Osteoarthritis of the hip joint is today considered one of the most common diseases of the musculoskeletal system.Its symptoms cause severe discomfort to the patient and limit physical activity, and treatment is lengthy.
In severe cases, the disease leads to disability.Arthrosis of this localization is also known as coxarthrosis.With this disorder, the hip joint suffers from chronic inflammation.Its cartilage tissue is destroyed, and the joint space narrows, which leads to a significant decrease in the mobility of the leg.
The disease most often develops in older patients, but sometimes it is diagnosed in young people.
The essence of the disease
The hip joint is the largest joint in the human body.It is located at the junction of the femur bones with the pelvis, so it bears a significant daily load.The joint itself looks like a ball-and-socket joint: the rounded head of the femur sits in the hemispherical acetabulum of the pelvis.The surface of bone tissue is covered with durable and highly elastic cartilage.It plays the role of a shock absorber and also guarantees trouble-free sliding of the bones.Cartilage tissue prevents the destruction of the femurs and pelvis.
With coxarthrosis, cartilage begins to thin and collapse, and accordingly, bone tissues come into contact with each other.Sliding becomes difficult and painful.Movements become constrained.Further progression of the disease leads to more pronounced destructive changes: the bone surfaces are covered with growths (they arise due to constant injury), which further complicates movements in the joint.
Reasons
There are many known factors that can lead to coxarthrosis.This disease can occur as a result of:
- congenital joint pathologies (dysplasia), which may remain undiagnosed for many years of life;
- premature wear of joint mechanisms, which is explained by excessive loads (during intense sports or excess body weight);
- previous injuries;
- infectious processes affecting the functions of the musculoskeletal system;
- improper blood supply to the joint (for example, due to atherosclerosis);
- diseases of the spine;
- hormonal disorders;
- rheumatic processes, etc.
Identifying the causes of arthrosis of the hip joint makes it possible to prevent further development of the disease, select the most comprehensive treatment and relieve unpleasant symptoms.
Symptoms
Signs of coxarthrosis directly depend on the degree of degenerative processes in the articular body.In total, doctors distinguish 3 main stages of the disease:
- Stage 1.With this condition, the patient is bothered by periodic pain in the groin area.They are provoked by physical activity, prolonged walking and static standing.Once you rest, the discomfort goes away.Therefore, patients do not perceive them as a reason to consult a doctor.And the disease develops further.
- Stage 2.At this stage of development, coxarthrosis causes more pronounced pain.Pain occurs even after minor exertion.The patient begins to limp, and discomfort radiates to the inner thigh area.The affected joint may crack.Quite often, arthrosis at this stage limits motor activity and leads to a decrease in muscle strength.
- Stage 3.At this stage, coxarthrosis reaches such a stage of development that it makes the patient’s life almost unbearable.The pain becomes constant and intensifies as a result of even small loads.A person with the third stage of arthrosis of the hip joint is forced to use a cane.In this case, the problematic leg is often shortened, which is explained by the distortion of the pelvis and spine.The muscles atrophy.The third stage of the disease leads to a significant impairment of the general condition.Constant pain interferes with sleep and causes depression.
Some doctors separately distinguish stage 4 of coxarthrosis, in which the affected joint becomes completely immobile.
You can see the development of arthrosis of the hip joint on a regular x-ray.When the pathological process just begins to develop, the joint space narrows slightly, and small and isolated protrusions may be found on the bone tissue.At this stage of development, the disease can be managed using conservative methods.If coxarthrosis leads to deep deformation of the joint and contact of bone surfaces (which is typical for the third stage of the disease), then the normal state can only be restored with the help of surgery.
Non-drug treatment
Patients with arthrosis of the hip joint are advised to relieve the affected joint as much as possible.For this purpose you need:
- avoid running, long walking, jumping, heavy lifting, and staying in one position for a long time;
- wear special shoes with well-cushioned soles;
- additionally lean on a cane or crutch (it must be taken in the hand opposite to the affected joint).
To reduce pain and improve the functioning of the joint system, it is recommended to regularly perform physical therapy exercises.Simple exercises help strengthen muscle tissue, which gives excellent results in the long term.If you are overweight, you need to stick to a diet and get rid of those extra pounds.
Drug treatment
Conservative drug treatment for arthrosis of the hip joint is selected on an individual basis; therapy largely depends on the symptoms of the disease and the results of diagnostic procedures.As a rule, patients are prescribed:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.They help relieve pain in the affected joint;
- Steroid (hormonal) drugs.They are used when non-steroidal drugs are insufficiently effective;
- Muscle relaxants that reduce muscle tone and help eliminate pain;
- Vasodilators.May be needed if there is insufficient blood circulation in the joint;
- Chondroprotectors that promote the restoration of joints and prevent their further destruction.
Conservative treatment of the joint can be supplemented by the use of the latest medical techniques.Patients may be offered plasma lifting procedures, physiotherapeutic treatment and balneotherapy.All these methods of influence are practiced only after the acute inflammatory process has been eliminated.
Balneotherapy for coxarthrosis
Patients with coxarthrosis may benefit from courses of balneotherapy, in particular mud baths.Such procedures can be carried out in regular clinics, private clinics, rehabilitation centers and sanatorium-resort institutions.Mud baths are widely used in the treatment of diseases of the musculoskeletal system.For arthrosis of the hip joint, mud treatment helps reduce the inflammatory process, relieve unpleasant symptoms and slow down degenerative processes.The effectiveness of such procedures is confirmed by research by German scientists.In their article published in 2019, experts noted that a course of mud baths for coxarthrosis helped:
- improve motor functions of the joint;
- significantly reduce the severity of pain (the effect persisted for 3 months after the end of therapy);
- slow down the progression of the disease.
However, it is worth considering that all physiotherapeutic and balneological procedures for coxarthrosis can only be carried out after the approval of the attending physician.Such treatment of the joint must be combined with taking prescribed medications and following all restrictive recommendations.