The hip joint is considered the largest joint. And he's also the one who loaded the most into the human body. It is located in the area of the femur joint, as well as the pelvis. Due to the special structure, the limbs move freely in different directions. This joint provides an upright posture. Pain in the hip impairs the function of the joint, causing severe discomfort when walking and even sitting. In this case, sometimes the limbs are even paralyzed.
General classification of causes
Diagnosis of hip malfunction presents some difficulties, since anything causes painful sensations: trauma, bone disease, concomitant pathology of internal organs. In this case, the affected area will be sore, burning sensation.
This problem is most common in people who have passed the 50-year mark. At the same time, women are much more susceptible to these joint or hip problems than men.
Hip pain is often caused by:
- Trauma: fracture of the femoral neck, direct trauma to the joint area, severe dislocation of the right or left side, myositis, development of joint trauma, fracture of the pelvis, resorption of the femoral head.
- Injury to the connective tissue of the hip: Reiter's disease, arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis
- Diseases of the joints, accompanied by degenerative processes in the tissues: fibromyalgia.
- Osteochondropathies: osteomyelitis, Legg-Calve-Perthes disease.
- Bone development problems: epigenetic varus deformity of the foot develops in adolescence.
- Inflammatory processes of soft tissue in joints: bursitis, bursitis, bursitis caused by tubercle bacilli.
Diffuse pain in the femoral region develops as a result of such lesions: sympathitis, lens syndrome, pathological processes inside the sacral joint, entropion. In general, an injured left or right hip causes significant discomfort and pain. It must be treated when the slightest symptoms appear.
Detailed description of the cause of the injury
If the hip joint is painful, the reasons for the development of such a pathological condition can be:
- Congenital hip dislocation due to unsuccessful childbirth or during intrauterine development. Damage can be diagnosed quickly even in infants. The child has irregular gluteal folds, one leg is shortened. Pinched nerves are also very common. For infants, the disease is quite complex and dangerous, as the consequences of trauma can be lifelong.
- Hip dislocation injury. It is characterized by sharp pain, a person cannot make any movements and cannot talk while sitting or standing. Presence of edema and hematoma above the joint. In the process of hip dislocation (running, sports training) only worsens the condition, provokes the progression of changes and pathological processes in the hip joint. This type of injury needs to be treated immediately.
- Fracture of the femoral neck. This diagnosis is usually made in women over 60 years of age. The cause of such injuries to the hip is a trivial fall or a hit to the hip. At the time of the fracture, the pain is very intense, worsening with movement. Discomfort begins to appear on the inner surface of the thigh. At the site of injury appeared swelling, bruising of the hip joint. The affected left or right leg becomes shorter, and the person begins to limp, the joints begin to crack. In addition, the injury contributes to the compression of the nerve, so the thigh begins to become numb.
- Fracture of the thigh bone. The pain in this case is moderate or severe. With movement, hip symptoms worsen. Here, a pinched nerve is also quite possible. In such a situation, pain flares up and the limb can become numb.
- Hip effusion. Here the pain is of moderate intensity, but it can become severe during a person's active movement. At rest, the symptoms disappear. This is a very common cause of pain in the hip or hip joint, especially in people prone to falls. The patient showed signs of lameness and quickly recovered.
Hip injuries can be considered as the main and common cause of uncomfortable pain. Severe fractures or dislocations of the femur or pelvis often require surgery. If you have a pinched sciatic nerve and you begin to experience numbness in your limbs, you should see a doctor immediately.
Systemic diseases are the cause of pain
Pain in the hip while walking or in other places can be caused by systemic damage to the connective tissue. Treatment of such diseases must be carried out continuously, since they are considered practically incurable. Moreover, therapy must be comprehensive and provide an impact, first of all, on the cause of the development of unpleasant sensations.
So, the following conditions are likely to cause pain in the left or right hip:
- Ankylosing spondylitis. Here the pain is dull. In a sick man or woman, the pain sensation becomes stronger at night. Localization of the pain syndrome - sacrum or pelvis. At the same time, he can put in the knee, thigh, groin, shoot. Movement in this case, especially walking is very difficult, the patient has a feeling of stiffness. Pain in the hip can be quite severe. The inflammatory process develops inside the right or left joint.
- Reiter's syndrome. This disease is a condition that affects the joints, genital organs as well as conjunctivitis. The disease is autoimmune and results from an intestinal infection. The pathological process inside the joint begins several weeks or months after the onset of the disease. It is characterized by acute pain in the hip or joint, changes in temperature. Visible swelling appears in the left and right pelvic area. In most cases, the disease leads to symmetrical damage of the joints.
- Rheumatoid arthritis. This problem is characterized by damage to the connective tissue. This type of disease is never accompanied by the appearance of pus. It is this disease that is considered a precursor to osteoarthritis of the hip. There is a gradual progression. Initially, it is characterized by the following symptoms: edema and swelling (left or right). Feeling uncomfortable when walking, pain shoots out. Inside the joint, due to the inflammatory process, the temperature rises (local and general). Further progression contributes to the appearance of stiffness during any movement. Hip pain when lying on the side at night. Often, the pathology is presented with simultaneous manifestations on the right and left sides. Due to the destruction of the hip joint, the patient's nerves may be compressed, causing the limbs to become numb. Treatment here should be immediate.
Systemic pathologies are capable of causing pain of different nature to a person: sharp, extremely acute, pulling. It's not always possible to deal with severe discomfort on your own, even during rest. Therefore, only a doctor should prescribe the correct treatment. This is especially true for sick babies. Ineffective treatment could ruin his life in the future.
Pain due to degenerative changes
Sharp, burning or pulling pain can cause the following conditions:
- Epithelial varus malformation, common in adolescents. To her, sensations have a long, dull character. They have the ability for the inside of the knee. Running and doing other sports increase the intensity of the pain syndrome. Pain over time may shoot and joints may click.
- Coxarthrosis disease. The presented pathology occupies one of the leading positions among all lesions of the hip joint. It is diagnosed in both men and women. You will take a long time to treat and the therapy is also quite complicated. The disease is characterized by the development of degenerative and destructive processes in the joints. Symptoms of the disease are as follows: first, the patient's joints begin to ache after running, walking for a long time or climbing stairs. And when resting, the unpleasant feeling will disappear. Movements are not limited here yet. At the second stage of development, the following symptoms appear: pain syndrome begins to appear in the groin, as well as in the thighs. Daily stress increases the intensity of the sensations, but with rest, they disappear. Prolonged walking causes a limp, the joints begin to creak. The action of muscles and tendons is disrupted, their timbre decreases. In the late stages of the disease, the patient develops pain even at night and they are quite strong. The lameness became severe. Muscles lose mass and atrophy - a person becomes immobile. Treatment can halt or slow joint destruction.
These conditions can lead to a constant limp, and this is already a limitation of work activities, lack of comprehensive sports training. Even getting out of bed in the morning can be difficult.
Causes of pain due to inflammation and infection
In addition to direct damage to bones and joints, it can cause inflammation of muscles, tendons, and joint covers. And infectious diseases can also cause pain syndrome:
- Purulent arthritis. Signs of such a pathology are: a general increase in temperature, redness of the skin in the joint area, severe swelling, sharp pain or stinging. Any load (running and even walking) or even trivial getting out of bed becomes impossible. The pain began to shoot through. Treatment here must not be delayed, as the patient will develop sepsis.
- Necrosis of the femoral head (sterile). Most of it is observed in fairly young men. The disease occurs because the blood circulation in this area is reduced. The result of the development of necrosis is the death of tissue cells. The pathology has the following signs: acute pain emerges intensely, may spread to the groin, burning sensation in the affected area. It can be so painful that a person cannot lean on the affected leg, getting out of bed is very difficult for him. In most cases, the patient needs an injection of pain medication to numb the joint. After a few days, the symptoms disappeared. If the disease continues to progress, the person will have changes in the muscles and tendons - they will atrophy. The person has a gait disorder and limps.
- Tuberculosis arthritis. A feature of the pathology is that it develops mainly in young children, who have weak immunity. The disease progresses slowly. Small patient quickly tired, less running and jumping. The thigh muscles atrophy. Joints begin to creak, legs shorten. Over time, the affected joint begins to suffer a lot. Sometimes the pain is sharp, and sometimes it pulls or burns. Moreover, the weakening appears inside the joint, the symptoms are increasing.
- Bursitis is an inflammatory lesion of the joint capsule. The main symptom of the pathology is pain that will creep along the leg. At the same time, these sensations are very acute, and when getting up or walking, the feeling of discomfort is very strong. At rest, the injured limb will hurt or burn.
Infectious diseases cause various types of pain inside the hip joint: a burning, pulling, or dull sensation. Often the feeling is so uncomfortable that the person cannot sleep at night. Of course, all of these pathologies require urgent treatment.
Features of pathological diagnosis
In order to accurately determine the cause and factors that cause pain in the hip joint, the patient needs to have an accurate examination and diagnosis attitude of the doctor. For this, the following procedures are used:
- Ultrasound examination of the hip.
- X-ray of the thigh area, and it should be done in two screenings.
- Laboratory blood tests: general and biochemical. They will determine the presence of rheumatoid factor, an increase in the level of white blood cells, and a change in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate.
- External examination matches palpation, as well as corrects patient complaints.
- Magnetic resonance imaging.
After examination, an accurate diagnosis is established and comprehensive treatment is prescribed.
How should the disease be treated?
If you periodically feel pain in the hip joint, it must be treated. Therapy depends on what caused it. Therefore, the treatment of the joint occurs depends on the pathology.
Congenital dislocation
If the dislocation is congenital, special orthopedic products are applied to the child's joint: tripods, pads or Frejk pillows are recommended. All of these devices support the infant's feet in the correct physiological position. The child will have to stay in it for at least six months. If traditional treatment is not effective, the baby is indicated for surgical intervention. That is, the head of the femur is set to work for a newborn, and other defects are also corrected. After the orthotics are removed, your baby can be gently massaged to strengthen the muscles.
Dislocation due to trauma
In the case of a traumatic dislocation, your doctor will have to correct it again using medications that help eliminate muscle tone. Then the patient should be provided with peace. Numbness in the limbs indicates that the sciatic nerve is compressed. This will require a mandatory examination by a neurologist.
Hip fracture
Hip fractures are treated by a trauma specialist. With such lesions, the patient is indicated for surgery. Conservative treatments are sometimes ineffective. But if the manipulation cannot be performed, then the patient is suggested to apply a plaster cast on the left (right) leg, and from the lower back to the heel. In women or men after age 60, such damage to the hip bone rarely heals, and recovery takes months. Among the consequences of this disease, it is possible to indicate inadequate functioning of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, because the patient does not have the opportunity to lead an active life and move normally. Even sitting became a problem for him. Joint fractures may be accompanied by a burning sensation in the soft tissues. For surgery, in this case, the fixation of the head and body of the bone with pins or screws, as well as laparoscopy, is used for treatment.
Ankylosing spondylitis
Treatment of ankylosing spondylitis is complex. It helps reduce the intensity of symptoms caused by inflammation. Therapy includes medications (anti-inflammatory drugs, hormonal drugs, immunosuppressants), physical therapy procedures, and therapeutic exercises (muscle stretching is very helpful). Massaging the affected joint on the left or right side is considered equally helpful. All drugs, as well as therapeutic exercises, are strictly selected by a traumatologist, orthopedist or surgeon. To strengthen your pelvic muscles, you need to practice swimming. In particularly difficult cases, patients are assigned to angioplasty on the left or right side.
Reiter's disease
To treat Reiter's disease, antibiotics will be needed, as well as anti-inflammatory drugs, glucocorticosteroids, drugs that suppress the function of the immune system, and topical ointments. The treatment will take a long time - at least 4 months. It should be noted that the presented pathology is likely to recur in half of the cases. During the treatment period, it is necessary to maintain muscle tone by regular stretching exercises - sports.
Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis, which can cause severe pain even at rest, cannot be completely eliminated. But you need to try to improve the quality of life of a sick man or woman. For this, drug therapy is used with cytostatics, hormonal agents, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, as well as antitussives. As for surgical intervention, it is only used in the final stages, when walking and sitting is almost impossible. Should fix or shape the joint. Exercise is also very helpful, especially stretching, applying ointments.
Coxarthrosis
Treatment of coxarthrosis is aimed at eliminating the cause that caused the development of symptoms and signs. Pathologies in the early stages of development are treated conservatively. The patient was given NSAIDs, chondroprotectors, as well as drugs to improve blood circulation. Pain relievers and warming ointments are used for treatment. In addition, patients were assigned light therapy training. Naturally, joints often need to be numbed. In case of severe discomfort, injections are used.
The late stage of coxarthrosis is no longer treatable with conservative therapy. Any load on a joint degrades a person's health. Can't get out of bed without help. The patient must be given an injection of pain medication. In this case, only surgical treatment is required. In general, arthroplasty is required, however, it is contraindicated for people who are too elderly. Therefore, such patients undergo only ancillary operations. After surgical treatment, the patient needs a recovery process: light stretching, very simple exercise under the supervision of a doctor. Load must be minimal.
Proper treatment will help slow down the progression of the disease somewhat, as well as eliminate unpleasant symptoms.
Features of the treatment of infectious and inflammatory diseases
It all depends on the type of disease:
- Purulent arthritis. To begin with, the patient needs to numb the affected hip. For this case, you can inject pain medication directly into the joint. The infection must be fought with antibacterial agents and antibiotics. Furthermore, several classes of drugs are used concurrently. Only a doctor can prescribe them. In addition, the removal of the abscess is performed. The affected leg needs complete rest, i. e. , the patient is cast or splinted with plaster.
- Aseptic treatment of the femoral head involves restoring blood flow, rapidly restoring dead areas. The limb should be anesthetized with an NSAID. Also used are vitamin complexes, drugs to reduce blood viscosity. If the thigh still hurts, you should massage more, apply numbing medicine. This condition can also be treated with physical therapy and therapeutic exercises. In difficult cases, minimally invasive surgical techniques or arthroplasty are used.
- Because hip bursitis is very painful, anesthesia is required. For this, analgesics and anti-inflammatory agents are used, and it is administered intramuscularly. Steroids are also used to quickly get rid of severe discomfort. Since the hip and hip joints can be constantly sore, rest is essential.
- Tuberculosis arthritis is treated conservatively. The baby needs to limit movement with a tight bandage. If an abscess forms in the baby's soft tissues, it should be surgically removed.
Burning, numbness in the limbs, pain in the hips, radiating down the legs - these are uncomfortable sensations that indicate the possibility of a serious problem.
Alternative treatment of pain in the hip joint
If the patient suffers from burning pain, has tendon problems and cannot take medicine, folk remedies can be used. They cannot be called a panacea, but they help in complex treatment. Of course, you must consult your doctor before use.
The following folk recipes will be useful:
- Compress clay (blue, white). Such a folk remedy allows you to reduce swelling and pain. It is better to alternate clay. The clay should be left on overnight and wrapped in a warm cloth.
- Compressed cabbage. They also need honey. Take crushed cabbage leaves and apply to the painful, stinging place. Further, the compression is covered with a plastic bag and insulated with a woolen cloth. The course of treatment is 1 month. In the interval between compresses on the painful hip, you can massage lightly: rub, stroke.
- Homemade ointment from the inner fat and root of white clover (250 gr. ). The fat must be melted, put the chopped tubers in a meat grinder and let it simmer. It is necessary to boil the mixture for 7 minutes. After the ointment has cooled, it should be applied to the affected hip overnight. In this case, the joint must be insulated. This folk remedy reduces swelling and other unpleasant symptoms very well.
- A folk remedy made from garlic, celery and lemon, which helps relieve muscle pain. For cooking, you need 2 lemons, 300 gr. celery root, as well as 130 gr. garlic. All ingredients are carefully chopped in a meat grinder and placed in a container with a tight-fitting lid. Further, the whole mixture is poured with boiling water and mixed. At this time, the product needs to be covered, wrapped in a blanket and left overnight. You need to take the drug one teaspoon before meals for several months.
These remedies cannot remove a pinched sciatic nerve. Numbness in the limbs will alarm and force you to see a neurologist. Any injury to the hip that causes pain must be identified and treated promptly. And gentle exercises, stretching exercises will help prevent the development of dysfunction of the hip joint.