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. But this is if we talk about patients over 45 years old. But at a younger age, completely different pathological processes can be the causes of the appearance of such a clinical symptom. And very often they are directly related to damage to 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 articular acetabulum is disturbed. This union is one of the busiest. It calculates the maximum damping load both during walking and running, as well as when a person is standing and sitting.
The head of the femur, like the acetabulum of the ilium, is lined with a synovial layer of cartilage. Inside the joint capsule is synovial fluid. When compressed, cartilage tissue secretes synovial fluid, and when straightened, it is reabsorbed. Thus, simultaneous distribution of the damping load and protection of bone tissue from damage and cracking is carried out.
Synovial fluid is produced during the work of the muscles surrounding the joint. It penetrates the joint capsule by diffuse exchange. Maintaining sufficient levels and optimal viscosity of synovial fluid is key to the longevity and health of the hip joint.
Unfortunately, a sedentary lifestyle, malnutrition, traumatic effects, excess weight and other risk factors lead to the fact that the synovial fluid becomes small or loses its physiological properties. Thus begins the process of destruction of the cartilaginous synovial layer.
Bone tissue is destroyed and begins to be covered with deposits of calcium salts - osteophytes. The wrist loses its mobility. Ankylosis and contracture are formed. In the later stages of coxarthrosis, only a surgical operation for hip arthroplasty can help the patient. 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 while walking can be due to a traumatic injury to the ligamentous apparatus and tendon. If a person has even small problems with the lumbosacral spine, then he does not have an equal distribution of the damping load. As a result, there is a high mechanical load on the ligaments and tendons. They are subject to periodic microscopic damage. In these places, cicatricial deformations are formed and gradually they begin to exert a suppressive 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 likelihood of a violation of blood microcirculation increases. Damage to the radicular nerves and the lumbosacral nerve plexus leads to the fact that the tone of the muscular wall of the blood circulation is disturbed. As a result, the tissues around the hip joint, like other parts of the lower extremities, do not receive enough nutrition. Ischemic processes begin.
With prolonged combined load on the hip joint against the background of an ischemic process, there is a risk of developing aseptic necrosis of bone tissue. This is a very dangerous disease, which in case of delayed treatment can lead to disability in adulthood. A person loses his ability to work, needs a surgical operation and long-term rehabilitation.
We strongly recommend that in case of any discomfort in the hip joint, you contact an orthopedic doctor at the right time. He, if necessary, will schedule 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.
Severe pain in the hip joint can appear as a result of a traumatic effect - this is:
- A hip fracture is a serious injury that most often requires surgical intervention to restore integrity;
- hip ilium or femur fracture;
- dislocation or subluxation with the extension of the joint capsule, the accumulation of capillary blood and the subsequent process of the development of hemarthrosis;
- rupture of the joint capsule;
- violation of the integrity of the articular bags (burs);
- stretching and tearing of ligamentous fibers and tendons, including the subsequent process of indentation of the deformity.
Painful pain in the hip joint can be the result of dystrophic processes. They can affect both the external soft tissues and the cartilaginous synovial membranes within the bone articulation. Violation of the tone of the vascular wall against the background of lumbosacral osteochondrosis is the most common cause of tissue destruction of the hip joints. If we add to this the negative impact of the forced curvature of the spine due to muscle fiber tension syndrome, it becomes clear that the pathology of intervertebral cartilaginous discs can lead to disability due to the 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, first the contracture develops, then the amplitude of mobility decreases 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 (every kilogram of extra weight puts a huge load on all joints and spine, provokes 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 interrupted, the efficiency of the synovial fluid decreases and the process of disintegration of the cartilage protective tissues begins;
- smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages - changes biochemical processes, provokes a sharp spasm of capillary blood circulation;
- heavy physical work and lifting extreme weights without prior training;
- incorrect foot installation in the form of flat feet or flat feet;
- wrong choice of shoes for daily wear and physical education;
- violation of the rules of ergonomics when arranging your sleeping and working place.
All these risk factors should be excluded. An experienced doctor during the initial collection of anamnesis data will try to identify all possible causes and factors of negative impact. Then he will give the patient individual recommendations, compliance with which will eliminate the risk of recurrence of the identified disease in the future. Therefore, be sure to follow all the recommendations of your doctor.
Which doctor should I contact for pain in the hip joint?
The answer to the question of which doctor treats hip pain depends mainly on the circumstances in which such a clinical symptom appeared. For example, if you fell, slipped or were involved in an accident, you should first contact a traumatologist. This doctor will exclude the possibility of violation of tissue integrity. If necessary, will provide all necessary assistance.
Then, for a complete rehabilitation, it is recommended to contact a chiropractor. He will develop a course of therapeutic exercises that will fully restore the working capacity of the body's muscular framework after forced immobilization. This will prevent the risk of developing deforming osteoarthritis and other serious degenerative pathologies in the future.
If pain in the hip joint bothers you all the time - which doctor should you consult? We strongly recommend that you find a manual therapy clinic near where you live. There are usually doctors with a lot of experience 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. Those. approaches the solution of the patient's problem exclusively formally.
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 visit a vertebrologist or neurologist. As a rule, doctors of this profile successfully practice in specialized manual therapy clinics.
Hip pain treatment
Treatment for hip pain can only be started after an accurate diagnosis has been made. This is a clinical symptom of various pathologies. And the correct course of therapy should take into account their causes.
For example, if the destruction of the cartilage layer inside 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, then the course of treatment can be approximately as follows:
- first, with the help of manual traction of the spine, it makes sense to restore the normal position of the vertebral bodies and eliminate the compression pressure from cartilage 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, speed up the process of their blood supply;
- osteopathic influence promotes the disturbed process of microcirculation of blood, lymphatic and intracellular fluid, which has a positive effect on tissue trophism, elimination of infiltrative edema of soft tissues surrounding the joint;
- physiotherapy accelerates metabolic processes, removes decay products, increases the synthesis of new cells, etc. ;
- laser exposure stimulates repair processes;
- reflexology has a stimulating effect due to the fact that it affects biologically active points in the human body;
- Therapeutic gymnastics in combination with kinesiotherapy develops the muscular framework of the human body, initiates the processes of disturbed cartilage tissue trophism within the joints and in the area of the affected intervertebral cartilage discs.
The course of treatment for hip pain is always developed individually. Do not rush to take medications without a doctor's prescription. Most of them may be completely useless in your case. The second part of the pharmacological agents can significantly accelerate the process of tissue breakdown within the hip joints.
If you have unpleasant sensations in the area of this bone articulation, then in no case do not tolerate them. Make an appointment with the specialist who will be available. Ask for an X-ray of the joint, if necessary, an MRI examination. For treatment, look for a manual therapy clinic in your area.