Osteoarthritis of the hip joint, or in other words, coxarthrosis, is a serious pathology in this area of the skeletal system, which is characterized by the destruction of the articular layer of cartilage, other damage toother components: adjacent muscles, bursa, pelvic bones.
Especially dangerous is deforming osteoarthritis, because it leads not only to thinning of cartilage, but also to bone growth, which threatens irreversible consequences.
In active progression, osteoarthritis contributes to the development of vascular sclerosis of the joint head with the growth of a large number of cysts. The consequences of the disease will be severe deformities, dysfunctions of one or both hip joints. Coxarthrosis of the joint manifests itself not only in connection with age-related changes in the skeletal system, but also in children with congenital dislocation of the hip, dysplasia.
Osteoarthritis of the hip joint: symptoms
Signs of pelvic bone damage manifest differently in each patient, but some of the most common are:
- The main place among them is occupied by pain syndrome, from which the patient suffers not only after physical exertion, but also at rest. Painful sensations are localized in the same thigh, groin, giving to the knee. The pains are not always static, as the disease progresses, they change location, intensity, duration;
- Restriction of motor activity of the musculoskeletal system leads to stiffness of human movements, lameness, sometimes shortening of the limb due to spasm of the gluteal muscles;
- The acute phase is characterized by the inability to bring the affected leg back to the body or to carry it while lying down. When performing movements, joint crunches are heard.
There are three degrees of development of hip osteoarthritis. If at the first stage of the pathology the painful sensations pass after a short rest, they become more and more intense. The hip joints are threatened with immobility, and the muscles of the thighs, buttocks and lower legs are difficult to cope with their functions due to their atrophic changes.
The main causes of the injury
- The risk of developing osteoarthritis is often found in groups of people who already have metabolic disorders, genetic features in the structure of the skeletal system, and weakness of cartilage tissue.
- But most often the onset of this pathology is preceded by certain diseases associated with malnutrition, blood supply to the femoral head, for example, Peters disease. It mainly manifests in boys during childhood.
- Congenital dislocation of the hip also leads to the development of joint pathologies of the pelvis.
- Injuries in the form of fractures, dislocations provoke the development of diseases of the hip joints.
- Inflammatory processes in the bones, such as arthritis of various etiologies, contribute to joint tissue damage.
- And leading a sedentary life, hormonal disorders in the body, playing heavy sports only provoke the development of arthritic changes in the hip joints.
Treatment of osteoarthritis with therapeutic methods
In case of advanced pathology, an operation is likely. But in the early stages of development, deforming osteoarthritis is cured by conservative methods in a hospital or at home.
Joint treatment with drugs
Several main types of drugs are used to treat the disease:
- Non-steroidal type drugs are often produced in the form of tablets, capsules and gel. These are effective anti-inflammatory and analgesic agents that relieve swelling, reduce pain and stop the pathological process in the tissues. Tablets, capsules, drugs are taken with meals, first forty milligrams, then two days later reducing to twenty. The gel is used three times a day, rubbing with massaging movements. With caution, drugs are prescribed to elderly patients with heart failure, pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract. While using it, you should not drink alcohol, drive a car;
- The agent, which is a chondroprotective agent, restores metabolic processes, functions of cartilage tissues of the hip joint and reduces pain. They take the drug one and a half grams a day for six weeks. Thanks to these drugs, after three months it will be possible to feel an improvement in the condition of the hip joint;
- To relax smooth muscles, eliminate spasms of small vessels, a drug that improves the properties of blood, increases resistance to hypoxia, helps. Take it two tablets once a day with meals;
- Muscle relaxants are intended to normalize blood circulation, relieve muscle pain. It is prescribed one tablet three times a day. The drug is contraindicated for people with severe liver pathologies;
- Corticosteroids are only used for extremely severe forms of the disease, when other drugs do not help. Some of these drugs have strong anti-inflammatory effects. Most often, a solution of the drug is injected intramuscularly, from one hundred milliliters, every six hours. It is successfully used for administration using ultrasound equipment (phonophoresis, electrophoresis).
Treatment with warming ointments for such a joint pathology is rarely used, since it is quite difficult for external agents to penetrate the lesion through the layers of fat, skin and muscles.
We treat coxarthrosis at home
Proven traditional medicine recipes should also be used in the treatment of hip osteoarthritis.
- After passing the pulp of three lemons, 250 grams of celeriac, 120 grams of garlic through a meat grinder, a mixture is obtained, which, after being placed in a three-liter jar, is poured withboiling water. The infusion is taken half an hour before breakfast, half a glass a day.
- A glass of calamus and astragalus is boiled in five liters of water for five minutes. After infusing the drug, add the solution to a warm bath. After taking medical procedures, it is good to do gymnastics to develop the mobility of the joints of the pelvis.
- Aspic, cooked from one kilogram of beef hooves without salt, is very useful for joint pain. It should be consumed two hundred grams half an hour before meals.
- A bath with the addition of Jerusalem artichoke, pine branches, sea salt and honey will relieve the patient's condition. And the fillet of iodine and pork fat will consolidate its effect. In addition, after taking a bath, a compress of horseradish porridge mixed with honey, applied to the painful area, will help.
Of course, treatment with folk remedies will only weaken some of the symptoms of the disease, will not completely remove them, but in combination with other methods it will be effective.
Medical procedures can help with pelvic osteoarthritis
The procedures prescribed by specialists for the successful treatment of coxarthrosis have a beneficial local effect on the tissues of the affected area of the skeletal system of the human body:
- Acting at low temperature on painful areas of the pelvic bones, cryotherapy stimulates blood flow to them, metabolic processes in the tissues. Partial immersion of the body in an environment containing liquid nitrogen, where the temperature varies from minus one hundred and ten to minus one hundred and sixty, will help to eliminate the unpleasant symptoms of arthritis pain, restore motor functions;
- Irradiation with infrared light is used for painful sensations in muscle tissue, nerve endings. Before the phototherapy procedure, it is necessary to lubricate the affected area with gel, then for thirty minutes they act with the help of a special device on the pain site. To avoid allergic reactions, mandatory tests are carried out before the session, then the appropriate dose of radiation is selected;
- Hip joint traction, or pulling, is a way to stretch the joints in order to prevent abrasion and increase the gap between them. The procedure is carried out either by a specialist himself or with the help of a traction device. While lying down, while fixing the chest, the patient's shoulder, a load is hung on the lower back on a special belt. The weight of the load depends on the weight, height, age and severity of the disease of the person. After such an operation, it is recommended to give the patient a long rest.
Physiotherapy, massage should be prescribed for deforming osteoarthritis of the hip joint, as it will help improve blood circulation, relieve muscle tension and pain.
Prevention of recurrence of joint pathology
Successful treatment of any disease of the skeletal system should be consolidated so that the disease does not reappear.
- To develop the hip joint, daily gymnastics, massage of the thigh and buttocks will help. Swimming exercises have a positive effect on the condition of the pelvis, hips.
- The prevention of joint pathologies is not complete without a balanced diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seafood, chicken, turkey.
- Traditional medicine recipes will also strengthen muscles and bones, so the use of compresses, herbal trays is mandatory.
And above all, do not overload your joints, your muscles with work, long walks, jogging. And when the first symptoms of pain appear, you should immediately consult a doctor.
The material displayed on this page is for informational purposes and is intended for educational purposes. The determination of the diagnosis and the choice of the method of treatment remain the exclusive prerogative of your attending physician.