Osteoarthritis of the hip joint is a complex pathology that can lead to dangerous health consequences.
To slow down its development and cope with dangerous symptoms, you need to consult a doctor in time. The specialist makes the correct diagnosis and selects the appropriate treatment.
Clinical picture and classification of pathology
The pathology is progressive in nature and is accompanied by the destruction of the bones and cartilage of the hip joint. In medicine, this disease is often called coxarthrosis. It is classified in ICD-10 under the code M16.
Most often, the pathology occurs in people over 40 years old, and women are more prone to it.
In older people, the disease is associated with the natural aging of the body. In young people, traumatic injuries, obesity and increased physical activity can be the cause of the development of the disease.
At the initial stage of the disease, there are periodic pains in the area of \u200b\u200bthe joint. Without adequate therapy, the disease progresses, which can lead to disability.
Causes and provoking factors
Pathology has a gradual development and is associated with various factors. The following factors lead to the occurrence of the disease:
- Hormonal imbalance - can be age-related or pathological.
- Violation of blood flow - occurs as a result of injuries, increased physical exertion, vascular pathologies.
- Inflammation - can be seen in arthritis.
- Excess weight - increased loads on the hip joint lead to its compression and destruction.
- Genetic predisposition - Disorders in the structure of the femoral head often lead to arthrosis.
- Increased physical activity - rarely provokes arthrosis, but can accelerate the onset of the disease with other adverse factors.
- Traumatic injuries - these include sprains, fractures, dislocations.
Stages and types of arthrosis
There are several stages in the development of pathology:
- The first phase - in this phase, unpleasant sensations periodically appear. The provoking factor is prolonged physical activity. After a short rest, the symptoms subside.
- The second stage - pain in the hip joint increases, affecting the groin and thigh. Complaints also occur at rest. After a long movement, lameness appears. At this stage, the functioning of the joint suffers, its motor activity decreases. Contractures develop gradually, strength and muscle mass decrease.
- The third stage - the pain syndrome is permanent and occurs even at night. Walking without a stick is very difficult. Movements are disturbed and severely limited, there is hypotrophy of the muscles of the buttocks, thighs and lower legs. When moving, a person must rely on their toes and lean on the damaged side.
- The fourth stage - at this stage the hip joint completely loses motor activity.
Symptoms and Manifestations
With the development of this arthrosis, the following manifestations appear:
- Severe pain in the affected joint and knees. In addition, there may be complaints in the groin. The pain is constant. With the exacerbation of the disease, it affects the legs.
- Violation of motor activity. Excruciating pain syndrome affects a person's ability to move. In this situation, he has to use a cane or crutches.
- Shortening of the affected limb.
- lameness.
- A crunching in the joint that occurs with every movement.
- stiffness of movements.
- Atrophy of muscle tissue in the thigh area - is detected by x-rays.
Methods for diagnosing the hip joint
When making the diagnosis, the doctor takes into account the clinical manifestations of the pathology, anamnesis, the results of an external examination of the patient and instrumental studies.
To make an accurate diagnosis, conduct the following studies:
- Analysis of patient complaints and external examination of the damaged area.
- X-ray - with its help it is possible to identify the size of the joint space, bone growth, etc.
- ultrasonic procedure.
- blood tests.
- Magnetic resonance imaging.
If necessary, the inner surface of the joint is examined with arthroscopic instruments. Differential diagnosis excludes gonarthrosis, lumbosacral or thoracic osteochondrosis. Pain in osteoarthritis can be disguised as clinical manifestations of radicular syndrome caused by pinching or inflammation of the nerve. It is usually possible to rule out neurogenic pathology using a variety of tests. Osteoarthritis of the hip joint necessarily differs from trochanteric bursitis of the hip joint, ankylosing spondylitis, reactive arthritis. To exclude autoimmune pathologies, biochemical studies of blood and synovial fluid are performed.
treatment
To cope with arthrosis of the hip joint, it is necessary to choose a combination therapy.
General recommendations for everyday life and nutrition
At the initial stage of pathology, the doctor advises to adjust lifestyle. This will help stop the pain and halt the progression of the disease. At this stage, it is usually enough to correct the lifestyle and follow a special diet.
The doctor recommends special physical exercises to the patient. Equally important is the correction of the diet. If you are overweight, you should definitely lose weight. Arthrosis cannot be eliminated by increasing the load on the joint.
The basis of the diet should be fish. You can also eat lean meat, legumes, green vegetables, and coarse bread. At the same time, it is recommended to abandon fried foods and fast food. You need to eat fractionally, in small portions.
Conservative therapy
Medical treatment is aimed at solving such problems:
- pain relief;
- normalization of tissue nutrition;
- stimulation of the regeneration process;
- improved blood circulation;
- reducing pressure on damaged areas;
- Widening of the joint space.
To solve these problems, you need to use the following categories of medicines:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. These drugs reduce pain and inflammation. However, they are unable to repair the affected cartilage.
- chondroprotectors. They provide nutrients to the tissues and stop the destruction of the joints, which helps to restore their functions.
- muscle relaxants. With the help of such funds, it is possible to eliminate muscle spasms and normalize blood flow in the tissues.
- creams and ointments. Such funds activate blood flow and eliminate spasms.
- steroids. These drugs are injected into the joint cavity. Thanks to this, it is possible to cope with the exacerbation of the disease and get rid of severe pain.
- vasodilators. They contribute to the dilation of blood vessels in the joints and provide the tissues with useful substances.
Folk and alternative means
In addition to standard therapy, you can use the following tools:
- Tinctures and decoctions for internal use. The basis of such funds can be lemons, mummies, honey, medicinal plants.
- Ointments made from natural ingredients. For their preparation, you can use eucalyptus oil, aloe, celandine.
- baths and compresses. To stop the symptoms of arthrosis, compresses based on cabbage leaves and baths with Jerusalem artichoke can be used.
physical therapy
At the stage of remission, physiotherapy is actively used:
- Shock wave therapy - in this case, the body is affected by sound waves that bring blood flow to the desired area. This improves the regeneration process of the dermis and stimulates metabolic processes.
- Myostimulation - helps restore the function of muscle tissue, weakened due to a forced decrease in motor activity.
- Phonophoresis - under the influence of a special device, a special drug in the form of an ointment or cream is injected into the affected area.
- Ozone therapy - relieves discomfort and activates cartilage formation. This effect is achieved through the influence of the ozone-oxygen composition.
surgical methods
With the ineffectiveness of conservative therapy, surgical interventions are prescribed:
- Puncture - is to pump excess fluid from the joint. Thanks to this, it is possible to stop pain and normalize physical activity.
- Arthroscopic debridement - involves cleaning the inner surface of the joint from cartilaginous elements and washing the cavity with a special solution.
- Periarticular osteotomy - is an artificial fracture of the femur. After that, it is spliced at a different angle, which minimizes the stress on the joint.
- Endoprosthetics – the entire joint is replaced with a prosthesis.
It is impossible to restore cartilage tissue in a joint damaged by osteoarthritis without prosthetic surgery, but with the right approach to treatment, compliance with all medical prescriptions, maintaining the right lifestyle, conducting therapeutic exercises, regular massage courses, taking vitamins and theproper nutrition. They can stop the process of damage and destruction of cartilage and hip joints.
orthopedic goods
A walking stick can be used to relieve the hip joint. In some situations, a person is advised to use crutches.
Very often, people with this diagnosis are advised to wear a soft bandage. The use of an orthosis helps to relieve the affected area, protects it from dislocations and reduces physical activity.
effects
In the most difficult situation, a person becomes disabled, completely loses his working capacity and cannot lead an active lifestyle. This condition is very dangerous for the elderly. If you do not help a person, his life expectancy will be significantly reduced.
forecast
Pathology has a favorable life prognosis. In addition, the disease usually develops slowly. However, in some situations there is a risk of life-threatening aseptic femoral necrosis.
Osteoarthritis of the hip joint is a serious pathology that can lead to a complete loss of motor activity. To avoid this, you need to consult a doctor in a timely manner and strictly follow his recommendations.