Osteoarthritis of the hip joint: causes of the disease, symptoms, treatment

Stiffness and pain in the groin area while walking are not pleasant sensations. Destruction of cartilage tissue in the hip joint progresses over a long time, so osteoarthritis is often diagnosed in the later stages, when conservative methods are no longer effective. How to prevent the development of the disease and what to do if the diagnosis is confirmed?

35-40% of cases of osteoartosis are lesions of the hip joint

Who is at risk?

Natural aging of cartilage tissue occurs after 45 years - it is at this age that the first signs of the disease appear. More women are affected: during menopause, calcium is “washed out” from the bones and accumulates in the cartilage, which contributes to its destruction.

Be especially attentive to the condition of the hip joint if:

• your age is approaching o;
• your relatives have already been diagnosed with this disease (the hereditary structure of cartilage tissue is a serious argument!);
• you regularly expose the joint to physical stress and risk of injury;
• are overweight.

In the “60+” category, every first person has osteoarthritis

Reasons for development

Coxarthrosis of the hip joint can be primary or secondary. In the first case, the reasons for its development cannot be detected, i.e. the disease develops on its own without any apparent reason. Secondary coxarthrosis is the result of a number of changes in the condition of the musculoskeletal system or lifestyle characteristics, in particular:

• injuries of the hip joint, including bone fractures, dislocations, bruises, sprains or ruptures of the surrounding ligaments, chronic microdamages, etc.;
• grueling physical work;
• sedentary lifestyle;
• obesity;
• chronic infectious processes in the body;
• rheumatoid arthritis, gout, tendonitis, bursitis;
• endocrine diseases, metabolic and hormonal disorders, including diabetes;
• congenital anomalies of the hip joint (dislocation, dysplasia);
• aseptic necrosis of the femoral head;
• various types of spinal pathologies;
• genetic predisposition;
• smoking addictions.

In the vast majority of cases, the development of coxarthrosis of the hip joint is caused by inevitable age-related changes, and the presence of other factors from among the above only increases the risk of its occurrence and increases the rate of progression.

What are the signs of osteoarthritis of the hip joint?

• Pain during movement is localized in the thigh, buttock or groin.
• It becomes difficult to rotate the hip, as well as to bring it to extreme positions of extension and flexion.
• Gradually, a person develops a comfortable hip position - a slight abduction of the bent leg to the side and its rotation outward. The leg shortens compensatoryly, which negatively affects gait.
• If osteoarthritis affects both hip joints, a characteristic “duck” gait is formed.

Even minor trauma in childhood lays the foundation for osteoarthritis in the future.

Degrees of osteoarthritis of the hip joint

• The first degree is almost imperceptible and asymptomatic. The maximum manifestation is a weak aching pain after physical activity, which is often confused with fatigue. Changes are detected only by x-ray examination. Small bone growths are visible along the edges of the articular surfaces, and under the cartilaginous tissue the bone becomes denser. This is the first warning sign, but, unfortunately, rarely does anyone start treatment at this stage.

Have you been diagnosed with osteoarthritis at the first stage? This is great luck!

• The second degree is accompanied by an inflammatory process, swelling, and pain during physical activity. Progressive deformations of the joint begin, it ceases to function adequately - the pain intensifies. Osteophytes limit mobility, and characteristic clicking sounds appear during movements. The picture shows a noticeable narrowing of the joint space (severe osteosclerosis) - about a third of normal.

The second stage of osteoarthritis without treatment always progresses into the complicated third stage

• The third degree is extremely severe both in terms of the patient’s subjective sensations and in terms of objective indicators. The joint space narrows even more - by 2/3 of normal. The pain becomes very strong and constant. The image shows large marginal osteophytes.

In the third stage, painkillers practically do not help

• The fourth degree is the final stage of the development of osteoarthritis. The joint space practically disappears or is difficult to trace, the bones in the joints are severely deformed and compacted. The hip joint is completely immobilized.

Types of arthrosis of the hip joint

The disease is classified according to its origin, the characteristics of the changes occurring in the tissues and the nature of its course. Arthrosis can be divided into types, types and forms.

By origin

Doctors divide the disease into two types:

• primary (idiopathic) – the causes are unclear;
• secondary (indirect) – with established causes.

Secondary coxarthrosis is a consequence of other diseases. With this degenerative process, either one or both joints can be affected. Therefore, bilateral coxarthrosis is considered a fairly common pathology.

According to the nature of the flow

The degenerative-dystrophic process in the hip joint area proceeds slowly. Based on the nature of the flow, the following should be distinguished:

• low-symptomatic type - develops mainly in young people, the clinical picture is poorly expressed;
• manifest – diagnosed in old age, the symptoms are pronounced.

According to the characteristics of changes in tissues

When intra-articular cartilage is destroyed, replacement connective tissue grows. There are several types of degenerative process:

• Hypertrophic – excessive growth of connective tissue. Formation of numerous osteophytes and sclerosis of bone subchondral tissue.
• Deforming - change in shape, infringement of branches of innervating nerves.
• Atrophic - a slight proliferation of connective tissue, leading to bone destruction.

Principles of conservative treatment of osteoarthritis of the hip joint

Unfortunately, there is no “magic pill” for this disease. For therapy to bring relief, it must be comprehensive. Treatment has several goals:

• eliminate risk factors that can aggravate the course of the disease, such as physical activity, excess weight (if you lose weight and reduce the load on the joint, the pain will decrease);
• relieve pain to improve quality of life;
• improve joint function if possible;
• restore cartilage tissue;
• slow down the progression of pathological deformations.

Drug therapy for this disease is identical to the treatment of arthrosis:

• painkillers;
• anti-inflammatory;
• chondroprotectors for nourishing cartilage tissue (available in capsules, tablets and ointments);
• means for improving microcirculation;
• additionally – glucocorticoid hormones.

Medicines are aimed at temporarily eliminating symptoms: it is impossible to stop the progression of the disease with their help alone. Therefore, physiotherapy is included in the complex scheme - thermal procedures, laser, reflexology, therapeutic massage, acupuncture. Be sure to limit the consumption of easily digestible carbohydrates and introduce dairy, greens, lean fish and meat, vegetables and fruits into the diet.

Gymnastics and physical therapy for osteoarthritis of the hip joint are selected individually by a physiotherapist. The choice of exercise depends on your general health and the degree of dysfunction in the joint. During the period of remission, you can perform, for example, the following simple exercises:

Traditional methods of therapy

The most effective alternative treatment will be in grade 1, when the disease has not yet severely damaged the articular joint, and the inflammatory process is not so advanced.

As for treatment of grade 2 or 3, traditional therapy only partially helps. In advanced forms, osteoarthritis provokes serious pathological changes in the joint, which are difficult to treat even with medication and surgery.

Traditional methods are dangerous: a patient without proper diagnosis is often treated with dummies and wastes time.

The following recipes will help improve a person’s well-being with deforming osteoarthritis of the hip joint:

1. Squeeze juice from cabbage. Soak a gauze bandage with it. Use as a compress at night. The product will help relieve inflammation.
2. Mix honey and calendula tincture. Soak a compress bandage in the resulting mixture.
3. Pour 2 liters. elderberry 0.5 liters of vodka. Leave for 24 hours and rub the prepared mixture onto the sore joint.
4. Take 2 liters. chopped nettle and pour 500 ml of boiling water. Infuse and apply for compresses.
5. Take 1 kg of beef bones and pour 4 liters of water over them. Cook for four hours. Drink the resulting decoction during exacerbation of osteoarthritis.

How is osteoarthritis treated in complex cases?

In the final stages, traditional medicine knows only one way to restore lost function to the limbs. Joint replacement is a complex, expensive and traumatic operation that is hazardous to health, like any surgical intervention.

In many cases, there are contraindications to endoprosthetics

How effective are intra-articular injections?

Osteoarthritis of the hip joint always develops against the background of a deficiency of synovial fluid or a change in its natural viscosity. To compensate for its deficiency, special agents are injected into the joint:

• preparations based on hyaluronic acid;
• hydrogel-based preparations, for example synthetic viscoprosthesis Noltrex, with a much longer duration of action and a powerful anti-inflammatory effect.

Unlike drugs with hyaluronic acid, which are subject to rapid resorption, Noltrex fragments inside the joint very slowly, so its effect continues for 12-18 months after the course of treatment.

Today, in the later stages of the disease, they mainly resort to surgical prosthetics. However, modern medicine is ready to offer an effective way to stop the development of osteoarthritis. Synovial fluid endoprostheses restore the natural environment of the joint and protect it from further deformation. A course of intra-articular injections "Noltrex" slows down the progression of the disease as much as possible and returns a person to the ability to live a full life!

Diagnostic measures

Confirmation of the diagnosis of coxarthrosis is carried out during a physical examination of the patient by a rheumatologist. Additional studies are prescribed to evaluate degenerative changes in joint tissue. Radiography allows you to determine the degree of coxarthrosis and the probable cause of the development of the pathology. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging provide doctors with visual data about the pathological processes inside the joint. Images obtained during MRI record changes in bone structures. CT scan demonstrates the extent of soft tissue damage. This information allows doctors to determine the patient’s treatment strategy and exclude from the medical history other diseases that provoke limited mobility of the hip joint.