The hip joint is considered to be the largest joint. And he is the busiest in the human body. It is located in the area of the hip joint as well as the pelvis. Due to the special structure, the limb moves freely in different directions. This joint provides an upright posture. Hip pain impairs its functionality, causing a person severe discomfort when walking and even sitting. In this case, the limb sometimes even tingles.
General classification of causes
The diagnosis of a malfunction in the hip joint is fraught with some difficulties, as everything provokes painful sensations: trauma, skeletal diseases, concomitant pathology of the internal organs. In this case, the damaged area will hurt, the sensations become burning.
This problem is most common among people over the age of 50. At the same time, women are much more prone to problems with this joint or hip than men.
Hip pain is often caused by:
- Traumatic: fracture of the femoral neck, direct damage to the joint area, severe dislocation of the right or left thigh, ossifying myositis, developed as a result of traumatic joint injury, fractures of the pelvic bones, epiphysiolysis of the femoral head.
- Hip connective tissue damage: Reiter's disease, arthritis and only rheumatoid, ankylosing spondylitis.
- Diseases of the joint accompanied by degenerative processes in the tissues: coxarthrosis.
- Osteochondropathy: osteochondritis disecan, Legg-Calve-Perthes pathology.
- Skeletal development problems: epiphyseal varus deformity of the foot, which develops in adolescents.
- Processes of inflammation of the soft tissues in the joints: bursitis, transient synovitis, joint coccyx provoked by the tubercle bacillus.
Radiating pain in the thigh develops as a result of such lesions: symphysis, radicular syndrome, pathological processes in the sacroiliac joint, enthesopathy. In general, an injured left or right hip joint causes significant discomfort and pain. It should be treated when the slightest symptoms appear.
Detailed description of the traumatic causes
If the hip joint hurts, the reason for the development of such a pathological condition may be:
- Congenital dislocation of the hip joint, the result of a failed birth or during intrauterine development. The damage can be quickly diagnosed even in newborn babies. The child has uneven gluteal folds, shortening one leg. A pinched nerve is also common. For a newborn, this disease is quite complex and dangerous, as the consequences of the trauma can last a lifetime.
- Traumatic dislocation of the hip joint. It is characterized by sharp pain, one cannot make any movements and one cannot talk about sitting or standing up. Swelling and hematoma appear above the joint. During a sprain of the hip joint (running, sports training) only worsens the condition, provokes the progression of changes and pathological processes in the hip joint. This type of injury requires immediate treatment.
- Fracture of the femoral neck. This diagnosis is often made in women over the age of 60. The cause of such damage to the hip joint is a banal fall or a deliberate blow to the hip joint. During the fracture, a very sharp pain is felt, aggravated by movement. Unpleasant sensations begin to give on the inner surface of the thigh. Swelling, bruising in the area of the hip joint appears at the site of injury. The injured left or right leg becomes shorter and the person develops lameness, the joint begins to click. In addition, the trauma contributes to the compression of the nerve, so that the thigh begins to tingle.
- Transtrochanteric fracture of the femur. The pain in this case is moderate or severe. When moving, the symptoms in the hip joint are worse. Here, a pinched nerve is also entirely possible. In such a situation, the pain shoots and the limbs may tingle.
- Hip injury. Here the pain is of moderate intensity, but may become severe during active movement. At rest, the symptoms disappear. This cause of pain in the hip or hip joint is very common, especially in people prone to falls. The patient has a limp that passes quickly.
Traumatic injury to the hip joint can be considered a major and common cause of unpleasant pain. Serious fractures or dislocations of the femur and pelvis often require surgery. If a person has a pinched nerve and the patient begins to tingle in the limb, a visit to the doctor should be immediate.
Systemic diseases as a cause of pain
Pain in the hip joint when walking or in other positions can be caused by systemic connective tissue lesions. The treatment of such diseases must be carried out constantly, as they are considered practically incurable. In addition, the therapy should be comprehensive and provide an impact primarily on the cause of the development of unpleasant sensations.
Thus, the following pathologies are able to provoke pain in the left or right hip joint:
- Ankylosing spondylitis. Here the pain is dull. In a sick man or woman, the painful sensations become stronger at night. Localization of the pain syndrome - sacrum or pelvis. At the same time he is able to give the knee, thigh, groin, to shoot. Movement in this case, especially walking, is difficult, the patient feels stiffness. The pain in the hip joint can be quite severe. An inflammatory process develops inside the right or left joint.
- Reiter's syndrome. This disease is a lesion of the joints, urogenital organs, as well as inflammation of the conjunctiva. The disease is autoimmune and results from an intestinal infection. The pathological process inside the joint begins a few weeks or months after the onset of the disease. It is characterized by acute pain in the hip joint or joint, temperature changes. Pronounced swelling appears in the pelvic area on the left and right. In most cases, the disease leads to a symmetrical lesion of the joints.
- Rheumatoid arthritis. This problem is characterized by connective tissue damage. This type of disease is never accompanied by the appearance of pus. It is this disease that is considered a prerequisite for coxarthrosis of the hip joints. There is a gradual progression. It is initially characterized by the following symptoms: swelling and swelling (left or right). Discomfort is felt when walking, pain shoots. Inside the joint, due to the process of inflammation, the temperature rises (local and general). Further progression contributes to the appearance of stiffness with each movement. There is pain in the hip joint when lying on your side at night. Usually the presented pathology is manifested both on the right and on the left. Due to the destruction of the hip joint, the patient's nerves may be compressed so that the limbs tingle. Treatment here should be immediate.
Systemic pathologies are able to deliver to a person pain of different nature: acute, extremely sharp, pulling. It is not always possible to deal with severe discomfort on your own, even during rest. Therefore, only a doctor should prescribe the right treatment. This is especially true for those situations where a newborn is sick. Ineffective treatment can ruin his life in the future.
Pain caused by degenerative changes
Sufficiently sharp, burning or pulling pains in the joints can cause such diseases:
- Epiphyseal varus deformity, common in adolescents. With her, the sensations are dull, pulling. They are able to give on the inside of the knee. Running and other sports workouts provoke an increase in the intensity of the pain syndrome. The pain can shoot from time to time and the joint may click.
- Coxarthrosis. The presented pathology occupies one of the leading positions among all lesions of the hip joint. It is diagnosed in both men and women. The treatment will take a long time and the therapy is quite complicated. The disease is characterized by the development of degenerative and destructive processes in the joint. The symptoms of the pathology are as follows: first, the patient's joint begins to hurt after running, long walks or climbing stairs. And at rest the discomfort disappears. Movements are not yet restricted here. In the second stage of development, the following symptoms appear: the pain syndrome begins to give in the groin, as well as in the thigh. Daily stress increases the intensity of sensations, but at rest they disappear. Prolonged walking provokes the appearance of lameness, the joint begins to click. The work of the muscles and tendons is disturbed, their tone decreases. In the last stage of the disease, the patient has pain even at night and it is quite strong. The lameness becomes severe. Muscles lose their volume and atrophy - a person becomes immobile. Treatment may stop or slow the destruction of the joint.
These pathologies can lead to constant lameness and this is already a restriction of work, the lack of full sports training. Even getting out of bed in the morning can be very difficult.
Inflammatory and infectious causes of pain
In addition to direct damage to the bones of the joint, inflammation of the muscles, tendons and joint capsule can cause discomfort. And infectious diseases can also provoke a pain syndrome:
- Purulent arthritis. Signs of such pathology are: fever, redness of the skin in the joints, severe swelling, sharp or sharp pain. Any load (running and even walking) or even a banal getting out of bed becomes impossible. The pain begins to break through. Treatment here should not be delayed as the patient develops sepsis.
- Femoral head necrosis (aseptic). It is most common in quite young men. The disease occurs due to deterioration of blood circulation in this area. The result of the development of necrosis is the death of tissue cells. The pathology has the following signs: a sharp sharp pain that may radiate to the groin, a burning sensation in the affected area. It can hurt so much that a person is unable to lean on the affected leg, getting out of bed is difficult. In most cases, the patient needs an injection of an analgesic to numb the joint. After a few days, the symptoms disappear. If the pathology continues to progress, then a person will experience changes in the muscles and tendons - they will atrophy. The person develops gait disturbance and lameness.
- Tuberculous arthritis. A characteristic of the pathology is that it develops mainly in young children who have weakened immunity. The pathology is slow. The little patient gets tired quickly, runs very little. The thigh muscles gradually atrophy. The joint begins to click, the leg becomes shorter. Over time, the affected joint begins to hurt a lot. Sometimes the pain is sharp, and sometimes it pulls or burns. In addition, pus appears in the joint, the symptoms worsen.
- Bursitis is an inflammatory lesion of the joint bursa. The main symptom of the pathology is pain that will crawl on the legs. At the same time the sensations are sharp and when getting up or walking the discomfort is very strong. At rest, the injured limb will hurt or burn.
Infectious pathologies cause different types of pain in the hip joint: burning, pulling or dull sensations. Often the discomfort is felt so much that the person cannot sleep at night. Naturally, all these pathologies must be treated urgently.
Features of the diagnosis of pathology
To accurately determine the causes and factors that provoke pain in the hip joint, the patient needs the careful attitude of doctors and the correct diagnosis. The following procedures are used for this:
- Ultrasound examination of the hip joint.
- X-ray of the thigh area and should be done in two projections.
- Laboratory blood tests: general and biochemical. They will determine the presence of rheumatoid factor, an increase in the level of leukocytes and a change in the sedimentation rate of erythrocytes.
- External examination of the joint by palpation, as well as fixation of the patient's complaints.
- NMR.
After the examination, an accurate diagnosis is made and a complete treatment is prescribed.
How should the pathology be treated?
If you periodically feel pain in the hip joint, it should be treated. Therapy depends on the cause. So, the treatment of the joint is carried out depending on the pathology.
Congenital dislocation
If the dislocation is congenital, special orthopedic products are applied to the child's joint: stirrups, spacers or a Frake pillow are recommended. All of these tools keep the newborn baby's feet in the correct physiological position. The child will have to stay in them for at least six months. If traditional treatment is not effective, then the baby is prescribed surgery. That is, the femoral head is surgically adjusted to the newborn and other defects are also corrected. After removing the orthopedic appliances, the baby can be gently massaged to strengthen the muscles.
Traumatic dislocation
In the presence of a traumatic dislocation, the doctor will need to correct it again, using drugs that help eliminate muscle tone. Then the patient should receive peace. Numbness of the limb indicates that the nerve is compressed. This will require a mandatory examination by a neurologist.
Hip fracture
A hip fracture is treated by a traumatologist. In such an injury, the patient is indicated for surgery. Conservative treatment is sometimes ineffective. But if the operation cannot be done, then the patient is advised to apply a plaster bandage on the left (right) leg and from the lower back to the heel. In women or men after the age of 60, such damage to the hip rarely heals and the recovery process takes months. Among the consequences of this disease can be pointed out insufficient functionality of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, as the patient is not able to lead an active life and move normally. Even sitting becomes a problem for him. A fracture of the joint may be accompanied by a burning sensation in the soft tissues. As for the operation, in this case for treatment is used fixation of the head and body of the bone with pins or screws, as well as endoprosthesis.
Ankylosing spondylitis
The treatment of ankylosing spondylitis is complicated. Helps reduce the intensity of symptoms provoked by inflammation. Therapy includes drugs (anti-inflammatory drugs, hormonal drugs, immunosuppressants), physiotherapy procedures, therapeutic exercises (useful stretching of muscles). Massage of the affected joint on the left or right is considered equally useful. All medications, as well as therapeutic exercises, are strictly selected by a traumatologist, orthopedist or surgeon. To strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, you need to do swimming. In particularly difficult cases, the patient is shown arthroplasty of the joint on the left or right.
Reuters disease
Antibiotics will be needed to treat Reiter's pathology, as well as anti-inflammatory drugs, glucocorticosteroids, drugs to suppress immune function, and topical ointments. The treatment will take a long time - at least 4 months. It should be noted that the presented pathology can be repeated in half of the cases. During treatment it is necessary to maintain muscle tone with exercise - regular stretching.
Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis, which can cause severe pain even at rest, cannot be completely eliminated. But you should try to improve the quality of life of a sick man or woman. For this, drug treatment with cytostatics, hormonal agents, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, as well as antirheumatic drugs is used. As for surgery, it is used only in the last stages, when walking and sitting are almost impossible. Fixation or arthroplasty of the joint is recommended. Exercises are also useful, especially stretching, topical ointments.
Coxarthrosis
Treatment of coxarthrosis is aimed at eliminating the cause of the development of symptoms and signs. The pathology in the early stages of development is treated with the help of conservative methods. The patient is shown NSAIDs, chondroprotectors, and drugs to improve blood circulation. Painkillers and warming ointments are used for treatment. In addition, the patient is prescribed a light therapeutic preparation. Of course, the joint often has to be numb. In case of severe discomfort, injections are used.
The last stage of coxarthrosis is no longer amenable to conservative therapy. Any load on the joint impairs the well-being of the person. Getting out of bed without help is impossible. The patient should make injections to relieve the pain. In this case, it is necessary to treat the disease only by surgery. Arthroplasty of the joint is generally required, but is contraindicated for many older people. Therefore, such patients undergo only ancillary surgeries. After surgical treatment, the patient needs a course of recovery: light stretching, very simple training under the supervision of a doctor. The load must be minimal.
Proper therapy will help to some extent to slow the progression of the disease, as well as eliminate the unpleasant symptoms.
Features of the treatment of infectious and inflammatory pathologies
It all depends on the type of disease:
- Purulent arthritis. To begin with, the patient should numb the affected hip joint. An analgesic injection directly into the joint can be used for this. The infection must be fought with antibacterial agents and antibiotics. In addition, several groups of drugs are used simultaneously. Only a doctor can prescribe them. In addition, removal of abscesses is performed. The diseased leg should be at rest in full condition, ie a plaster or splint is placed on the patient.
- Treatment of aseptic necrosis of the femoral head includes restoration of blood flow, rapid resorption of dead areas. The limb should be anesthetized with NSAIDs. Vitamin complexes, drugs to reduce blood viscosity are also used. If the thigh continues to hurt, then you should additionally apply a massage, anesthetic ointment. This condition can also be treated with physical therapy and exercise. In difficult cases, minimally invasive surgical techniques or arthroplasty of the joints are used.
- As the hip joint hurts a lot in bursitis, it should be numb. For this, an analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent is used and administered by intramuscular injection. Steroids are also used to quickly get rid of severe discomfort. Because the hip and hip joint can ache constantly, it should be kept at rest.
- Tuberculous arthritis is mostly treated conservatively. The baby should restrict mobility with a tight bandage. If an abscess forms in the baby's soft tissues, it must be surgically removed.
Burning, tingling in the limbs, pain in the hip joint radiating to the legs - these are unpleasant sensations that indicate the possible presence of serious problems.
Alternative treatment for hip pain
If a person has burning pain, tendon problems, but it is not desirable for him to take pills, then you can use folk remedies. They can not be called a panacea, but help in complex treatment. Of course, you should consult a doctor before use.
The following folk recipes will be useful:
- Clay compress (blue, white). Such a folk remedy allows you to relieve swelling and pain. It is better to alternate clay. The clay should be applied overnight and wrapped in a warm towel.
- Cabbage compresses. They also need honey. Spread with cabbage leaf and apply on the place where you feel burning or sharp pain. In addition, the compress is covered with a plastic bag and insulated with a woolen cloth. The course of treatment is 1 month. In the intervals between compresses on the affected hip joint you can do a light massage: rubbing, stroking.
- Homemade ointment from internal fat and white shin root (250 g). The fat should melt, add the root cut in a meat grinder and put on low heat. The mixture needs to be boiled for 7 minutes. Once the ointment has cooled, it should be applied to the affected hip overnight. In this case, the joint must be insulated. This folk remedy well relieves swelling and other unpleasant symptoms.
- A kind of folk remedy made from garlic, celery and lemon, which relieves severe pain in the tendons. For cooking you need 2 lemons, 300 g of celery root and 130 g of garlic. All ingredients are carefully cut in a meat grinder and placed in a dish with a tight lid. In addition, the whole mixture is poured boiling water and stirred. Now the product should be tightly covered, wrapped in a blanket and left overnight. You should take the medicine on a teaspoon before meals for several months.
A compressed hip nerve cannot be eliminated by these means. Numbness of the limb should alert you and force you to visit a neurologist. Any lesion of the hip joint that causes pain must be identified and treated in a timely manner. And light gymnastics, stretching exercises will help prevent the development of functional disorders of the hip joint.