Hip pain is located where the femur joins the pelvis. It is this connection of bones that provides a person with normal leg movement on any plane. The hip joint is considered the largest mobile joint in the human body and helps you to move fully.
Like many other joints in the body, the femur and pelvis can be damaged. In case of any interruption of work, the patient feels how the hip joints ache. Bones, muscles, joint circumference, cartilage, 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 these pains are felt, the person is immediately interested in the question of how the syndrome developed and what to do to eliminate it.
Etiology
Hip joint pain has several causes. The femur and pelvis junction can become inflamed due to injuries, joint and tendon diseases, from the manifestation of systemic diseases, infectious processes.
The reasons for the formation of the pain syndrome can be non-traumatic factors:
- osteoarthritis;
- osteoarthritis;
- failure of blood supply to bones and joint formation.
With the development of such diseases in the hip joints, degenerative changes occur on the joint surfaces. In humans, cartilage and the periarticular pouch are damaged, the synovial membrane of the joint is destroyed, the amount of joint fluid decreases, which leads to severe pain and joint rupture.
To get rid of an unpleasant syndrome, the patient needs to identify why the hip joint hurts. To make the correct diagnosis, the patient needs to undergo a thorough examination. Doctors have determined that hip joint pain when walking has a very simple cause. The following indicators were assigned to the category of most common triggers:
- infectious inflammation;
- degenerative changes;
- displacements;
- fractures;
- aseptic necrosis of the femoral head;
- bursitis;
- inflammation of a non-infectious nature with autoimmune connective tissue diseases;
- tuberculosis.
It is very difficult to establish the cause of pain onset, as it can be triggered not only by injuries and illnesses, but also by pathological processes in the abdominal cavity, lower back and genitals.
Hip joint pain when walking is usually caused by damage to the bone junction. Injuries that can cause a similar syndrome include not only dislocation or fracture, but other reasons as well:
- pelvic contusion;
- rupture of the acetabulum;
- stretching;
- violation of the structure of the ligaments and joint capsule.
In addition, the causes of pain syndrome onset 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 reason is probably the epiphysis, Legg-Calve-Perthes, Still's disease, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, etc.
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 may experience pain in various areas of the body. Mobile joint pain syndrome in the pelvic region 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 occurrence of a focus of inflammation in another area, with irradiation to the groin.
All of the above etiological reasons can be identified after a thorough examination and examination by a physician. During pregnancy, pain in the hip joint is a significant inconvenience for the woman, but after childbirth, all syndromes disappear.
Classification
The unpleasant sensations a person experiences are associated with intra-articular and extra-articular factors. The first category of reasons includes joint effusion formation, increased stress, fractures of the trabeculae and rupture of intra-articular ligaments, stretching of the joint capsule, inflammation of the synovial membranes.
Extra-articular factors include muscle spasm, impaired venous flow, which causes congestion in the subchondral bone, and inflammation in the periarticular tendon area.
Doctors also identified the types of pain by type:
- mechanics - manifests as a load on the joint, increases at night and decreases after sleep;
- initial pain - forms with reactive synovitis, progresses with physical activity, and then subsides a little or usually disappears;
- in the context of tendonitis or tendobursitis - exacerbate in sites where injured tendons and muscles are involved;
- based on spasm of the periarticular muscles;
- hip joint pain at night - decreases with movement. The blood stagnation syndrome in the subchondral parts of the bone is aggravated;
- syndrome of damage to the synovial surface by osteophytes.
Symptoms
The causes and treatment of the syndrome are interrelated, therefore, to determine the therapeutic method, the physician needs to identify the clinical picture.
During hip joint damage, cartilage and cartilage fragments become thinner, which causes inflammation of the inner surface of the pelvis and femur. It is this process that causes pain to appear. If there is no cartilage in the joint, the exposed femoral bone rubs against the pelvic bone, which manifests itself in severe pain syndrome.
Often, the patient experiences sensations that move from one part of the body to another. Often, patients experience hip pain when walking, which can go to the knee, but also to the gluteal and lower back regions. At first, the syndrome may be unstable and not very pronounced, however, as the damage progresses, the intensity of the symptom increases. At that moment, the pain becomes constant, and it can manifest itself either during the movement or in a calm state.
Depending on the location of the focus of inflammation, pain in the hip joint has different manifestations and symptoms:
- in case of injury to the hip joint - the syndrome concerns the patient not only in the region of the joint, but also in the entire thigh and goes to the lower part of the leg. It is also common for inflammation of the lumbar spine to manifest itself in the hip joint area;
- the patient's mobility decreases - the possibility of hip flexion decreases;
- lameness may appear on the right or left, or one leg will be slightly shorter than the other;
- the joint becomes rigid and inactive;
- movement can be especially painful after sitting for a long time;
- fatigue due to inability to walk long distances.
If the symptom presents with serious illness, the patient may have more severe symptoms of the illness - high fever, swelling, headache, weakness, redness of the inflamed area.
Diagnosis
If a person continues to ache on the right or left side in the hip joint area, they should definitely seek expert advice. With a similar problem, the patient may be referred to a rheumatologist, traumatologist, physiotherapist or neurologist.
Before treating a symptom, you need to assess the condition and identify the likely cause of the syndrome. In addition to the visible features of severe inflammation, the condition of the hip joint can be assessed by the following methods:
- in the supine position, look at the lower limbs - in case of dislocation or fracture, they assume a forced position, not parallel to the axis of the body;
- to identify joint mobility, one can make several active movements back and forth - if the pelvic region is injured, the patient will experience severe pain;
- in the supine position, passive movements in the mobile joint can be detected - clicks, snaps and muscle tension can occur;
- during examination of the patient, the physician must fully describe all manifestations of the syndrome.
A symptom of pain in the hip region can form from various pathological processes, so it is important for the clinician to make a differential diagnosis of the disease. To establish 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 region;
- tomography of the spine, pelvis and hip;
- tests for vascular patency - dopplerography, angiography and other methods;
- electromyography;
- general, biochemical, bacteriological, immunological blood test.
Treatment
If nighttime hip joint pain does not develop very quickly in a person and disappears after rest, then perhaps the cause was a small injury or load on the joint. In this case, doctors recommend the use of minor therapeutic measures:
- reduce loads;
- provide rest for the joint;
- use a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory;
- lie on the healthy side.
With severe, severe, constant and prolonged pain, it cannot do without the help of a doctor, especially if there is noticeable deformation of the joint, redness in the thigh, change in the tone of the skin on the thigh and poor sensitivity. In these circumstances, self-medication can harm the patient and make the symptom progress.
Pain in the hip joint, radiating to the leg, may subside after the doctor prescribes different methods of therapy. To eliminate the syndrome, doctors prescribe conservative treatment to patients:
- medicines;
- sports with minimal load;
- weight control;
- physiotherapy;
- auxiliary devices - canes, walkers, crutches;
- avoid heavy loads;
- balance the emotional state;
- taking vitamins.
The treatment process necessarily consists of drug therapy. To do this, doctors prescribe the following medications to patients:
- diuretics;
- anti-inflammatory;
- muscle relaxants;
- improving microcirculation;
- chondroprotectors;
- vitamins and minerals.
If hip joint pain during pregnancy starts suddenly in a woman, she should see a doctor. The use of multivitamin complexes, calcium intake, moderate physical activity and use of dressings may be prescribed. 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;
- don't sit for more than an hour;
- it is prohibited to sit and lie down on a hard surface;
- in night pains, it is recommended to rotate the body in parts, first the upper and then the pelvis;
- eat foods with a lot of calcium and vitamin complexes;
- control weight;
- wear a bandage;
- reduce load on pelvis and hips.
However, in addition to these methods, there are other technologies in medicine to eliminate the symptom. So what more can be done to reduce the pain syndrome, says the doctor at 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.
Treating hip joint pain with folk remedies is still used in medicine, but doctors turn to these remedies in some cases and only as an additional method of therapy. Patients can apply compresses, 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 plants and ingredients:
- lavender leaves;
- honey;
- lemon;
- saber;
- pork fat;
- ficus leaves;
- garlic;
- celery.
All the ingredients are very familiar and are often used in traditional medicine, but they can be used after consulting a doctor. If you get the proportion wrong, you can harm the body and cause complications. In the treatment of this syndrome, it is also very important to respect restrictions on physical activity so as not to cause an increase in an unpleasant symptom.