Hip pain in men and women: What to do?

"What to do? " - men and women ask themselves when experiencing hip pain. One of the most common causes of this symptom is osteoarthritis. In this article, we'll tell you why men or women experience hip pain when walking and resting, where the pain occurs, what other conditions it occurs in, and how to treat it.Osteoarthrosis of the Hip (Hiparthrosis)- Degenerative dystrophic diseases. It often appears in people after the age of 40, usually as a result of an injury, but often begins for no apparent reason.The disease is characterized by a slow and gradual progression. In the initial stage, conservative treatment methods (drugs, physical therapy) are often used. But in the later stages, in order to restore the normal function of the joint, joint replacement surgery is required in some cases.Many people suffer from hip arthropathy: this is due to the often high load on the hip joints. This condition is more common in women.Factors that may increase your risk of developing this disease include frequent, long-term heavy loading of the hip joint. Hip joint disease often occurs in two seemingly opposite groups of people: sports professionals and obese people. Other risk factors include diseases affecting circulation, metabolism and hormonal balance, as well as pathologies of the musculoskeletal system (e. g. feet, spine). Hip arthritis is also more common in older people.

The pathogenesis of hip osteoarthritis

Anatomically, the hip joint consists of two bones:

• Ilium, with acetabulum;
• Femur, has a head. Doctors call the femur simply the femur.

The two parts of these bones connect to each other to form a joint. When a person moves the leg, the joint surfaces of the two parts rub against each other.To prevent damage during this process, they are covered with elastic cartilage, where joint fluid is secreted and acts as a lubricant. This condition occurs in healthy people. The hip joint essentially works like a hinge.When a person suffers from hip joint disease, the synovial fluid thickens, the elasticity of the cartilage weakens, and cracks appear. As a result, the surfaces of the ilium and femur are less protected during friction and are more susceptible to wear and damage. As a result, they begin to change shape over time.

Symptoms of hip osteoarthritis

The main symptom of this condition is pain. They are located in the area of the joint itself, as well as in the groin and top of the thigh.

The following symptoms are also typical:

• restricted activities;
• When a person tries to move the leg to the right (if we are talking about right-sided hip joint disease) or to the left (when the left joint is affected), then he will not be completely successful;
• The gait is usually different from that in healthy people and the patient has a limp;
• Loss of leg muscle mass;
• The affected leg becomes shorter.

Early stage osteoarthritis of hip joint

In the early stages of the development of the disease, pain sometimes occurs periodically, mainly after physical activity. For example, after a person goes for a run or walks a long distance. The sensation is concentrated in the hip joint itself, sometimes in the upper part of the leg, or even in the knee. The pain usually lessens when a person rests. Walking remains normal during this stage. The human legs move freely and the muscles are intact.X-rays showed narrowing of the joint space, but it was not that severe. Bone spurs can be identified at the edge of the acetabulum. At this stage, there are no changes to the head and neck of the femur.

progress

In the next stage, patients experience more pain during physical activity and at rest. They are strong, they extend into the thighs, groin. A person may limp after trying to run, just like after taking a walk. It becomes more difficult to move your legs laterally, and your range of motion is limited.X-rays show narrowing of the joint space, which is intense. The image shows displacement and distortion of the femoral head. Bone growth is seen in the acetabulum area.

Late stage hip osteoarthritis

Here, the person is already suffering from severe and ongoing pain. They can occur not only during the day while resting, but also at night. The patient had difficulty walking, so he bought a cane. Moving your legs becomes more difficult than before. During this stage, the muscles in the legs and buttocks often atrophy, causing the affected leg to become shorter. To make walking easier, a person leans to one side, which further increases the load on large joints.X-ray examination at this stage shows that the joint space is very narrow, the femoral head is enlarged, and there are many bone hyperplasia.

Diagnosis of Hip Osteoarthritis

It is carried out through a comprehensive inspection which includes:

• The doctor questions the patient;
• Checked by a doctor;
• Auxiliary examination, the main one is of course X-ray examination.

On radiographs, you can sometimes find the cause of osteoarthritis - for example, you can see signs of previous injuries, dysplasia, and other conditions.Tomography scans (CT and MRI) can also help with diagnosis. With the first one you can study changes in bones, with the second one you can study changes in soft tissue.

What might hip osteoarthritis be confused with?

We wrote above that hip pain can occur not only in the hip joint, but also in the knee and even the entire upper part of the leg.

This means that if such symptoms occur, doctors must first rule out the following conditions:

• Osteochondrosis (as it can also cause pain in the upper part of the leg);
• Knee osteoarthritis (presented by knee pain).

The pain syndrome caused by osteochondrosis is different from the pain syndrome caused by hip osteoarthritis. With osteochondrosis, the pain can be severe and is usually caused by something: for example, a person turning around suddenly or lifting something heavy. In this condition, the pain usually spreads from the buttocks to the back of the leg.With osteochondrosis, a person can move the leg to the left or right, even if the pain is severe. But with hip joint disease - this is not always the case.For knee osteoarthritis, pathological changes can be detected through X-rays of the knee joint.It should be remembered that a person may suffer from several diseases at the same time. For example, osteoarthritis of the knee and hip joints. Or osteochondrosis and osteoarthrosis of several joints.It is important to differentiate between hip osteoarthritis and trochanteritis. The latter is an inflammatory disease of the part of the femur known in Latin as trochanter Major - the greater trochanter. Trochanteritis occurs quickly and is more painful than osteoarthritis, with the ability to move the leg freely.In some cases, the pain raises suspicion of osteoarthritis of the hip, and some other condition is also present (eg, ankylosing spondylitis, called ankylosing spondylitis, etc. ). Generally, the pain will appear at night, disappear during the day, and may even decrease with physical activity.

Treatment of Hip Arthropathy

If you have joint pain, you should see an orthopedic traumatologist.Treatment includes conservative management (medications, physical therapy) and surgery.

Conservative treatment

Treat conservatively in the early stages.

This includes:

• Common analgesics, in the form of tablets to drink or injections (injections), ointments;
• Inject hormones into joints;
• Medications to restore cartilage structure (can also be taken orally or injected into the joint);
• Other medications prescribed by doctors based on the patient's condition. These include medications that relax muscles, dilate blood vessels, and more.

All medications must be taken strictly as prescribed by your doctor. This is especially true for traditional painkillers: long-term use can have adverse effects on the stomach and lead to serious complications, including bleeding. Therefore, the duration of the treatment course can only be decided by the doctor.Physical therapy is also used to treat hip osteoarthritis.Many people benefit from laser and ultrasound treatments (called laser therapy and ultrasound therapy, respectively).Magnetic therapy, induction heat therapy, light therapy and many other methods are used.Treatment uses physiotherapy (physiotherapy) and massage.It is worth saying a few words about diet. It does not directly treat hip osteoarthritis. However, when a person loses weight, the load on the joints is reduced, making them more susceptible to disease.

Surgical treatment of hip osteoarthritis

When the disease has advanced to an advanced stage, the only "effective" method is surgery, which involves replacing the diseased joint with an artificial joint. This is called an endoprosthesis.Changes may occur in different parts of the joint. For example, just the femoral head. This is a unipolar prosthesis. When both the femoral head and acetabulum are replaced, the prosthesis is called a bipolar prosthesis.Endoprosthetic replacement is performed under general anesthesia. Start by giving the person a thorough examination. After surgery, your doctor will give you antibiotics and anticoagulants. Sutures are removed on the tenth to twelfth day, and the patient is then transferred to a clinic or medical center under the supervision of a doctor, where outpatient care is provided.After surgery, the patient will be prescribed a set of rehabilitation measures.In ninety-five percent of cases, after surgery, a person is able to walk, work, and in some cases even play sports. Artificial joints can "work" for fifteen to twenty years, and then new surgeries may be needed.Shock wave therapy is one of the effective methods for treating chronic diseases of the musculoskeletal system. It is based on the influence of sound waves. This method has quick effects. A course of shock wave therapy can achieve long-term therapeutic effects. Influence.