Treatment of the hip joint using traditional medicine

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Traditional methods can be used in the treatment of hip joints.

The largest joints in the human body are the hips. They help us maintain balance and enable us to move. When a joint is damaged, a person experiences severe discomfort and pain and is unable to move normally.

Any doctor will confirm that a hip fracture is the most dangerous and severe injury. And they treat it with medications or surgery. But if we are talking about diseases of the joints, then treatment of the hip joint with folk remedies can be carried out on a par with traditional therapy.

• Folk recipes
• Compresses and applications
• Ointments and warming
• Rubbing and baths

Causes and symptoms of avascular necrosis

There are several reasons for the development of aseptic necrosis of the head of the hip joint. These are vascular diseases when blood microcirculation changes, which leads to the development of foci of tissue necrosis. The cause of the disease can also be excessive load on the hip joint. This is due not only to a person’s profession (truck drivers, parquet workers, gas welders), but also to excess weight and a shift in the center of gravity when walking.

The reasons for the development of necrosis of the hip joint may be associated with metabolic disorders in the human body or with a genetic predisposition. But none of the above factors can independently cause this disease; it develops only as a result of a combination of several conditions.

Depending on the severity of damage to the hip joint, the course of the disease has stages, each of which is characterized by the following symptoms:

• At the first stage of the development of the disease, rare pain and minor bone changes are observed. Slight pain radiates to the groin, but mobility in the hip joint remains.
• At the second stage, cracks appear on the head of the hip bone, which can occupy up to 30% of its surface. The pain in the affected area intensifies.
• At the third stage of the disease, the acetabulum is involved in the process, and up to 50% of the articular tissues are affected. The pain becomes constant and severe, and joint mobility decreases.
• The motor function of the hip joint is completely reduced, severe pain never stops, the muscles of the buttock and thigh atrophy.

Folk recipes

As soon as a specialist has made a diagnosis related to pathologies of the tissues of the hip joints, one should immediately proceed to treatment, and the sooner the better. The problem must be solved comprehensively, following the doctor’s recommendations.

The instructions are as follows: you should perform therapeutic exercises, attend the necessary procedures, take medications and use folk recipes as an additional stimulant.

Most experts confirm that some natural ingredients can be no less effective than many medications. In addition, the price of such treatment is much lower. By using alternative medicine methods on yourself, you can significantly speed up the healing process.

Most often used:

Types and stages of disease development

The stages of development of aseptic necrosis of the head of the hip joint do not have a clear distinction between each other. The first stage lasts about six months, when pain occurs during exercise or during bad weather, after the disappearance of the provoking factor it goes away. The second stage also lasts about six months. During this period, thinning of the muscles of the buttock and thigh appears.

The third stage takes a longer time - up to 2.5 years, during which the tissue surrounding the necrosis zone resolves. Patients are already beginning to move exclusively with a cane. In the fourth stage, which develops over about 6 months, patients cannot move on their own. However, the duration of development of the disease is individual for each person, depending on concomitant diseases, timely treatment and other factors.

Doctors distinguish four types of necrosis of the hip joint:

• Segmental (observed in 48% of patients with this diagnosis). A small area of ​​necrosis appears as a cone on the upper part of the femoral head.
• Complete necrosis (diagnosed in 42% of patients). The entire head is affected.
• Peripheral (occurs in 8% of patients). The pathology affects the outer part of the head, located under the articular cartilage.

Central (observed in 2% of cases). A zone of necrosis forms in the center of the head of the femur.

Diagnostic methods

If you experience pain in the hip joint, you should consult a doctor, who, based on the symptoms, will prescribe a diagnostic examination. With early detection of the disease and adequate treatment, patients have a chance to avoid subsequent surgical intervention. The choice of method for studying necrosis of the head of the hip joint depends on the stage of the disease.

Hardware

Mandatory hardware diagnostics of aseptic necrosis include blood pressure monitoring (to exclude the presence of hypertension), an electrocardiogram (to exclude heart disease) and ultrasound densitometry, when the condition of the patient’s bone tissue is determined by the degree of absorption of ultrasonic waves and the speed of their passage through it. Hardware diagnostic methods are effective both in the early stages of the disease and in later stages, when it is necessary to monitor changes in bone tissue during treatment.

Radiography

To check the condition of the hip bone, the doctor will definitely send the patient for an x-ray. When it is carried out, photographs are taken in two projections: from the side or directly. In the first case, the patient is placed on the table, lying on his back, the leg being examined is bent at the knee and moved to the side by 90 degrees. In the second, the patient lies on his back with straight legs, and the feet are fixed inward using special rollers. If the joint is motionless, then the patient is placed on his stomach, and the opposite side of the pelvis is fixed with bolsters.

CT scan

Using CT (computed tomography), the patient's bones and soft tissues are examined layer by layer. X-rays are absorbed by tissues of varying densities as they pass through the body and then hit a sensitive matrix that transmits the data to a computer. Computed tomography determines the structure of the articular cartilage and the damaged head of the hip bone. During the procedure, the patient is placed on the tomograph table, lying on his back, and the doctor uses a remote control to move the table so that the desired area of ​​study is in the frame of the device.

Magnetic resonance imaging

The principle of this study is to obtain images of the patient’s bones and soft tissues using electromagnetic waves. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) helps to identify the focus of changes in the femoral head at a very early stage and detect even small intraosseous edema or inflammation. During the examination, a person is placed in a tomograph flask, in which he must lie motionless for 10-20 minutes. At this time, a series of photographs are taken, and the doctor monitors the patient using a video camera.

Laboratory research

If aseptic necrosis of the head of the femur is suspected, the patient is always referred for urine and blood tests. They are taken to determine mineral levels in the body and identify markers of bone formation. During aseptic necrosis, natural collagen is destroyed and, breaking down, forms markers that are excreted from the body along with urine. These studies are prescribed both to diagnose the disease and to evaluate the treatment.

Ointments and warming

How to treat the hip joint most effectively with folk remedies?

Homemade ointments have long been used to treat sore joints.

The best results can be achieved with an ointment using 50 g of mustard powder and 50 ml of camphor oil. In addition, you need to add 100 g of alcohol and 3 egg whites. The oil is dissolved in alcohol, mustard and whipped egg whites are added. Mix the ointment thoroughly, apply to the affected area until completely absorbed, wrap the joint with a warm cloth and go to bed.

An egg-based recipe works great for many people. You will need one chicken egg. It is placed in vinegar until completely dissolved for 10 days, after which it is shaken well, butter is added and left for another 3 days. After this, the ointment is ready.

You can use other, simpler recipes:

• pork fat is mixed with dry foot root, simmered, cooled and stored in the refrigerator;
• fresh celandine is mixed with olive oil, left for 14 days and used every day;
• Crushed celandine and yarrow mixed with Vaseline and heated in a water bath will help relieve severe pain.

Such products are used 2 times a day (or at night), rubbed into the sore spot and covered with a warm cloth. The usual course is 10 - 12 procedures. Rest 10 days and repeat again.

To warm up, use birch branches and leaves, which are steamed well, placed in a tight bag and placed on the affected area. Additionally, you need to cover yourself with a warm blanket and steam well.

Instead of birch, you can use coltsfoot or burdock leaves. Such procedures are very helpful in relieving pain. However, in case of acute inflammation of the joints, heating is prohibited!

Treatment of aseptic necrosis of the head of the hip joint

After a medical examination and diagnosis, the doctor prescribes treatment for necrosis of the femur. The complex of therapeutic measures in the early stages of the disease includes: drug therapy, massage, mud baths in sanatoriums, vitamin therapy, hirudotherapy (treatment with leeches), swimming. However, conservative methods do not lead to a complete cure of the disease, but only inhibit its development, preserving the function of the joint for many years.

No modern medicine can completely destroy the necrotic process. If it is not possible to slow down the development of the disease, then doctors use surgery. This is the only radical treatment for necrosis of the femoral head, which can significantly improve the living conditions of a person with this disease. Surgeries are used at all four stages of the disease.

Medication

The tactics of drug treatment of avascular necrosis of the hip joint depends on the development of symptoms, the age of the patient and the complete picture of the disease after a thorough diagnostic examination. Medicines that doctors prescribe for this disease:

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They are prescribed to relax the thigh muscles, restore normal blood circulation and relieve pain. The course of treatment is one ampoule intramuscularly daily for a week. Well-known drugs are Naklofen, Diclofenac, Xefocam, Ibuprofen.

Vasodilators. They eliminate blood stagnation and improve arterial blood flow. The dosage regimen depends on the severity of necrosis of the hip joint, but is at least 8 weeks with repeated courses every six months. Popular vascular agents are “Curantil”, “Trental”, “Dipyridamole”, “Xanthinol nicotinate”.

Regulators of calcium metabolism, preventing excessive loss of calcium. They improve the process of bone restoration and reduce collagen destruction. The drugs are used for at least 8 months continuously or at intervals of several weeks. The best drugs are “Calcium D3 nycomed”, “Xidifon”, “Bonviva”, “Fosamax”, “Vitrum”, “Osteomag”, “Osteogenon”, “Alfacalcidol”. Chondroprotectors. These are the most effective drugs at stage 3 of necrosis of the hip joint, when the cartilage in the head of the femur begins to peel off and destroy. They help restore cartilage tissue by stimulating ligament regeneration. These drugs must be taken in long courses, at least 6 months, at intervals of six months. The most famous chondroprotectors are “Structum”, “Chondroitin sulfate”, “Chondrolone”.

Muscle relaxants. These drugs can relax muscles, thereby inhibiting the transmission of nerve impulses, improving blood circulation. The course of treatment is 15-20 days, one tablet 2 times daily. The best relaxing drugs are “Mydocalm”, “Sirdalud”.

Surgical methods

If drug treatment does not produce results, surgery is performed. In the first stages of aseptic necrosis of the hip joint, it is used for decompression of twisted vessels that do not provide adequate nutrition to the head of the femur, or for transplantation. Types of surgical treatment:

• tunneling, when additional holes are formed in the bone to reduce pain and intraosseous pressure;
• transplantation of a musculoskeletal graft to increase local blood flow and eliminate pain;
• intertrochanteric osteotomy to eliminate the worn part of the femoral head and redistribute the load to other areas;
• arthrodesis (artificial fusion) to immobilize the joint to eliminate pain;
• arthroplasty to increase range of motion, eliminate lameness, and improve blood supply to the hip joint.

But most often in modern traumatology and orthopedics endoprosthetics is used, when a destroyed joint is replaced with an artificial one. The duration of use of the prosthesis is about 15 years, after which it requires replacement. All surgical operations are performed under general or epidural (in the lumbar region) anesthesia. The timing, level and scope of rehabilitation depend on the surgical technique and the individual characteristics of the body.

Compresses and applications

Treatment of the hip joint with folk remedies is primarily compresses. The most commonly used recipes are:

1. Beat the egg white and mix with flour. The mixture is applied daily to the painful area while you sleep. The substance is secured with gauze or an elastic bandage (not bandaged tightly!), and covered with a scarf. The next morning, the affected area should be washed.
2. For constant excruciating pain (see Why pain occurs in the hip joint when walking: treatment, symptoms, diagnostic methods), a mixture of iodine, honey, glycerin and ammonia will help. The ingredients are mixed in equal proportions and left in a dark place for 10 days. Before use, the substance should be shaken well and slightly warmed in a water bath. The medicine is placed on a bandage, secured, covered with a warm cloth and left to act overnight. Painful sensations will subside after 2 - 3 procedures.
3. Pork lard will also help, which should first be frozen, then distributed over a bandage, secured to the joint and tied with a warm scarf.
4. Homemade yogurt is an equally effective remedy; you need to wait until the homemade milk sours. The product is mixed with crushed eggshells, applied to the joint and secured with a bandage. Usually the course of treatment is 5 days.
5. The simplest recipe is to use cabbage leaves, which are smeared with honey and applied to the sore spot. They are secured with a bandage and warm cloth and left overnight. The photo shows what such a compress looks like.

A mixture of egg white and flour is used to treat hip joints as a compress.

A mixture of iodine, honey, glycerin and ammonia will help relieve pain in sore joints

Pork lard should be frozen before applying to a sore joint.

Curdled milk and egg shells are an excellent combination for treating sore joints

A compress of cabbage leaves and honey for joints is a simple but effective remedy.

You can use regular copper coins as appliqués. To do this, they must be placed in a saline solution and waited for a day. The coins are wiped and applied to the joint for 10 days. If copper causes irritation, treatment should be stopped.

Birch leaves will also help. You need to heat them under steam, place them on a bandage and secure them. You can learn even more about compresses and applications in the video in this article.