Pain in the hip joint: what to do and who to contact?

Why does the hip joint hurt? Possible diagnoses | Treatment methods

Hip pain is most often caused by coxarthrosis, the most common joint disease, especially in women. Until now, the only treatment method for grade 2-3 coxarthrosis was surgery to replace the joint with an implant. Doctor Ost MC suggests taking your time with prosthetics and trying to restore your original joint.

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The hip joint is the largest articular joint. Pain in the hip joints of the legs distorts the gait, forces one to seek a new, anatomically incorrect balance, and disrupts the connection of the spine with the lower extremities. Over time, the pain in the hip joint can be so severe that the patient is unable to move independently. Coxarthrosis (degenerative changes in the hip joint) accounts for a large proportion of cases of disability. A worn-out joint that has lost its function is offered to be replaced with a prosthesis.

After endoprosthetics, patients are forced to learn to live again. However, there is a way to avoid surgery!

WHY DOES THE HIP JOINT HURT?

The hip joints are one of the most reliable and durable, but for some reason they can begin to collapse.
Pain is always a signal that something has gone wrong in the body. In addition, pain limits movement and protects the diseased joint from stress. The best solution in this situation is to visit a neurologist. Only a doctor can find the true causes of joint pain! Experienced neurologists at Doctor Ost MC are ready to help even in the most difficult cases. Why pain develops in the hip joints of the legs:

• Impaired tissue nutrition due to problems in the structure of the joint itself (dysplasia, injury);
• Infections or consequences of drug therapy;
• Problems in the musculoskeletal system: scoliosis, protrusions and hernias in the lumbar spine, flat feet, etc.;
• Lack of important vitamins and microelements (calcium, phosphorus);
• Excess weight;
• Excessive load on the joint;
• Inactivity, prolonged stay in uncomfortable positions.

POSSIBLE DIAGNOSIS

• Arthritis;
• Coxarthrosis;
• Chronic pelvic pain;
• Bursitis;
• Tendinitis;
• Oncology.

HOW TO TREAT HIP PAIN

You shouldn’t even rely on ointments for joint pain. When a large hip joint comes under attack, the most advanced medical technologies must intervene to stop the destruction of tissue. Otherwise, coxarthrosis, left unattended, will progress and the chances of recovery remain less and less every year.

Therefore, you can’t hesitate! Make an appointment with the orthopedic traumatologist “Doctor Ost” right now. Use it to choose the specialist’s free hours that are most convenient for your visit. For out-of-town patients, we suggest starting with an online consultation.

At Doctor Ost MC they not only treat pain in the hip joint, but also eliminate the cause of its occurrence:

• Acute pain syndrome is relieved in 1-2 sessions of high-intensity laser therapy;
• Improve the condition of damaged blood vessels by restoring healthy blood flow with the help of VTES;
• They form a healthy posture and a strong muscle corset so that the vessels are no longer pinched by spasmodic tissues. An osteopath, manual therapy and exercise therapy help with this;
• They treat primary diseases that negatively affect the health of the hip joint: flat feet or scoliosis, hernia or protrusion of the lumbar spine, obesity, etc.

Restore lost tissue using advanced regenerative medicine technologies:

• Long-term injection SVF – restoration of lost joint tissue with the patient’s stem cells;
• PRP – intra-articular injections with autoimmune platelet mass;
• Plasmogel;
• Injections with hyaluronic acid.

Even in difficult cases, instead of surgery and installation of an artificial joint implant, Doctor Ost is ready to fight for the patient’s natural joint! Thanks to the author's treatment regimen and the latest medical technologies presented in Doctor Ost, thousands of patients have already been able to get back on their feet and return to a full life without pain in the hip joint:

In what cases do you need urgent help from a specialist?

If you feel pain in your hip, monitor your condition. Perhaps the pain syndrome arose due to physical activity and after rest everything will go away. You can help yourself in such cases with the help of pharmaceutical ointments.

An examination by a specialist is urgently needed if:

• there is a visible deformity of the hip joint;
• you can't move your leg;
• the pain is so severe that it prevents you from stepping on your full foot;
• leg is swollen;
• the pain arose against the background of high fever and an infectious disease.

If you are unable to walk normally due to hip pain, see an orthopedist immediately

Diagnostic measures

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

During the first visit, the doctor’s task is to collect anamnesis. The person is asked about his lifestyle, physical activity, and is asked whether he has any relatives who suffer from joint diseases. An external examination of the joint and palpation is also carried out. If there is inflammation, this will help narrow the range of hypothetical ailments that cause pain.

Next, various laboratory tests and hardware studies are prescribed. As a rule, they resort to:

• tomography;
• radiography;
• endoscopy.

You will need immunological and microbiological blood tests and a test for rheumatoid factor. The synovial fluid of the joint may need to be examined.

How does hip pain manifest?

Most often, the pain is localized in the groin - on the bend of the hip and hypogastric region. If the cause is injury, the whole leg may hurt, since the pinched lumbar nerves radiate to the lower extremities. Some people confuse hip pain with other pain conditions, especially if the pain is in the abdominal area or upper thigh bone. With necrosis of the femoral head, deep stabbing pain appears.

Pain in the hip joint in children and adolescents has a different nature. It is not associated with wear and tear of the cartilage or joint, but indicates a disruption in the normal development and growth of bone. In childhood, with such a symptom, Perthes disease can be diagnosed. The blood supply to the femur is cut off, causing its growth to stop. The treatment regimen involves stress relief and physical therapy.

With coxarthrosis, pain in the hip is often followed by pain in the knee

Why does the hip joint hurt?

Pain in the hip joint is a reason to consult an orthopedic traumatologist or rheumatologist. It can be difficult for patients to understand the nature of pain on their own, because the reasons can be completely different, or there may be several of them.

Let's first turn to the pain syndrome associated with the hip joint itself.

Arthrosis of the hip joint (or, as it is also called, coxarthrosis) is a serious disease that, if left untreated, leads to disability. It develops over several years and begins with overload or inflammation in the joint. Patients notice discomfort, but do not pay much attention to it until it develops into pain. As a result, the volume of fluid in the hip joint decreases, which “lubricates” the joint and nourishes the hyaline cartilage. Gradually, the cartilage becomes thinner and damaged, which causes pain and limited range of motion in the joint. The bones themselves that form the joint also become deformed, and bone outgrowths—osteophytes—appear. Often the root cause of arthrosis of the hip joint is injury, and then we are talking about post-traumatic coxarthrosis.

Hip dysplasia is a congenital underdevelopment of the acetabulum. Fortunately, there are now fewer and fewer patients with this diagnosis, due to the introduction of ultrasound screening in childhood. This made it possible to identify patients earlier, and therefore help them at the very beginning of the disease. Dysplasia can cause dislocations and arthrosis, even in patients of advanced age. In this case, we talk about dysplastic coxarthrosis.

Aseptic or avascular necrosis of the femoral head occurs when there is blockage (thrombosis) or compression of the vascular bundle that supplies the femoral head with blood. As a result of bleeding, the head of the femur begins to gradually lose calcium, and cavities (cysts) form. Over time, this leads to severe pain and immobilization of patients. Naturally, it is better not to let this happen and consult an orthopedic traumatologist at the slightest suspicion.

A hip fracture is common in conditions such as osteoporosis (loss of calcium in the bones). The femoral neck has a special bone structure - it allows it to withstand heavy loads at a young age, and with the development of osteoporosis, it is one of the first to become a target for the disease. It would seem like a fracture... Logically, it occurs after an injury, but what is typical for femoral neck fractures in older people is that the injury can be completely insignificant. For example, falling from your own height or getting hurt on a door frame. A fracture can be suspected if sharp pain appears, movement in the joint is impaired, the leg shortens and lies in an unnatural position. If the diagnosis is confirmed by X-ray examination, then the fracture must be operated on, unless there are serious contraindications from the cardiac or respiratory systems.

Inflammation of the hip joint (coxitis, coxoarthritis) is another cause of problems in the hip joint. Inflammation may be accompanied by an increase in temperature and a change in the general condition of the body for the worse. This type of joint damage occurs in fairly serious rheumatic diseases such as ankylosing spondylitis, gouty arthritis, psoriasis with joint damage, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus.

Now we should say a few words about the causes of pain in the hip joint, which are not directly related to it. They can be combined into 2 large groups:

1. “Causes from above” are disorders in the structures that are adjacent to the hip joint, but located above it. For example, diseases such as intervertebral hernia of the lumbar spine, sacroiliitis (inflammation of the sacroiliac joint), injuries and lesions of the coccyx and sacrum. All of these conditions can manifest as pain in the hip joint.
2. "Reasons from Below" . The neighbor below, which manifests itself as pain in the hip, is the knee joint, or rather its arthrosis (gonarthrosis). To be fair, it is worth noting that the hip joint often “reciprocates.” That is, for pain in the knees, examining patients, changes are found in the hip joints.

It is precisely because of such a variety of reasons that dealing with hip pain is not always easy even for experienced doctors. The Artus clinic will help you not only understand “Why the hip joint hurts,” but also quickly and effectively deal with this problem.

Who to contact

If the pain does not go away after rest and short-term use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, consult an orthopedist or rheumatologist. The sooner you do this and find out the cause, the more gentle the treatment will be. In the early stages, medications and physical therapy help.

In case of severe pain and limited mobility, diagnostics can confirm arthrosis. Depending on the condition and intensity, the patient is prescribed a set of therapeutic measures. Their task is to reduce pain, expand the functioning of the joint and stop the destruction of cartilage. The regimen often includes injections of synovial fluid prosthesis, which replenishes its deficiency in the joint and returns it to normal biomechanics for a period of up to a year.

If you experience one-time pain in the hip joint, it is too early to panic. Monitor your condition, give your body a rest - and, most likely, everything will pass. If the pain comes back again and again, see an orthopedist. If there is swelling or redness, you will be referred to a rheumatologist. Freedom of movement and movement depends on the condition of this particular joint. Therefore, be vigilant and take care of yourself!

general description

The hip joint, one of the largest joints in the human body, connects the head of the femur to the acetabulum of the pelvis.
Together with the muscles and ligaments, it helps to carry out complex movements in the lower limb and ensures upright posture. In a healthy person, the head of the femur has a spherical shape, and all surfaces that make up the joint are covered with smooth cartilage tissue. Intra-articular (synovial) fluid fills the joint cavity, reducing friction between the articular surfaces, supplying the cartilage tissue with nutrients and further cushioning the load.

Help from highly specialized doctors for coxarthrosis

Which doctor treats coxarthrosis if drug treatment is ineffective? When diagnosing stage 3 of coxarthrosis, the therapist refers the patient to other specialists: a surgeon, neurologist and orthopedist. The help of these specialists is required if drug treatment is ineffective.

Surgical intervention is carried out at the doctor’s choice of one of two types: organ-preserving or endoprosthetics. The first involves restoring the functions of the joint without removing it. Endoprosthesis replacement is the replacement of the affected bone with a metal prosthesis.

The operation will restore the mobility of the limb, during which the damaged elements will be replaced with endoprostheses. After installation, the prosthesis must “take root” in the tissues, after which it requires development.

Doctors' help and endoprosthetics

Endoprosthetics is only one of the surgical methods for treating coxarthrosis, and restoring the functioning of the hip joint is possible in other ways:

• Periarticular osteotomy: During the operation, the femur bone is filed down in certain places and then reattached at a different angle. The goal of the intervention is to slow down the development of toxarthrosis.
• Arthroplasty: first, the adhesion, which is the cause of limited mobility of the articular head, is removed. Then the shape of the joint surfaces is restored, between which a spacer is installed to prevent the re-development of toxarthrosis.
• Plastic surgery of intra-articular fluid: hyaluronic acid is injected into the joint cavity, which is embedded in the damaged cartilage and exhibits an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect.

In the postoperative period, the surgeon takes control of the patient’s condition and the rehabilitation specialist, whose goal is to restore the functions of the joint. The result is achieved through a set of exercises, breathing exercises, and massage.

After surgery and the rehabilitation period, the patient follows a daily routine and rest, avoids physical activity, and is examined prophylactically by an orthopedic surgeon.

• Treatment of grade 3 arthrosis of the hip joint: are there methods?

The primary category of osteoarthritis is that the disease occurs without visible prerequisites. Indirect causes of the disease are: circulatory and hormonal disorders, spinal pathologies, sedentary work, and old age. Secondary category - the disease develops after injury or against the background of concomitant diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

Traumatology in hospital

Traumatology practices the largest number of surgical interventions of all medical specialties.

The medical department employs doctors who successfully cope with surgical treatment of the musculoskeletal system of any complexity.

• Removing Foreign Objects
• Traumatology/arthroscopy of the shoulder, elbow, knee, ankle, hip and wrist joints
• Foot and hand surgery
• Invasive spine surgery
• Invasive osteosynthesis of pelvic bones
• Prosthetics of the radial head and hip, knee, shoulder joints
• Joint replacement
• Automated development of limb joints, myostimulation, shock wave therapy, physiotherapy

If you experience alarming symptoms, try not to delay your visit to the doctor. Of course, a traumatologist will recognize and prescribe treatment for the disease at any stage, but delaying resolution of health problems can lead to unwanted complications.

About doctors

Therapist

When pain first occurs, which may be localized not in the hip, but in the knee, contact a therapist or surgeon at a local clinic. Here, primary diagnostics are carried out, including radiography, which makes it possible to make a diagnosis.

Rheumatologist

After making a diagnosis, it is advisable to contact a rheumatologist. It is the rheumatologist in traditional medicine who will prescribe non-steroidal antibiotics and a complex of physiotherapy. If necessary, hormonal medications and other necessary treatment are prescribed.

Surgeon

In complex advanced stages (this is usually the 3rd stage), endoprosthetics will have to be done. Replacement of a damaged joint with an endoprosthesis. This usually helps restore the patient's motor abilities. Since by this time a person can no longer move without crutches or a cane.

Who is an orthopedist

Orthopedics is a science that studies the musculoskeletal system, the musculoskeletal system of the body. She solves diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive problems, does everything to restore a person’s ability to work and restore motor disorders. That is, an orthopedic doctor deals with pathologies of muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments, bones - all the structures thanks to which a person moves.

Most often, orthopedists deal with the following diseases:

• flat feet and bowed feet;
• hip dysplasia;
• arthrosis of the knee joint and other large/small joints;
• osteochondrosis;
• inflammation of the periarticular bursa;
• injuries to ligaments, tendons and limbs.

Orthopedists can treat arthrosis

Treatment

Help before diagnosis

In case of severe injuries, it is necessary to fix the joint by applying a splint from the foot to the armpit. For minor traumatic injuries, it is enough to rest the leg. Cold is applied to the affected area. For intense pain, an analgesic is given. You cannot make active movements of the limb or put any weight on the leg. It is strictly forbidden to try to eliminate dislocation or displacement of bones.

Tactics for non-traumatic diseases are determined by symptoms. For minor manifestations, it is permissible to ensure limb rest and use local agents with analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. In case of fever, weakness, severe pain, rapid increase in edema and hyperemia, it is recommended to immediately seek specialized help.

Conservative therapy

Dislocations are an indication for immediate reduction. For fractures, skeletal traction is usually applied, and patients are subsequently operated on or the limb is fixed in a plaster cast after signs of callus appear. In elderly patients with femoral neck fractures, immobilization with a derotational boot is allowed, preventing rotational movements in the joint.

Other patients are advised to unload the hip joint. According to indications, it is recommended to use orthoses or additional devices (crutches, canes). Prescribe massage, physical therapy, physiotherapeutic procedures:

• laser therapy;
• magnetic therapy;
• UHF;
• ultrasound;
• electrophoresis with drugs;
• UVT.

It is possible to use NSAIDs, chondroprotectors, and antibacterial drugs. Local agents are widely used. According to indications, joint punctures, intra- and periarticular blockades with hormones, intra-articular injections of chondroprotectors, and synovial fluid substitutes are performed.

Surgery

Surgeries on the hip joint are performed through open access and using arthroscopic equipment. Depending on the type of pathology, the following can be performed:

• Traumatic injuries
  : open reduction of hip dislocation, reconstruction of the acetabulum, osteosynthesis of the neck, trochanteric fractures.
• Degenerative processes
  : arthrotomy, arthroscopy, removal of loose intra-articular bodies.
• Tumors
  : removal of neoplasia, bone resection, disarticulation of the hip joint, interiliac-abdominal amputation, interiliac-abdominal resection.

For contractures, ankylosis, scarring of periarticular tissues, redressing, arthroplasty, and arthrodesis are performed. An effective way to restore limb function in diseases of various origins, accompanied by limitation of movements or destruction of the joint, is endoprosthetics.

How not to miss the onset of coxarthrosis?

Coxarthrosis always begins on one side. At the first stage, it is usually discovered by chance, for example, during an examination for other reasons.

Let's look at the warning signs.

• Which doctor will help in the treatment of coxarthrosis of the hip joint?

Stage I - legs begin to get tired quickly; in the morning you feel stiffness in the hip (after a short walk, movements are restored); Sometimes there is pain in the groin area.

WHAT'S HAPPENING? The cartilage tissue becomes thinner, bone growths form, and the joint space narrows.

Stage II - pain from the hip area goes down to the knee, but does not spread to the foot and lower leg; after rest the pain disappears; mild lameness often occurs; with sudden movements of the leg, the suffering intensifies. Getting up from a chair and putting on shoes becomes a problem.

WHAT'S HAPPENING? Bone growths continue to deform the femur, and the joint space narrows even more.

Stage III is the penultimate stage in the destruction of the hip joint. Coxarthrosis atrophies the muscle groups of the thigh; the affected leg differs in appearance and length from the healthy one. There is a “shooting” in the lower back, pain becomes a constant companion. There is a need for around-the-clock outside help.

WHAT'S HAPPENING? The joint space almost disappears, and subluxation of the femoral head occurs. The reactive inflammatory process provokes severe pain that does not go away with rest.