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

The hip joint is considered the largest joint. And he is also the most charged in the human body. It is located in the area of the thigh bone joint as well as in the pelvis. Due to the peculiar structure, the member moves freely in different directions. This joint provides upright posture. Pain in the hip joint impairs its functionality, causing great discomfort when walking and even sitting. In this case, the limb sometimes goes numb.

General classification of causes

The diagnosis of a hip joint malfunction is fraught with some difficulties, as everything causes painful sensations: trauma, skeletal disease, concomitant pathology of internal organs. In that case, the damaged area will hurt, the sensations will become burning.

This problem is more common among people who have passed the 50-year mark. At the same time, women are more likely to have problems with this joint or hip than men.

Hip pain is usually caused by:

• Traumatic: fracture of the femoral neck, direct injury to the joint area, severe dislocation of the right or left hip, myositis ossificans, which developed as a result of traumatic injury to the joint, fractures of the pelvic bones, epiphysiolysis of the femoral head.
• Hip joint connective tissue injuries: Reiter's disease, arthritis, and rheumatoid ankylosing spondylitis only.
• Joint diseases, accompanied by degenerative tissue processes: coxarthrosis.
• Osteochondropathies: osteochondritis dissecans, Legg-Calve-Perthes pathology.
• Skeletal development problems: epiphyseal varus deformity of the foot that develops in adolescents.
• Inflammation processes of the soft tissues of the joints: bursitis, transient synovitis, joint coxitis, caused by a tuberculosis bacillus.

Radiated pain in the thigh region develops as a result of these injuries: syphysis, radicular syndrome, pathological processes within the sacroiliac joint, enthesopathy. An injury to the left or right hip joint usually causes significant discomfort and pain. It should be treated when the least symptoms appear.

Detailed description of traumatic causes

If the hip joint hurts, the reason for the development of such a pathological condition could be:

Congenital dislocation of the hip, resulting from unsuccessful delivery or during intrauterine development. Damage can be quickly diagnosed, even in newborn babies. The child has uneven gluteal folds, shortening of one leg. A pinched nerve is also common. For the newborn, this disease is quite complex and dangerous, as the consequences of trauma can remain for life.

Traumatic dislocation of the hip. It is characterized by sharp pain, the person cannot move and cannot talk about sitting or standing. Edema and hematoma appear above the joint. During hip dislocation (running, sports training) it only worsens the condition, causing the progression of changes and pathological processes in the hip joint. This type of injury requires immediate treatment.

Fracture of the femoral neck. This diagnosis is usually made in women over 60 years of age. The cause of such damage to the hip joint is a banal fall or a targeted blow to the hip joint. At the moment of the fracture, there is a very strong pain, aggravated by the movement. Unpleasant sensations begin to manifest on the inner surface of the thigh. At the site of the injury, there is a swelling, a bruise in the area of the hip joint. The damaged left or right leg gets shorter and the person starts to limp and the joint starts to crack. Also, trauma contributes to nerve compression so that the thigh begins to go numb.

Transtrochanteric fracture of the femur bone. The pain in this case is moderate or severe. When moving, hip symptoms are worse. Here, a pinched nerve is also possible. In such a situation, pain shoots up and the limbs can go numb.

Contusion of the hip joint. Here the pain is of moderate intensity, but it can become severe during a person's active movement. At rest, symptoms disappear. This cause of pain in the hip or hip joint is very common, especially in people with a tendency to fall. The patient has lameness, which passes quickly.

Traumatic hip joint injury 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 pinched nerve and the patient begins to numb the limb, a medical consultation should be immediate.

Systemic diseases as a cause of pain

Hip joint pain when walking or in other positions can be caused by systemic connective tissue damage. The treatment of these diseases must be carried out constantly, as they are considered practically incurable. Furthermore, the therapy must be comprehensive and impact, in the first place, the cause of the development of unpleasant sensations.

Therefore, the following pathologies are capable of causing pain in the left or right hip joint:

• Ankylosing spondylitis. Here, the pain is dull. In a sick man or woman, the painful sensations become stronger at night. Location of pain syndrome - sacrum or pelvis. At the same time, he manages to hit the knee, the thigh, the groin, the kick. Movement in this case, especially walking, is difficult, the patient feels stiff. Hip pain can be quite severe. An inflammatory process develops within the right or left joint.
• Reiter's Syndrome. This disease is an injury to the joints, genitourinary organs, as well as inflammation of the conjunctiva. The disease is autoimmune and results from an intestinal infection. The pathological process within the joint begins several weeks or months after the onset of disease development. It is characterized by sharp pain in the hip or joint, temperature changes. A pronounced swelling appears in the pelvic region on the left and right. In most cases, the disease leads to symmetrical joint damage.
• Rheumatoid arthritis. This problem is characterized by damage to connective tissue. This type of illness is never accompanied by the appearance of pus. It is this disease that is considered a prerequisite for hip joint coxarthrosis. There is a gradual progression. Initially, it is characterized by the following symptoms: edema and swelling (left or right). Discomfort is felt when walking, shooting pain. Inside the joint, due to the inflammatory process, the temperature rises (local and general). Posterior progression contributes to the appearance of rigidity in any movement. There is pain in the hip joint when lying on your side at night. Usually, the presented pathology manifests itself simultaneously on the right and on the left. Due to the destruction of the hip joint, the patient's nerves can be compressed and the limbs go numb. Treatment here must be immediate.

Systemic pathologies are capable of providing pain of different natures to a person: acute, extremely acute, pulling. It is not always possible to deal with a great deal of discomfort alone, even during a period of rest. Therefore, only a doctor should prescribe the correct treatment. This is especially true in situations where a newborn child is sick. Ineffective treatment can ruin your life in the future.

Pain caused by degenerative changes

Sufficiently sharp, burning, or pulling joint pain can cause these conditions:

Epiphyseal varus deformity, common in adolescents. With it, the sensations have a monotonous and attractive character. They are able to give to the inside of the knee. Running and other sports training causes an increase in the intensity of the pain syndrome. The pain may fire from time to time and the joint may crack.

Coxarthrosis. The presented pathology occupies one of the prominent positions among all hip joint injuries. 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 symptoms of the condition are as follows: First, the patient's joint starts to ache after running, taking a long walk, or climbing stairs. And at rest, the discomfort goes away. Movements are not limited here yet. In the second stage of development, the following symptoms appear: The pain syndrome starts to subside in the groin as well as in the thigh. Daily stress increases the intensity of sensations, but at rest they go away. Prolonged walking causes the appearance of lameness, the joint starts to crack. The work of the muscles and tendons is interrupted, their tone decreases. In the last stage of disease development, the patient feels pain even at night, and it is quite severe. The lameness becomes severe. Muscles lose their volume and atrophy - the person becomes immobile. Treatment can stop or delay joint destruction.

These pathologies can lead to constant lameness, and this is already a restriction of work activity, the lack of complete sports training. Even getting out of bed in the morning can be very difficult.

Inflammatory and infectious causes of pain

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

• Purulent arthritis. Signs of such pathology are: general temperature rise, redness of the skin in the joint area, severe swelling, acute or sharp pain. Any load (running and even walking) or even getting out of bed becomes impossible. The pain starts to pass. Treatment here should not be delayed as the patient develops sepsis.
• Necrosis of the femoral head (aseptic). It is mainly seen in very young men. The disease appears due to the deterioration of blood circulation in this area. The result of the development of necrosis is the death of tissue cells. The condition has the following signs: an emerging sharp pain that may radiate to the groin, a burning sensation in the affected area. It can hurt so much that the person cannot support the affected leg, getting out of bed is difficult for them. In most cases, the patient needs an injection of pain reliever to numb the joint. After a few days the symptoms disappear. If the condition continues to progress, the person will experience changes in the muscles and tendons - they will atrophy. The person develops gait disturbance and lameness.
• Tuberculous arthritis. A feature of the pathology is that it develops mainly in young children with weakened immunity. The pathology is slow. The little patient tires quickly, runs very little. Thigh muscles gradually atrophy. The joint starts to click, the leg gets shorter. Over time, the affected joint starts to hurt a lot. Sometimes the pain is sharp, sometimes pulling or burning. In addition, suppuration appears within the joint, symptoms intensify.
• Bursitis is an inflammatory lesion of the joint bursa. The main symptom of the pathology is the pain that spreads along the leg. At the same time, the sensations are acute and, when standing up or walking, the discomfort manifests itself very strongly. At rest, the injured limb will ache or burn.

Infectious pathologies cause various types of pain within the hip joint: burning, pulling, or numbness. Often the discomfort is felt so much that the person cannot sleep at night. Of course, all these pathologies need to be treated urgently.

Characteristics of pathology diagnosis

To accurately determine the causes and factors causing hip joint pain, the patient needs the attentive attitude of physicians and the correct diagnosis. For this, the following procedures are used:

• Ultrasound examination of the hip joint.
• Radiograph of the thigh region, to be taken in two projections.
• Laboratory blood tests: general and biochemical. They will determine the presence of rheumatoid factor, an increase in the level of white blood cells and a change in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate.
• External examination of the joint with palpation, as well as fixation of the patient's complaints.
• Magnetic resonance.

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

How should the pathology be treated?

If you experience pain periodically in your hip joint, it should be treated. Therapy depends on the cause that caused it. Therefore, the treatment of the joint occurs depending on the pathology.

congenital dislocation

If the dislocation is congenital, special orthopedic products are applied to the child's joint: stirrups, spacers or a Frejk pillow are recommended. All of these tools support the newborn baby's legs in the correct physiological position. The child will have to stay in them for at least six months. If traditional treatment is not effective, the baby should undergo surgical intervention. That is, the femur head is operatively placed in a newborn child and other deficiencies are also corrected. After the braces are removed, the baby can be gently massaged to strengthen the muscles.

Traumatic dislocation

In the presence of a traumatic dislocation, the doctor will have to readjust it with medications that help eliminate muscle tone. After that, the patient needs to have peace. Limb numbness indicates that the nerve is pinched. This will require a mandatory examination by a neurologist.

hip fracture

A hip fracture is treated by a traumatologist. With these damages, the patient is indicated for surgery. Conservative treatments are sometimes ineffective. However, if the operation cannot be performed, the patient is recommended to apply a plaster bandage to the left (right) leg and from the lower back to the heel. In women or men over age 60, this damage to the hip bone rarely heals, and the healing process takes months. Among the consequences of this disease, the insufficient functionality of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems can be highlighted, as the patient does not have the opportunity to lead an active life and move normally. Even sitting becomes a problem for him. A joint fracture may be accompanied by a burning sensation in the soft tissue. As for the operation, in this case, fixation of the head and bone body with pins or screws is used, as well as endoprosthesis.

Ankylosing spondylitis

The treatment of ankylosing spondylitis is complex. Helps reduce the intensity of symptoms caused by inflammation. Therapy includes medications (anti-inflammatories, hormones, immunosuppressants), physical therapy procedures, therapeutic exercises (muscle stretching is helpful). Massage of the affected joint on the left or right is considered equally helpful. All medications, as well as therapeutic exercises, are rigorously selected by a traumatologist, orthopedist or surgeon. To strengthen your pelvic muscles, you need to swim. In especially difficult cases, the patient is shown left or right joint arthroplasty.

Reiter's disease

For the treatment of Reiter's pathology, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, glucocorticosteroids, drugs to suppress immune system function, and local ointments will be needed. The treatment will take a long time - at least 4 months. It is noteworthy that the presented pathology is capable of recurrence in half of the cases. During treatment, it is necessary to maintain muscle tone with physical exercise - regular stretching.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis, which can cause severe pain even at rest, cannot be completely eliminated. But you need to try to improve the quality of life for a sick man or woman. For this, drug treatment is carried out with cytostatics, hormonal agents, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and also anti-rheumatics. Surgical intervention is only used in the last stages, when walking and sitting are almost impossible. Joint fixation or arthroplasty is recommended. Exercise is also helpful, especially stretching and topical ointments.

Coxarthrosis

The treatment of coxarthrosis aims to eliminate the cause of the development of symptoms and signs. The pathology in the early stages of development is treated with conservative methods. The patient sees NSAIDs, chondroprotectives, as well as medications to improve blood circulation. Pain relievers and warming ointments are used for the treatment. In addition, the patient is prescribed light therapeutic training. Of course, the joint often needs to be anesthetized. In case of severe discomfort, injections are used.

The last stage of coxarthrosis is no longer amenable to conservative therapy. Any load on the joint worsens the person's well-being. It's impossible to get out of bed without help. The patient must have injections to relieve pain. In this case, it is necessary to treat the disease only with surgery. Arthroplasty of the joint is usually necessary, but it is contraindicated for very elderly people. Therefore, these patients are submitted to auxiliary operations only. After surgical treatment, the patient needs a course of recovery: light stretching, very simple training under the supervision of a doctor. The charge must be minimal.

The right therapy will help to slow down the progression of the disease somewhat, as well as eliminate unpleasant symptoms.

Characteristics of the treatment of infectious and inflammatory pathologies

It all depends on the type of illness:

Purulent arthritis. To begin with, the patient needs to numb the affected hip joint. For this, you can use an injection of painkiller directly into the joint. The infection must be fought with antibacterial agents and antibiotics. Also, several groups of medications are used simultaneously. Only a doctor can prescribe them. In addition, abscesses are removed. The diseased leg must be completely at rest, ie a splint or cast is applied to the patient.

Treatment of aseptic necrosis of the femoral head involves restoration of blood flow, rapid resorption of dead areas. The limb must be anesthetized with NSAIDs. Vitamin complexes, medications to reduce blood viscosity are also used. If the thigh still hurts, you should also apply massage and anesthetic ointment. This condition can also be treated with physical therapy and therapeutic exercises. In difficult cases, minimally invasive surgical techniques or joint arthroplasty are used.

As in bursitis the hip joint hurts a lot, it must be anesthetized. For this, an analgesic and an anti-inflammatory are used, administered by intramuscular injection. Steroids are also used to quickly get rid of severe discomfort. Since the hip and hip joint can constantly ache, it should be kept at rest.

Tuberculous arthritis is mainly treated conservatively. The baby needs to restrict mobility with a tight bandage. If an abscess forms in the baby's soft tissue, it must be surgically removed.

Burning, numbness in the limb, pain in the hip joint, radiating to the leg - these are unpleasant sensations that indicate the possible presence of serious problems.

Alternative treatment for hip joint pain

If a person has burning pain, tendon problems, but it is not desirable for him to take pills, then you can use folk remedies. They cannot be called a panacea, but they help with complex treatment. Of course, you should consult a doctor before using.

The following folk recipes will be helpful:

Clay compress (blue, white). This folk remedy helps relieve swelling and pain. It's better to alternate the clay. Clay should be applied overnight and wrapped in a warm cloth.

Cabbage pills. They also need honey. It is greased with a cabbage leaf and applied to the place where you feel a burning or sharp pain. In addition, the compress is covered with a plastic bag and insulated with a woolen cloth. The course of treatment is 1 month. In the intervals between compresses on the affected hip joint, you can give a light massage: rubbing, stroking.

Homemade ointment of internal fat and white perestroot root (250 gr. ). The fat must be melted, add the minced root in the meat grinder and bring to low heat. It is necessary to boil the mixture for 7 minutes. Once the ointment has cooled, it should be applied to the affected hip joint overnight. In this case, the joint must be insulated. This folk remedy also relieves bloating and other unpleasant symptoms.

A kind of folk remedy based on garlic, celery and lemon, which relieves severe pain in the tendons. To cook, you need 2 lemons, 300 gr. celery root as well as 130 gr. garlic. All ingredients are carefully minced in a meat grinder and placed in a container with a tightly closed lid. In addition, the entire mixture is poured into boiling water and mixed. Now the product needs to be covered well, wrapped in a blanket and left overnight. You need to take the medicine one teaspoon before meals for several months.

A pinched hip nerve cannot be eliminated by these remedies. Limb numbness should alert and force you to see a neurologist. Any hip joint injury that causes pain must be identified and treated in time. And light gymnastics, stretching exercises, will help prevent the development of functional disorders of the hip joint.