Find out what to do if your hips hurt from our article today.
It is this part of the human body that gives the maximum load while walking and running. Problems in this area can lead to serious complications. Even if the pain occurs intermittently, appropriate treatment is needed. In this case, the treatment option should be prescribed by the physician after the diagnosis has been made, as the treatment option depends entirely on the pathology.
Causes of hip pain
First, you need to know the causes of the pain.
Traumatic causes
If joint pain syndromes are severely felt, the causes may be:
- Congenital dislocation of the hip that can occur during childbirth. Such damage is most commonly diagnosed in newborns. This can lead to nerve entrapment.
- Traumatic dislocation is accompanied by very severe pain. Hematoma and edema occur in the affected area. These types of injuries require immediate treatment.
- Fractures of the femoral neck are common in women over 60 years of age. Injury is caused by a fall or impact. They give unpleasant sensations in the inner thigh area. This disease causes nerve pinching and difficulty walking.
- With transvertebral fracture of the femur, pain is exacerbated by movement. The limbs may become numb and the pain will break out.
- Bruising of the hip joint is manifested by moderate pain. In a static state, such signals disappear. In this case, lameness may also occur.
Traumatic injuries are a common problem and cause quite unpleasant painful feelings. In some cases, surgery is even needed.
If you experience numbness, it is important that you seek help immediately. What the sick joint looks like is shown in the picture.
Systemic diseases
In case of systemic connective tissue disorders, pain may occur while walking. An integrated approach is essential for this.
So here are some pathologies that can cause pain:
- Ankylosing spondylitis is associated with dull pain. The pain is especially strong at night. The pain is localized in the sacrum or pelvis. However, the knee can hurt, shoot, and feel uncomfortable in the lumbar region. A strong inflammatory process takes place in the left and right joints.
- Reiter's syndrome involves problems with the urinary tract, conjunctiva and joints. Severe pain and fever occur.
- Rheumatoid arthritis develops when the connective tissue is damaged. A complication of the disease may be coxarthrosis of the hip joints. Swelling and edema appear at the onset of the disease. There is an uncomfortable feeling while walking and pain in the legs.
- The temperature may rise during inflammation. The development of the disease causes stiffness in the movements.
Systemic pathologies can cause different types of pain. However, it is not always possible to cope with the disease alone.
If the treatment is incorrect, complications will occur.
Degenerative changes
With this pathology, the pain is burning, pulling and sharp. Such diseases can provoke them:
- Viral deformity of the epiphysis often occurs in adolescence. The pain is pulling and dull in nature. It can radiate to the inner region of the knee. After training, the pain syndrome worsens. The joint may click.
- Coxarthrosis is a common disease. It takes a long time to treat such a disease. The disease cannot be started because it causes destructive, degenerative processes in the joints.
If the joints started to hurt after a long walk, run, or climbing stairs, this is considered the first sign of the disease.
In the next stage, the pain syndrome radiates to the groin and thigh. Daily stress can increase the intensity of symptoms.
In this case, the tendons and muscles stop working. In the last stage, the pain occurs even at night. Lameness becomes more pronounced, muscles atrophy. Such pathologies should be treated in a timely manner, otherwise they may lead to permanent lameness.
infectious diseases
The discomfort may be caused by inflammation of the tendons, muscles and articular sac.
Such infectious diseases can cause painful symptoms:
- Purulent arthritis is characterized by high fever, severe swelling, acute pain and redness. Not only are some movements difficult, but getting out of bed is also difficult. The pain can shoot. In this case, urgent medical attention is required.
- Necrosis of the femoral head occurs with poor blood flow in this area. This begins the destruction of tissue cells. Signs of the disease are acute pain that is accompanied by a burning sensation and radiates to the groin. An analgesic injection is often needed to stand up.
- Tuberculous arthritis often occurs in immunocompromised children. This pathology develops slowly. The kid gets tired quickly and runs a little. Over time, the joint will start to click and the leg will become shorter.
- Bursitis is an inflammatory pathology of the joints. The main symptom is radiant pain in the leg. Particular discomfort can be felt while walking.
Characteristics of the diagnosis of pathology
You must first go to a therapist who will tell you which doctor to go to. The patient requires a comprehensive diagnosis.
The following procedures apply:
- Ultrasonography.
- X-ray of the thigh, which is performed in two projections.
- General and biochemical analysis of blood. In this case, the presence of rheumatoid factor is determined by varying the rate of erythrocyte sedimentation and the level of leukocytes.
- External examination by palpation, interviewing patients.
- MRI.
After the examination, the doctor determines the exact diagnosis and prescribes comprehensive treatment.
How to treat pathology
Therapeutic methods are largely determined by the causes of the disease.
congenital dislocation
With such pathology, orthopedic devices are used on the child, such as supports, stirrups or Freik pillows.
These devices keep the baby's foot in the right position from a physiological point of view. They are used for at least six months.
In rare cases where conservative methods do not help, surgery is prescribed. In this case, the head of the femur shrinks. Even after removing the orthopedic aids, the baby should have a light massage that strengthens the muscles.
Traumatic dislocation
If you have this condition, your doctor will prescribe medications to help relieve muscle tone as well as restore the joint.
It is important for the patient to have peace of mind. When the limbs start to numb, it indicates a pinching of the nerve.
In this case, a neurologist's examination is required.
Hip fracture
In this situation, the treatment is performed by a traumatologist. Surgery is most often prescribed. If surgery is not possible, plaster should be applied from the lower back to the heel.
It should not be forgotten that after 60 years, such injuries practically do not grow together.
Bechterew's syndrome
A complex treatment is prescribed for such a disease, which makes it possible to reduce the symptoms of inflammatory processes.
Therapy includes:
- Drugs - hormonal, immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory compounds.
- Therapeutic exercises - muscle tension.
- Physiotherapy procedures.
- The right and left joints are massaged.
All procedures and preparations should be selected by a traumatologist, surgeon, or orthopedist. You need to swim to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles.
If the case is severe, the patient may be prescribed joint surgery.
Reiter's disease
Anti-inflammatory drugs, glucocorticosteroids and drugs that suppress the immune system are used to treat this pathology.
The treatment lasts for about 4 months.
Such pathology may recur in the future. You also need to preserve the sound with exercises - stretching.
Rheumatoid arthritis
This disease is considered very common. Every hundredth person suffers from it. However, women are more sensitive to it than men. This is due to the fact that the structure of the pelvic bones changes during pregnancy.
The main symptoms of the disease are pain and stiffness while walking.
Treatment with hormonal agents, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and cytostatics is used.
Exercises, stretch marks and topical ointments are especially effective. Surgery is used in the last stage of the disease when it is impossible to walk and sit.
However, joint surgery and joint fixation are recommended. After surgery, the symptoms of pain are reduced, mobility is improved and possible complications can be prevented.
Coxarthrosis
Corxarthrosis is a disease in which there are problems with hyaline cartilage.
It is most common in the elderly. Various measures and procedures are used during treatment. It can also be medication and surgery. They are prescribed a medication first, and if it is not effective, surgery is prescribed. In the early stages, the disease is treated using conservative methods.
Chondroprotectors, NSAIDs, and blood flow improvers are prescribed. Warming and analgesic ointments as well as physiotherapy can be used for the treatment.
In some cases, the joint needs to be anesthetized. If the discomfort is severe, injections should be used. If the stage is the last, coxarthrosis cannot be treated.
However, any load only worsens your well-being and even getting out of bed causes pain. In such a situation, only surgical treatment will help.
Endoprosthesis replacement is often used, but this method is not used in the elderly. Recovery procedures and simple training are required after surgery, but under medical supervision.
The load must be kept to a minimum.
Treatment of inflammatory and infectious diseases
You need to know how to treat infectious pathologies. In case of such problems, treatment is prescribed by a doctor.
Therapeutic methods depend on the type of disease:
- In the case of purulent arthritis, the affected hip joint must first be anesthetized. In this case, an analgesic injection is used. Antibiotics and antibacterial agents are used to treat infections. Abscess removal is also used. In this case, rails or plaster are used.
- To cure aseptic necrosis of the femoral head, blood flow must be restored to restore dead areas. Anesthesia is required using NSAIDs. Complexes containing vitamins and blood viscosity reducing agents are actively used. If your thigh starts to hurt, you should use an anesthetic and massage. Therapeutic gymnastics and physiotherapy procedures are also used. If the case is complex, arthroplasty and surgical techniques are used.
- In bursitis, the joint can be very painful and should be anesthetized. In this case, anti-inflammatory compounds and analgesics are used. In case of severe discomfort, steroids are relevant.
- Tuberculosis arthritis is treated conservatively. The mobility of the joints is limited by a special tight bond. When an abscess forms in the soft tissues, it is surgically removed.
Treatment at home
Please don't heal yourself. See a doctor!
Folk remedies supplement the main treatment but do not replace it. There are different ways to treat arthritis or arthrosis.
It should not be forgotten that all folk methods only help to suppress painful symptoms, but they do not help dramatically.
Here are some recipes:
- Horseradish compresses are used in the affected areas. To do this, the roots must be filed and then boiled in warm water. The compress is then applied to the affected areas.
- Cabbage treatment. This vegetable has long been used to relieve joint and bone pain. Compresses can be made from leaves or cabbage juice. Juice can be squeezed with a juicer or from crushed leaves. The tissue is soaked in juice and applied to the affected area. The honey can be spread on the leaves and placed on the affected area overnight.
- This is how the oatmeal compress is made. First boil the porridge in a small amount of water and then place in gauze. The compress is applied to the affected area.
- Grind the eggshell and mix with kefir. The mixture is wrapped in canvas or gauze and then applied to the sore spot.
In case of arthritis, special solutions and decoctions are prepared for drinking. It is recommended to take apple cider vinegar several times a day.
In this case, place a spoonful of the solution in a glass of water.
Do not use the composition for stomach upset.
The bay leaf decoction is also useful. Half a pack should be taken in a pot of water. The decoction should then be filtered and drunk before going to bed.
It can be treated with various juices. Juices made from beets, carrots and other vegetables are especially effective.
With proper and fast treatment, you can cope with any disease.
The point is not to give up, but to follow all the doctor’s recommendations and, if possible, perform therapeutic exercises.