In the vast majority of cases, pain in the hip joint is associated with degeneration of the cartilaginous synovial layer and the development of deforming osteoarthritis. However, this is the case when we talk about patients over the age of 45. But at a younger age, completely different pathological processes can be the cause of the appearance of such a clinical symptom. And very often they are directly related to the defeat of the lumbosacral spine and lumbago syndrome. Most of them are complications of long-term osteochondrosis without proper treatment.
Pain in the hip joint is a signal that the position of the femoral head in the socket is disturbed. This joint is one of the most heavily loaded. It takes into account the maximum depreciation load for both walking and running as well as standing and sitting.
The head of the femur, like the acetabulum of the ilium, is lined with a cartilaginous synovial layer. Synovial fluid is found in the joint capsule. When the cartilage tissue is compressed, it secretes synovial fluid, and when it is straightened, it reabsorbs. Thus, the simultaneous distribution of the depreciation load and the protection of bone tissue from damage and cracking are carried out.
Synovial fluid is produced during the work of the muscles surrounding the joint. By diffuse exchange, it penetrates the joint capsule. Maintaining adequate levels and optimal viscosity of synovial fluid is key to longevity and health of the hip joint.
Unfortunately, sedentary lifestyle, malnutrition, traumatic effects, obesity and other risk factors cause the synovial fluid to become small or lose its physiological properties. With this begins the process of destruction of the cartilaginous synovial layer.
Bone tissues are destroyed and begin to be covered with deposits of calcium salts - osteophytes. The joint loses its mobility. Ankylosis and contracture are formed. In later stages of the coxarthrosis, the patient can only be helped by a surgical intervention for hip arthroplasty. This is the most dangerous disease that can lead to disability in adulthood. In the early stages, it can be successfully treated with manual therapy methods.
At a young age, pain in the hip joint when walking can be due to a traumatic lesion of the ligamentous and tendon apparatus. If a person has even minor problems with the lumbosacral spine, then he does not have an even distribution of the burden of depreciation. This results in a high mechanical load on the ligaments and tendons. They are subject to periodic microscopic injuries. Cicatricial deformities form in these places, which gradually exert a compressive effect on the adjacent nerve fibers. This provokes the appearance of pain.
In middle age, pain in the hip joint can also be associated with damage to the lumbosacral spine. But in this case, the probability of a violation of blood microcirculation increases. The defeat of the radicular nerves and the lumbosacral nerve plexus leads to the fact that the tone of the muscular wall of the bloodstream is disturbed. As a result, the tissues around the hip joint, like other parts of the lower extremities, are under-nourished. Ischemic processes begin.
With prolonged combined loads on the hip joint against the background of an ischemic process, there is a risk of aseptic necrosis of bone tissue. This is a very dangerous disease that, in the event of delayed treatment, can lead to disability in adulthood. A person loses his ability to work, needs surgical intervention and long-term rehabilitation.
We strongly recommend that you consult an orthopaedist in good time if you have problems with your hip joint. If necessary, he will arrange a consultation with a vertebrologist, neurologist or angiosurgeon.
Causes of severe pain and stiffness in the hip joint
Some of the possible causes of severe hip pain have already been mentioned above. However, this is not a complete list of factors that negatively affect the condition of the hip joint.
As a result of a traumatic effect, severe pain in the hip joint can occur - this is:
- Hip fracture is a serious injury that most often requires surgical intervention to restore integrity;
- fissure of hipbone or femur;
- Dislocation or subluxation with stretching of the joint capsule, accumulation of capillary blood and the subsequent process of development of hemarthrosis;
- rupture of the joint capsule;
- Violation of the integrity of the articular bags (drills);
- Stretching and tearing of the ligament and tendon fibers, also with the subsequent process of deformation scar formation.
Aching pain in the hip joint can be the result of dystrophic processes. They can affect both the outer soft tissues and the cartilaginous synovial membranes within the joints of the bones. Violation of the tone of the vascular wall against the background of lumbosacral osteochondrosis is the most common cause of destruction of the tissues of the hip joints. Add to this the negative effects of the forced curvature of the spine caused by musculoskeletal strain syndrome and it becomes clear that the pathology of the cartilaginous discs can lead to disability through destruction of the hip joint.
Note that pain and stiffness in the hip joint can be signs of developing ankylosis. This disease can be post-traumatic or rheumatoid. In the first case, a contracture first develops, then the amplitude of movements is reduced to complete immobility. Rheumatic lesions are the articular form of ankylosing spondylitis, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, polyarthritis, etc.
Possible causes of pain in the hip joint are diseases of the musculoskeletal system. They develop under the influence of the following risk factors:
- overweight and obesity (each extra kilogram of weight puts a huge load on all joints and the spine, provoking their accelerated destruction);
- Maintaining a sedentary lifestyle with insufficient physical activity and sedentary work - the process of blood supply to the tissues of the hip joint is disrupted, the efficiency of the synovial fluid decreases, and the process of decay of the protective cartilaginous tissue begins;
- Smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages - changes biochemical processes, provokes a sharp spasm of capillary blood circulation;
- heavy physical labor and lifting extreme weights without prior training;
- incorrect installation of the foot in the form of flat feet or club feet;
- the wrong choice of shoes for everyday life and physical education;
- Violation of the rules of ergonomics when setting up your sleeping and working space.
All of these risk factors must be ruled out. An experienced doctor will try to identify all supposed causes and negative influencing factors during the first collection of medical history data. Then he gives the patient individual recommendations, compliance with which eliminates the risk of recurrence of the identified disease in the future. Therefore, be sure to follow all of your doctor's recommendations.
Which doctor should I contact if I have hip pain?
The answer to the question of which doctor treats hip pain largely depends on the circumstances under which such a clinical symptom arose. For example, if you fell, slipped or were involved in an accident, the first thing you need to do is contact a traumatologist. This doctor will eliminate the possibility of violating the integrity of the tissue. If necessary, the necessary support will be provided.
Then, for full rehabilitation, it is recommended to consult a chiropractor. He will develop a course of therapeutic exercises that will fully restore the working capacity of the body's muscular skeleton after forced immobilization. This will prevent the risk of developing deforming osteoarthritis and other serious degenerative pathologies in the future.
If you have constant hip pain, which doctor should you see? We strongly recommend that you visit a manual therapy practice close to where you live. Usually there are doctors with great experience in working with such patients.
Unfortunately, in most city clinics it is either impossible to get an appointment with an orthopedist, or this specialist deals exclusively with the symptomatic treatment of the identified pathology. This. only formally approaches the solution of the patient's problem.
With long-term pain, it is very important to exclude the possibility of destruction of the lumbosacral spine. Therefore, in addition to consulting an orthopedist, you may also need to see a vertebrologist or neurologist. Doctors with this profile usually practice successfully in specialized manual therapy clinics.
Hip pain treatment
Hip pain treatment can only be started after an accurate diagnosis. This is a clinical symptom of various pathologies. And the right therapy should take its causes into account.
For example, if the destruction of the cartilage layer in the joint is provoked by muscle weakness against the background of insufficient innervation due to the destruction of the intervertebral discs in the lumbosacral spine, the course of treatment may be something like this:
- Firstly, with the help of manual traction of the spine, it makes sense to restore the normal position of the vertebral bodies and eliminate the compressive pressure from the cartilaginous tissue and radicular nerves.
- then, with the help of massage, the doctor can eliminate the syndrome of excessive muscle fiber tension and improve the elasticity of all soft tissues, accelerate the process of their blood supply;
- osteopathic influence triggers the disturbed process of microcirculation of blood, lymphatic and intercellular fluid, which has a positive effect on tissue trophism, elimination of infiltrative edema of the soft tissues surrounding the joint;
- Physiotherapy accelerates metabolic processes, removes decay products, promotes the synthesis of new cells, etc. ;
- Laser exposure stimulates repair processes;
- Reflexology has a stimulating effect as it affects the biologically active points of the human body;
- therapeutic gymnastics in combination with kinesitherapy develops the muscular framework of the human body, starts the processes of disturbed trophism of cartilaginous tissue in the joints and in the area of \u200b\u200bthe affected cartilaginous intervertebral discs.
The course of treatment for hip pain is always developed individually. Do not rush to take medication without a doctor's prescription. Most of them might be completely useless in your case. The second part of the pharmacological agents can significantly accelerate the process of tissue breakdown in the hip joints.
If you experience any unpleasant sensations in the area of this articulation of the bones, then in no case do not tolerate them. Make an appointment with the specialist who will be available. Request an X-ray of the joint, possibly an MRI scan. For treatment, look for a manual therapy clinic near you.