Hip pain is localized where the femur joins the pelvis. This connection of the bones ensures the normal movement of the legs in any plane. The hip joint is the largest movable joint in the human body and helps in full movement.
Like many other joints in the body, the femur and pelvis can be damaged. In the event of any disruption to work, the patient will feel pain in his hip joints. Pain syndrome can affect bones, muscles, joint circumference, cartilage, blood vessels, tendons, nerves, and adjacent joints. In this case, a person suffers from unpleasant symptoms that interfere with normal life. When there are such pains, one is immediately interested in the development of the syndrome and what to do to eliminate it.
Etiology
There can be several causes of pain in the hip joint. The femoral and pelvic nodes can become inflamed due to injuries, joint and tendon diseases, systemic diseases, and infectious processes.
The causes of pain syndrome can be such non-traumatic factors as:
- osteoarthritis;
- osteoarthritis;
- insufficient blood supply to the bones and developing joints.
With the development of such diseases, degenerative changes occur in the joint surfaces in the hip joints. In humans, cartilage and the periarticular sac are damaged, the synovial membrane of the joint is destroyed, and the amount of synovial fluid is reduced, leading to severe pain and joint damage.
In order to get rid of the unpleasant syndrome, the patient needs to determine why the hip joint is hurting. The patient must perform a complete examination to make a correct diagnosis. Clinicians have found that there is a fairly simple cause of pain in the hip joint while walking. The following indicators have been classified as the most common provocative factors:
- infectious inflammation;
- degenerative changes;
- dislocations;
- fractures;
- aseptic necrosis of the femoral head;
- bursitis;
- non-infectious inflammation with autoimmune diseases of connective tissues;
- tuberculosis.
The cause of pain is quite difficult to determine, as it can be caused not only by injuries and diseases, but also by pathological processes in the abdomen, lumbar region and genitals.
Hip pain during walking is often caused by damage to the node in the bones. Injuries that cause a similar syndrome include not only dislocation or fracture, but also other causes:
- bruising of the pelvis;
- rupture of the acetabulum;
- stretching;
- violation of the structure of the ligaments and the capsule of the joint.
In addition, toxic synovitis, primary and secondary oncological pathologies, osteomalacia, and osteomyelitis may be causes of pain syndrome.
Unlike adults, children have slightly different exacerbation factors. If the hip joint hurts, it is likely to cause epiphysis, Legg-Calve-Perthes, Still’s disease, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and so on.
During pregnancy, women also experience typical pain in the hip joint. During this period, a woman’s body changes significantly and the function of many organs changes, so pregnant women can often feel pain in different areas of the body. Pain in the pelvic region can cause pain syndrome for the following reasons:
- hormonal changes;
- uterine growth, which increases the load on the hip joint;
- increased load on the legs;
- aggravation of early injuries;
- lack of calcium;
- occurrence of an inflammatory focus in another zone that radiates to the groin.
Each of the above etiological causes can be identified after a full examination and examination by the physician. Hip pain during pregnancy is a significant discomfort for a woman, but all syndromes disappear after childbirth.
Classification
The discomfort a person experiences is related to intraarticular and extraarticular factors. The first category of causes includes the formation of fluid accumulation in the joint, increased stress, rupture of the trabeculae and rupture of the intra-articular ligaments, elongation of the joint capsule, inflammation of the joint membranes.
Extra-articular factors include muscle spasm, a violation of venous outflow that causes congestion in the subchondral bone and inflammation in the periarticular tendon.
Clinicians also identified types of pain by type:
- mechanical - manifests as a load on the joint, increases in the evening and passes after sleep;
- initial pain - develops with reactive synovitis, progresses with physical activity, and then resolves slightly or usually disappears;
- underlying tendinitis or tendobursitis - worsens where the tendons and muscles are affected;
- based on spasm of the periarticular muscles;
- pain in the hip joint decreases with night movement. In the subchondral parts of the bone, the syndrome of blood stagnation worsens;
- syndrome resulting from osteophytic damage to the synovial surface.
Symptoms
The causes and treatment of the syndrome are interrelated, so the clinician must determine the clinical picture in order to determine the method of therapy.
During damage to the hip joint, the cartilage and cartilage pieces become thinner, causing inflammation of the inner surface of the pelvis and femur. This process provokes the onset of pain. If there is no cartilage in the joint, the femoral bone rubs against the pelvic bone, which manifests itself in severe pain syndrome.
Often, the patient has feelings that pass from one part of the body to another. Often, patients experience pain in the hip while walking, which penetrates the knee but also the gluteal and lumbar region. At first, the syndrome may be unstable and not very pronounced, but as the damage progresses, the intensity of the symptom increases. At this point, the pain becomes constant and can manifest while moving and at rest.
Depending on the location of the inflammatory focus, there are different manifestations and symptoms of hip pain:
- in case of damage to the hip joint - the syndrome worries the patient not only in the joint area but also in the whole thigh and reaches the lower leg. It is also common for inflammation of the lumbar spine to occur in the area of the hip joint;
- patient mobility is reduced - the possibility of hip flexion 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 the inability to travel long distances.
If the symptom is severe, the patient may have more severe symptoms - high fever, swelling, headache, weakness, redness of the inflamed area.
Diagnostics
If a person continues to hurt on the right or left side of the hip joint, you should definitely seek the advice of a professional. With a similar problem, the patient may see a rheumatologist, traumatologist, physiotherapist, or neurologist.
Before treating the symptom, you should assess the condition and determine the probable 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:
- look at the lower limbs in a supine position - in the event of a dislocation or fracture, they are in a forced position and not parallel to the axis of the body;
- you can make more active movements back and forth to identify joint mobility - if the pelvic region is damaged, the patient will experience severe pain;
- in the supine position, passive movements can be detected in the movable joint - clicks, cracks, muscle tension may occur;
- during the examination of the patient, the physician should fully describe all manifestations of the syndrome.
The symptoms of hip pain can develop from a variety of pathological processes, so it is important for the clinician to make a differential diagnosis of the disease. To determine the cause of sitting and walking pain in the hip joint, the patient performs laboratory and instrumental tests:
- X-ray of the spine, hip region;
- spinal, pelvic, and hip tomography;
- examination of vascular patency - dopplerography, angiography and other methods;
- electromyography;
- general, biochemical, bacteriological, immunological blood test.
Treatment
If the nocturnal pain in the hip joint does not develop very quickly in the person and disappears after rest, it was probably due to minor injury or joint strain. In this case, doctors recommend minor therapeutic measures:
- reduces the load;
- provides rest for the joint;
- use a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug;
- lie on the healthy side.
In case of severe, severe, persistent and prolonged pain, you should not be without the help of a doctor, especially if you experience noticeable deformity of the joint, reddening of the thigh, change in skin tone of the thigh and poor sensitivity. Under these conditions, self-medication can harm the patient and cause the symptom to progress.
The pain radiating to the foot in the hip joint may be relieved after your doctor prescribes various therapeutic methods. To eliminate the syndrome, doctors prescribe conservative treatment for patients:
- medicines;
- minimal load sports;
- Weight control;
- physiotherapy;
- aids - walking sticks, walkers, crutches;
- avoid heavy burdens;
- balancing the emotional state;
- take vitamins.
The treatment process necessarily consists of drug therapy. To this end, doctors prescribe the following medications to patients:
- diuretics;
- anti-inflammatory;
- muscle relaxants;
- improving microcirculation;
- chondroprotectors;
- vitamins and minerals.
If the pain in your hip suddenly started during pregnancy in a woman, be sure to see a doctor. They may prescribe the use of multivitamin complexes, calcium intake, moderate physical activity, and binding. To reduce symptoms and prevent complications, your doctor will advise your pregnant mother to follow simple rules:
- reduce the number of stairs and long walks;
- do not sit for more than an hour;
- it is forbidden to sit or lie on a hard surface;
- in case of nocturnal pain, it is recommended to turn the body into parts, first the upper body and then the pelvis;
- eat foods high in calcium and vitamin complexes;
- control weight;
- wear a bandage;
- reduces the load on the pelvis and hips.
However, in addition to these methods, other technologies exist in medicine to eliminate the symptom. Therefore, what else can be done to reduce the pain syndrome, says the doctor at the reception. For mild pain on the left or right side of the hip joint, the following methods can be used without consulting your doctor:
- massage;
- physiotherapy;
- manual therapy.
The treatment of hip pain with folk remedies is still used in medicine, but doctors use these therapies in some cases and only as adjunctive therapy. Patients can use compresses, tinctures, decoctions and body 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:
- purple leaves;
- Honey;
- citron;
- saber;
- lard;
- Ficus leaves;
- garlic;
- celery.
Each ingredient is fairly well known and is often used in traditional medicine, but can be used after consultation with your doctor. Making the wrong ratio can damage your body and cause complications. In the treatment of such a syndrome, it is also very important to adhere to restrictions on physical activity so as not to provoke an increase in the unpleasant symptom.