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

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

General classification of causes

Diagnosis of a malfunction of the hip joint is fraught with some difficulties, since anything provokes painful sensations: trauma, skeletal disease, concomitant pathology of internal organs. In this case, the damaged area will ache, the sensations become burning.

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

Hip pain is often caused by:

• Traumatic: fracture of the femoral neck, direct injury to the joint area, severe dislocation of the right or left hip, ossifying myositis, which developed as a result of traumatic injury to the joint, fractures of the pelvic bones, epiphysiolysis of the femoral head.
• Lesions of the connective tissue of the hip joint: Reiter's disease, arthritis, and only rheumatoid, ankylosing spondylitis.
• Diseases of the joint, accompanied by degenerative processes in the tissues: coxarthrosis.
• Osteochondropathies: osteochondritis dissecans, Legg-Calve-Perthes pathology.
• Skeleton developmental problems: epiphyseal varus deformity of the foot that develops in adolescents.
• Processes of inflammation of the soft tissues in the joints: bursitis, passing synovitis, articular coxitis, provoked by a tubercle bacillus.

The radiating pain in the thigh area develops as a result of such lesions: symphysitis, radicular syndrome, pathological processes inside the sacroiliac joint, enthesopathy. In general, an injured left or right hip joint causes significant discomfort and pain. It must be treated when the slightest symptoms appear.

Detailed description of traumatic causes

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

1. Congenital dislocation of the hip, resulting from unsuccessful childbirth 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 a newborn, this disease is quite complex and dangerous, since the consequences of trauma can remain for life.
2. Traumatic dislocation of the hip. It is characterized by sharp pain, a person cannot make any movement, and there can be no talk of sitting or standing. Edema and hematoma appear above the joint. During dislocation of the hip (running, sports training) only worsens the condition, provokes the progression of changes and pathological processes in the hip joint. This type of injury requires immediate treatment.
3. Fracture of the femoral neck. This diagnosis is often made in women over the age of 60. The cause of such damage to the hip joint is a banal fall or a targeted blow to the hip joint. At the time of the fracture, a very sharp pain is felt, aggravated by movement. Unpleasant sensations begin to give to the inner surface of the thigh. At the site of injury, swelling appears, a bruise over the area of the hip joint. The damaged left or right leg becomes shorter, and the person develops lameness, the joint begins to click. In addition, the trauma contributes to the pinching of the nerve, so the thigh begins to go numb.
4. Transtrochanteric fracture of the femur bone. The pain in this case is moderate or severe. When moving, the symptoms in the hip are worse. Here, a pinched nerve is also quite possible. In such a situation, the pain shoots, and the limbs can go numb.
5. Contusion of the hip joint. Here the pain is of moderate intensity, but it can become severe during the active movement of a person. At rest, the symptoms disappear. This cause of pain in the hip or hip joint is very common, especially in people prone to falls. The patient has lameness, which quickly passes.

Traumatic injury to the hip joint can be considered the main and common cause of unpleasant pain. Serious fractures or dislocations of the femur, pelvis often require surgery. If a person has a pinched nerve and the patient begins to numbness of the limb, a visit to a doctor should be immediate.

Systemic diseases as a cause of pain

Pain in the hip joint when walking or in other positions can be caused by systemic lesions of the connective tissue. Treatment of such diseases must be carried out constantly, since they are considered practically incurable. Moreover, therapy should be comprehensive and provide an impact, first of all, on the cause of the development of unpleasant sensations.

So, the following pathologies are capable of provoking pain in the left or right hip joint:

• Ankylosing spondylitis. Here the pain is dull. In a sick man or woman, painful sensations become stronger at night. Localization of pain syndrome - sacrum or pelvis. At the same time, he is able to give to the knee, thigh, groin, shoot. Movement in this case, especially walking, is difficult, the patient feels stiffness. The pain in the hip can be quite severe. An inflammatory process develops inside the right or left joint.
• Reiter's Syndrome. This disease is a lesion of the joints, genitourinary organs, as well as inflammation of the conjunctiva. The disease is autoimmune and results from an intestinal infection. The pathological process inside the joint begins several weeks or months after the onset of the development of the disease. It is characterized by acute pain in the hip or joint, temperature change. A pronounced swelling appears in the pelvic region on the left and right. In most cases, the disease leads to a symmetrical lesion of the joints.
• Rheumatoid arthritis. This problem is characterized by damage to the connective tissue. This type of disease is never accompanied by the appearance of pus. It is this disease that is considered a prerequisite for coxarthrosis of the hip joints. There is a gradual progression. Initially, it is characterized by the following symptoms: edema and swelling (left or right). Discomfort is felt when walking, pain shoots. Inside the joint, due to the process of inflammation, the temperature rises (local and general). Further progression contributes to the appearance of stiffness in any movement. There is pain in the hip joint when lying on its 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 pinched, so the limbs become numb. Treatment here should be immediate.

Systemic pathologies are capable of delivering pain of different nature to a person: sharp, extremely acute, pulling. It is not always possible to cope with severe discomfort on your own, even during a rest period. Therefore, only a doctor should prescribe the correct treatment. This is especially true of those situations when a newborn child is ill. Ineffective treatment can ruin his life in the future.

Pain caused by degenerative changes

Sufficiently sharp, burning or pulling joint pains can cause such diseases:

1. Epiphyseal varus deformity, common in adolescents. With her, the sensations have a dull, pulling character. They are capable of giving to the inside of the knee. Running and other sports training provoke an increase in the intensity of the pain syndrome. Pain from time to time can shoot, and the joint can 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. It will take a long time to treat it, and the therapy is quite complicated. The disease is characterized by the development of degenerative and destructive processes in the joint. Symptoms of pathology are as follows: first, the patient's joint begins to ache after running, taking a long walk or climbing stairs. And at rest, the discomfort goes away. The movements are not limited here yet. At the second stage of development, the following symptoms appear: pain syndrome begins to give in the groin, as well as in the thigh. Daily stress increases the intensity of the sensations, but at rest they go away. Prolonged walking provokes the appearance of lameness, the joint begins to click. The work of muscles and tendons is disrupted, their tone decreases. At the last stage of the development of the disease, the patient has pains even at night, and they are quite strong. Lameness becomes severe. Muscles lose their volume and atrophy - a person becomes immobile. Treatment can halt or slow down the destruction of the joint.

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

Inflammatory and infectious causes of pain

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

• Purulent arthritis. Signs of such a pathology are: an increase in the general temperature, redness of the skin in the joint area, severe swelling, sharp or sharp pain. Any load (running and even walking) or even banal getting out of bed becomes impossible. The pain begins to shoot through. Treatment here should not be delayed, as the patient develops sepsis.
• Femoral head necrosis (aseptic). Mostly it is observed in fairly 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. Pathology has the following signs: a sharply emerging acute pain that can radiate to the groin, a burning sensation in the affected area. It can hurt so much that a person is not able to lean on the affected leg, getting out of bed is difficult for him. In most cases, the patient needs an injection of an analgesic to numb the joint. After a few days, the symptoms disappear. If the pathology continues to progress, then the person will experience changes in the muscles and tendons - they will atrophy. The person develops a gait disorder and lameness.
• Tuberculous arthritis. A feature of the pathology is that it mainly develops in young children who have weakened immunity. Pathology is slow. The little patient gets tired quickly, he runs very little. The thigh muscles gradually atrophy. The joint begins to click, the leg becomes shorter. Over time, the affected joint begins to hurt a lot. Sometimes the pain is sharp, and sometimes pulling or burning. Further, suppuration appears inside the joint, the symptoms intensify.
• Bursitis is an inflammatory lesion of the articular bursa. The main sign of pathology is pain that will creep along the leg. At the same time, the sensations are acute, and when getting up or walking, the discomfort manifests itself very strongly. At rest, the injured limb will ache or burn.

Infectious pathologies cause a variety of types of pain inside the hip joint: burning, pulling or dull sensations. Often the discomfort is felt so much that the person is unable to sleep at night. Naturally, all these pathologies need to be treated urgently.

Features of the diagnosis of pathology

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

• Ultrasound examination of the hip joint.
• X-ray of the thigh area, and it should be done in two projections.
• Laboratory blood tests: general and biochemical. They will determine the presence of rheumatoid factor, an increase in the level of leukocytes and a change in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate.
• External examination of the joint with palpation, as well as fixation of patient complaints.
• MRI.

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

How should pathology be treated?

If you periodically feel pain in the hip joint, it must be treated. Therapy depends on the underlying cause. So, 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 Frejk's pillow is recommended. All these tools support the legs of the newborn baby in the correct physiological position. The child will have to stay in them for at least six months. If traditional treatment is not effective, then the baby is prescribed surgical intervention. That is, the head of the femur is operatively set to a newborn child, and other shortcomings are also corrected. After the orthopedic appliances 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 adjust it back using medications that help to eliminate muscle tone. After that, the patient needs to be provided with peace. Numbness of the limb 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 such damage, the patient is indicated for surgery. Conservative treatments are sometimes ineffective. But if the operation cannot be done, then the patient is recommended to apply a plaster cast on the left (right) leg, from the lower back to the heel. In women or men after 60 years, such damage to the hip bone rarely heals, and the recovery process takes months. Among the consequences of this disease, one can single out insufficient functionality of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, because the patient does not have the opportunity to lead an active life and move normally. Even sitting becomes a problem for him. A fracture of the joint can be accompanied by a burning sensation in the soft tissues. As for the operation, in this case, fixation of the head and body of the bone with pins or screws, as well as endoprosthetics, is used for treatment.

Ankylosing spondylitis

Treatment of ankylosing spondylitis is complex. It helps to reduce the intensity of symptoms provoked by inflammation. Therapy includes medications (anti-inflammatory drugs, hormonal drugs, immunosuppressants), physiotherapy procedures, therapeutic exercises (muscle stretching is useful). Massage of the affected joint on the left or on the right is considered equally useful. All drugs, as well as therapeutic exercises, are strictly selected by a traumatologist, orthopedist or surgeon. To strengthen your pelvic muscles, you need to practice swimming. In especially difficult cases, the patient is shown arthroplasty of the joint on the left or on the right.

Reiter's disease

For the treatment of Reiter's pathology, antibiotics will be needed, as well as anti-inflammatory drugs, glucocorticosteroids, drugs to suppress the function of the immune system, and local ointments. The treatment will take a long time - at least 4 months. It should be noted that the presented pathology is capable of recurrence 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 even at rest, cannot be completely eliminated. But you need to try to improve the quality of life of a sick man or woman. For this, drug treatment is used with cytostatics, hormonal agents, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, as well as antirheumatic drugs. As for the surgical intervention, it is used only in the last stages, when walking and sitting are almost impossible. Fixation or arthroplasty of the joint is recommended. Exercise is also helpful, especially stretching, topical 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 shown NSAIDs, chondroprotectors, as well as drugs to improve blood circulation. Pain relievers and warming ointments are used for treatment. Additionally, the patient is prescribed light therapeutic training. Naturally, the joint often needs to be numbed. 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 a person's well-being. Getting out of bed without assistance is impossible. The patient has to do pain relieving injections. In this case, it is necessary to treat the disease only by surgery. Generally, arthroplasty of the joint is required, however, it is contraindicated for very elderly people. Therefore, such patients undergo only auxiliary operations. After surgical treatment, the patient needs a recovery course: light stretching, very simple training under the supervision of a doctor. The load should be minimal.

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

Features of the treatment of infectious and inflammatory pathologies

It all depends on the type of disease:

1. Purulent arthritis. To begin with, the patient needs to numb the affected hip joint. For this, an injection of an analgesic directly into the joint can be used. The infection must be fought with antibacterial agents and antibiotics. Moreover, several groups of drugs are used simultaneously. Only a doctor can prescribe them. Additionally, the removal of abscesses is performed. The diseased leg should be completely at rest, that is, a plaster cast or splint is applied to the patient.
2. Treatment of aseptic necrosis of the femoral head involves the restoration of blood flow, rapid resorption of areas that are dead. The limb should be anesthetized with NSAIDs. Also used are vitamin complexes, drugs to reduce blood viscosity. If the thigh continues to ache, then you should additionally apply massage, 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.
3. Since with bursitis, the hip joint hurts a lot, it must be numbed. For this, an analgesic and an anti-inflammatory agent is used, and it is administered through an intramuscular injection. Steroids are also used to quickly get rid of severe discomfort. Since the hip and hip joint can ache constantly, it should be kept at rest.
4. Tuberculous arthritis is treated primarily conservatively. The baby needs to restrict mobility with a tight bandage. If an abscess forms in the baby's soft tissues, it should be surgically removed.

Burning, numbness of 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 of pain in the hip joints

If a person has a burning pain, problems with tendons, but it is not advisable for him to take pills, then you can use folk remedies. They cannot be called a panacea, but they help in complex treatment. Naturally, you must consult a doctor before use.

The following folk recipes will be useful:

1. Clay compress (blue, white). Such a folk remedy allows you to relieve swelling and pain. It is better to alternate clay. The clay should be applied overnight and wrapped in a warm cloth.
2. Cabbage compresses. They will also need honey. It is smeared with a cabbage leaf and applied to the place where a burning or sharp pain is felt. Further, 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 the compresses on the affected hip joint, you can do a light massage: rubbing, stroking.
3. Homemade ointment from internal fat and white perestroot root (250 gr. ). The fat must be melted, add the root chopped in a meat grinder and put on low heat. It is necessary to boil the mixture for 7 minutes. After 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 relieves 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. For cooking, you need 2 lemons, 300 gr. celery root, as well as 130 gr. garlic. All ingredients are carefully chopped in a meat grinder and placed in a container with a tight lid. Further, the whole mixture is poured with boiling water and mixed. Now the product needs to be tightly covered, wrapped in a blanket and left overnight. You need to take the medicine a teaspoon before meals for several months.

A pinched hip nerve cannot be eliminated by these remedies. Numbness of the limb should alert and force you to see a neurologist. Any lesion of the hip joint 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.