Why the hip joint hurts: causes, what to do, how to treat

The hip joint is considered the largest joint. He is also the most loaded person in the human body. Located in the pelvic region near the hip joint. Due to its special structure, the limb moves freely in different directions. It provides a playful upright posture. Pain in the hip joint impairs functionality, causing serious discomfort when walking and even sitting. In this case, the limb sometimes even falls asleep.

General classification of causes

The diagnosis of a malfunction of the hip joint is fraught with some difficulties, because everything causes painful sensations: trauma, skeletal disease, accompanying pathology of the internal organs. In this case, the damaged area will hurt, the sensations will burn.

This problem is most common among people over the age of 50. At the same time, women are more prone to these joint or hip problems than men.

Hip pain is often caused by:

• Traumatic: fracture of the femoral neck, direct damage to the joint area, acute protrusion of the right or left thigh, traumatic joint injury, fractures of the pelvic bones, ossifying myositis caused by epiphysiolysis of the femoral head. .
• Lesions of the connective tissue of the hip joint: Reiter's disease, arthritis and rheumatoid, ankylosing spondylitis.
• Joint diseases accompanied by degenerative processes in tissues: coxarthrosis.
• Osteochondropathies: osteochondritis dissections, Legg-Calve-Perthes pathology.
• Skeletal development problems: epiphyseal varus deformity of the foot developing in adolescents.
• Inflammatory processes of soft tissues in the joints: bursitis, transient synovitis, joint coccyx, triggered by a tuberculosis bacilli.

Radiation pain in the thigh region develops as a result of such lesions: symphysis, radicular syndrome, pathological processes in the sacroiliac joint, enthesopathy. Generally, a damaged left or right hip joint causes significant discomfort and pain. It should be treated when the slightest symptoms appear.

Detailed description of traumatic causes

If the hip joint hurts, it may be due to the development of such a pathological condition:

1. Congenital dislocation of the thigh caused by a failed birth or intrauterine development. Damage can be diagnosed so quickly in newborns. The child has uneven gluteal folds, one leg is shortened. A pinched nerve is also common. This disease is very complicated and dangerous for the newborn, because the consequences of trauma can last a lifetime.
2. Traumatic hip dislocation. It is characterized by sharp pain, a person can not move and can not sit or talk on his feet. Edema and hematoma appear on the joint. During hip dislocation (running, sports training) only worsens the condition, leads to changes in the hip joint and the development of pathological processes. This type of injury requires immediate treatment.
3. Fracture of the femoral neck. This diagnosis is often made in women over 60 years of age. The cause of such damage to the hip joint is a banal drop or a blow to the hip joint. During a fracture, a very sharp pain is felt, aggravated by movement. Unpleasant sensations begin to appear on the inner surface of the thigh. Swelling at the site of injury, a bruise appears on the area of the hip joint. The injured left or right leg is shortened, and the person becomes lame and begins to hit the joint. In addition, the trauma helps to compress the nerve, so the thigh begins to numb.
4. Transtrocanteric fracture of the femur. In this case, the pain is moderate or severe. The symptoms in the thighs get worse as you move. A pinched nerve is also quite possible here. In this case, the pain shoots and the limbs may become numb.
5. Contusion of the hip joint. The pain here is moderate, but can be exacerbated during a person's active movement. Symptoms disappear at rest. This cause of pain in the hip or hip joint is very common, especially in people who are prone to falls. The patient has a rapid lameness.

Traumatic injury of the hip joint can be considered the main and common cause of unpleasant pain. Severe fractures or dislocations of the femur, pelvis often require surgery. If a person has a constricted nerve and the patient begins to numb, the doctor should be consulted immediately.

Systemic diseases as a cause of pain

Pain in the hip joint during walking or in other positions can cause systemic damage to the connective tissue. Such diseases must be treated continuously, as they are practically incurable. In addition, the therapy should be comprehensive and, above all, affect the development of unpleasant feelings.

Thus, the following pathologies can cause pain in the left or right hip joint:

• Ankylosing spondylitis. Here the pains are dull. Painful feelings become stronger at night in a sick man or woman. Localization of pain syndrome - sacrum or pelvis. It can also affect the knees, thighs and groin. In this situation, movement is difficult, especially walking, the patient feels stiffness. Hip pain can be very severe. An inflammatory process develops inside the right or left joint.
• Reiter's syndrome. The disease is an inflammatory lesion of the joints, urogenital organs, as well as the conjunctiva. The disease is autoimmune and results in an intestinal infection. The pathological process inside the joint begins a few weeks or months after the onset of the disease. Acute pain in the hip or joint is characterized by changes in temperature. An obvious swelling appears in the left and right pelvic region. In most cases, the disease causes 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. This disease is considered a condition for coxarthrosis of the hip joints. There is a gradual progress. Initially, it is characterized by the following symptoms: edema and swelling (left or right). Feelings of discomfort and pain while walking. Inside the joint, due to the inflammatory process, the temperature rises (local and general). Additional development helps to show rigidity in any movement. Pain in the hip joint when sleeping on the side at night. In general, the presented pathology manifests itself simultaneously on the right and left. Due to the destruction of the hip joint, the patient's nerves may be constricted, so the muscles fall asleep. Treatment here should be immediate.

Systemic pathologies are able to convey pain of a different nature to a person: acute, extremely acute, convulsions. Even at rest, it is not always possible to cope with severe anxiety. Therefore, only a doctor should prescribe the right treatment. This is especially true when a newborn baby is ill. Ineffective treatment can ruin your life in the future.

Pain caused by degenerative changes

Acute, burning or suffocating joint pain can cause the following diseases:

1. Epiphyseal varus deformity is common in adolescents. At the same time, sensations are dull and attractive. They can give into the knee. Running and other sports training cause an increase in the intensity of the pain syndrome. The pain can last from time to time and the joint may click.
2. 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 pathological symptoms are as follows: first, the patient's joint begins to ache after running, long walks or climbing stairs. And at rest the anxiety disappears. The movements are not limited here yet. In the second stage of development, the following symptoms appear: pain syndrome begins to be transmitted in the groin, as well as in the thighs. Daily stress increases the intensity of feelings, but at rest they disappear. Prolonged walking provokes the appearance of lameness, begins to hit the joints. Muscles and tendons are damaged, tones are reduced. In the final stages of the disease, the patient has such pains at night, and they are very strong. The stain is severe. Muscles lose volume and atrophy - the person becomes immobile. Treatment can stop or delay joint destruction.

These pathologies can lead to persistent lameness, and this is due to the restriction of work activities, lack of full-fledged sports training. Getting out of bed in the morning can be very difficult.

Inflammatory and infectious causes of pain

In addition to direct damage to the joint bones, inflammation of the muscles, tendons, and joint capsule can cause discomfort. And infectious diseases can also trigger pain syndrome:

• Purulent arthritis. Symptoms of such a pathology are: an increase in general temperature, redness of the skin in the joint area, severe swelling, sharp or sharp pain. It becomes impossible to lift any load (running and even walking) or even get out of bed. The pain begins to pass. As the patient develops sepsis, treatment should not be delayed.
• Femoral head necrosis (aseptic). It is mainly observed 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 symptoms: acute pain that can spread to the groin, a burning sensation in the affected area. It can be so harmful that a person cannot lean on the affected leg, it is difficult for him to get out of bed. In most cases, an analgesic injection is needed to adjust the patient's joint. After a few days, the symptoms disappear. If the pathology continues to progress, the person will experience changes in muscles and tendons - they will experience atrophy. A person develops gait disorders and lameness.
• Tuberculosis arthritis. One of the features of the pathology is that it develops mainly in young children with weakened immunity. Pathologically slow. The little patient gets tired quickly and runs very little. The thigh muscles gradually atrophy. The joint begins to crack, the leg shortens. Over time, the affected joint begins to ache. Sometimes the pain is sharp, sometimes it pulls or burns. In addition, milk is formed inside the joint, the symptoms intensify.
• Bursitis is an inflammatory lesion of the articular bursa. The main symptom of the pathology is pain creeping along the leg. At the same time, the feelings are sharp, and the discomfort is very strong when getting up or walking. At rest, the injured limb will ache or burn.

Infectious pathologies cause various types of pain inside the hip joint: burning, tingling or dull sensations. Anxiety is often so severe that a person cannot sleep at night. Of course, all these pathologies must be treated urgently.

Features of pathological diagnosis

In order to accurately determine the causes and factors that cause pain in the hip joint, the patient needs the careful attitude of doctors and proper 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 leukocyte levels and changes in erythrocyte sedimentation rate.
• External examination of the joint by palpation, as well as the identification of patient complaints.
• MRI.

After the examination, an accurate diagnosis is made and comprehensive treatment is prescribed.

How should the pathology be treated?

If you experience occasional pain in the hip joint, it should be treated. Therapy depends on the cause. Thus, the treatment of the joint depends on the pathology.

Congenital dislocation

If the dislocation is congenital, special orthopedic products are injected into the child's joint: stirrups, spacers or Frejk pillows are recommended. All of these tools support the newborn's feet in a proper physiological position. The child will have to stay for at least six months. If traditional treatment is not effective, the baby is prescribed surgery. That is, the head of the femur is operatively placed on the newborn, and other defects are corrected. After the orthopedic device is removed, the baby can be gently massaged to strengthen the muscles.

Traumatic dislocation

In the event of a traumatic dislocation, the physician should re-adjust it using medications that help relieve muscle tone. After that, the patient should be provided with peace. Coagulation of the symptom indicates that the nerve is constricted. This requires a mandatory examination by a neurologist.

Hip fracture

A hip fracture is treated by a traumatologist. The patient is operated on with such damage. Conservative treatments are sometimes ineffective. However, if surgery is not possible, it is recommended that the patient apply a plaster bandage to the left (right) foot and lower back to the heel. After the age of 60, such damage to the hip bone in women or men rarely improves, and the recovery process takes months. Among the consequences of this disease can be distinguished insufficient function of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, as the patient is unable to lead an active life and move normally. Even sitting becomes a problem for him. A broken joint may be accompanied by a burning sensation in the soft tissues. As for surgery, in this case, fixation of the head and body of the bone with pins or screws, as well as endoprosthetics are used for treatment.

Ankylosing spondylitis

Treatment of ankylosing spondylitis is complex. Helps reduce the intensity of symptoms that cause inflammation. Therapy includes medications (anti-inflammatory drugs, hormonal medications, immunosuppressants), physiotherapy procedures, therapeutic exercises (muscle stretching is beneficial). Massage of the affected joint on the left or right is considered equally beneficial. All medications and therapeutic exercises are definitely chosen by a traumatologist, orthopedist or surgeon. You need to swim to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. In particularly difficult cases, the patient is shown arthroplasty of the left or right joint.

Reiter's disease

Antibiotics, as well as anti-inflammatory drugs, glucocorticosteroids, drugs to suppress the immune system, and topical ointments will be needed to treat Reiter's pathology. The treatment will last 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 through physical exercise - regular stretching.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis, which can cause severe pain at rest, cannot be completely eliminated. But you should try to improve the quality of life of a sick man or woman. For this purpose, drug treatment is used with cytostatics, hormonal substances, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, as well as antirheumatic drugs. When it comes to surgery, it is used only in the final stages, it is almost impossible to walk and sit. Joint fixation or arthroplasty is recommended. Sports, especially stretching, are also useful in local ointments.

Coxarthrosis

Treatment of coxarthrosis is aimed at eliminating the cause of the development of symptoms and signs. Pathology in the early stages of development is treated using conservative methods. The patient is prescribed NSAIDs, chondroprotectors and drugs to improve blood circulation. Painkillers and warming ointments are used for treatment. In addition, the patient is prescribed light therapeutic training. Of course, the joint needs to sleep often. In case of severe discomfort, a needle is used.

The final stage of coxarthrosis is no longer suitable for conservative therapy. Any load on the joint impairs a person's well-being. It is impossible to get out of bed without help. The patient should make analgesic injections. In this case, the disease should be treated only with surgery. Generally, arthroplasty of the joint is required, but it is contraindicated for very old people. Therefore, such patients undergo only ancillary operations. After surgery, the patient needs a course of recovery: light stretching, a very simple exercise under the supervision of a doctor. The load should be minimal.

Proper therapy will help to slow down the progression of the disease and eliminate the unpleasant symptoms.

Features of the treatment of infectious and inflammatory pathologies

It all depends on the type of disease:

1. Purulent arthritis. To begin, the patient needs to adjust the affected hip joint. An analgesic injection directly into the joint can be used for this. The infection should be treated with antibacterial agents and antibiotics. In addition, several groups of drugs are used at the same time. Only a doctor can prescribe them. In addition, the removal of abscesses is carried out. The patient's leg should be completely at rest, ie the patient is given a cast or plaster.
2. Treatment of aseptic necrosis of the femoral head includes restoration of blood flow, rapid resorption of dead areas. The extremity should be anesthetized with NSAIDs. Vitamin complexes, drugs to reduce blood viscosity are also used. If the thigh continues to ache, you should additionally apply massage, anesthetic ointment. This condition can also be treated with physical therapy and therapeutic exercises. In difficult cases, minimally invasive surgery or joint arthroplasty is used.
3. With bursitis, the hip joint hurts a lot, it must be anesthetized. For this purpose, an analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent is used and administered by intramuscular injection. Steroids are also used to get rid of acute anxiety quickly. The hips and hip joints should be kept at rest as they can cause constant pain.
4. Tuberculosis arthritis is mainly treated conservatively. The baby needs to limit mobility with a tight bandage. If an abscess develops in the baby's soft tissues, it should be removed surgically.

Burning, numbness of the joints, pain in the hip joint, spread to the legs - these are unpleasant feelings that indicate the presence of serious problems.

Alternative treatment of pain in the hip joints

If a person has a burning pain, there are problems with the tendons, but if it is not desirable to take the pill, you can use folk remedies. They can not be called drugs, but they help in complex treatment. Of course, you should consult a doctor before use.

The following folk recipes will be useful:

1. Clay compress (blue, white). Such a folk remedy allows you to eliminate swelling and pain. It is better to change the clay. The clay should be applied overnight and wrapped in a warm cloth.
2. Cabbage compressors. They also need puppies. Rubbed with cabbage leaves and applied to the area where a burning or sharp pain is felt. In addition, the compress is covered with a plastic bag and insulated with a woolen cloth. The course of treatment is 1 month. You can give a light massage in the intervals between compresses on the affected hip joint: rub, rub.
3. Homemade ointment (250 g) from the internal oil and white perestroot root. Melt the butter, add the chopped root to a meat grinder and put on low heat. The mixture should boil for 7 minutes. The ointment should be applied overnight to the affected hip joint after cooling. In this case, the joint must be insulated. This folk remedy eliminates swelling and other unpleasant symptoms well.
4. A kind of folk remedy made from garlic, celery and lemon, which relieves severe pain in the tendons. You need 2 lemons and 300 grams to cook. celery root, as well as 130 gr. garlic. All ingredients are carefully chopped in a meat grinder and placed in a bowl with a tight lid. In addition, the whole mixture is poured into boiling water and mixed. Now the product needs to be tightly covered, wrapped in a blanket and left overnight. You should take a teaspoon of the drug a few months before meals.

A compressed hip nerve cannot be removed by these means. Hand numbness should alert you and you should consult a neurologist. Any injury to the hip joint that causes pain should be identified and treated in a timely manner. And light gymnastics, traction exercises will help prevent the development of functional disorders of the hip joint.