disease is often diagnosed in athletes whose knees and hip joints are prone to frequent injuries and bruises.
Under the influence of a traumatic factor, inflammation develops in the joint sacs. Gradually, pathological exudate accumulates in the pouch, an inflammatory complication joins. When you walk, the pain in the groin and below begins to bother, giving to the knee. There is a feeling of stiffness of movements, in advanced cases, the limb hurts even at rest, the temperature rises and swelling is formed.
Tumors of various etiologies
Pain in the hip joint on the right or left side can cause neoplasms:
- Naive. As they increase in size, they compress the nerve structures, cause discomfort and periodically cause unpleasant symptoms in the spine and hip.
- Malignant. These are dangerous neoplasms that tend to grow quickly and spread metastases throughout the body. In the initial stages, the patient complains that the joints hurt after running or walking. It grows, the tumor compresses the nerve structures, one leg is removed from a person, the sacrum is very painful, painful symptoms are felt in the lumbar regions. The usual painkillers in this case are not able to relieve the pain in the hip joint.
- Sarcoma of femoral neck. Serious, cancerous disease of the bones, during the progression of which the bones of the patient's pelvis hurt a lot after sitting, walking, standing. The disease is characterized by chronic fractures of the femoral neck, due to which the function of the joint is significantly limited. He is also worried about the signs of poisoning, under the influence of which the general condition of the patient worsens significantly.
Other reasons
Due to the destruction of the cartilage in the joint, a person begins to experience difficulty in movement.
If a person has pain in the leg and hip joint, the following pathologies can cause such symptoms:
- Coxarthrosis. A chronic, degenerative-dystrophic disease characterized by the destruction of interarticular cartilage and the growth of osteophytes in bone structures. In the initial stages, the symptoms are not expressed, but as the development progresses, the functional mobility of the joint is disturbed, the patient is disturbed by excruciating pains, muscle deformation and atrophy are observed. If treatment is not started in time, a person becomes disabled.
- Osteochondrosis. A disease of a degenerative nature, in which the lumbar spine is subject to destruction and deformation. Due to the inflammation and pinching of the nerve fibers, the pain radiates to the thigh, the patient's motor activity is significantly reduced, the discomfort is worrying even in a state of complete rest.
If the hip joint hurts in a child, it is possible to develop such pathologies:
- dysplasia and subluxation of the hip joint.
- osteochondropathy;
- epiphysis.
Diagnostic methods
With severe, constant pain in the hip joint, you need to contact an orthopedist who will help you make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe an appropriate treatment regimen.
After conducting an initial examination and collecting a history, the doctor will instruct the passage of such diagnostic measures:
- X-ray of the spine and hip joint.
- Dopplerography and angiography of vessels.
- electromyography?
- CT, MRI of the thigh.
- laboratory tests that will show the presence or absence of other dangerous pathologies in the body.
What is the treatment?
Effective drugs
Depending on the patient's diagnosis, the doctor selects an appropriate medication regimen aimed at eliminating accompanying symptoms and alleviating the patient's general condition. During the period of conservative treatment, it is important to limit the load on the joint, if necessary, observe bed rest and use orthopedic devices. The following capital groups are used:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Help relieve inflammation, swelling, pain.
- Analgesics. Reduce acute pain.
- Glucocorticosteroids. If NSAIDs did not help to get rid of the inflammatory complication, steroid drugs are prescribed, which are injected directly into the joint cavity.
- Muscle relaxants. Relieve muscle spasms.
- Hemostatic. Promotes absorption of hematomas.
- Carboprotectors. Restore cartilage structures, prevent their further destruction.
Auxiliary Methods
Exercise "bicycle" will help to avoid problems from the joint.
To speed up recovery and normalize the function of the hip joint, it is useful to regularly do therapeutic exercises. The training complex is selected by the doctor for each patient individually, taking into account the general condition and diagnosis. For prevention, it is recommended to do the following exercises daily:
- bike;
- scissors;
- picking up small objects with toes.
- walking barefoot on toes and heels.
At the same time, a course of physiotherapeutic procedures is prescribed, for example, electrophoresis, phonophoresis, laser therapy, massage. When diagnosing malignant tumors or advanced pathologies of a deforming nature, surgery is necessary. During the operation, the surgeon removes the affected tissue, if necessary, places an implant. To prevent relapse and speed up recovery, rehabilitation is prescribed.