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

12 June 2021

The hip joint is considered to be the largest joint. And he is also the heaviest in the human body. It is located in the joint area of the thigh bone as well as the pelvis. Due to the special structure, the limb moves freely in different directions. This joint ensures 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 grows numb.

General classification of causes

Diagnosing a hip joint dysfunction is fraught with some difficulties, as everything 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 more common in people over the age of 50. At the same time, women are much more prone to problems with this joint or hip than men.

Low back pain is often caused by:

Traumatic: femoral neck fracture, direct damage to the joint area, severe displacement to the right or left, ossifying myositis, which developed as a result of traumatic joint injury, pelvic bone fractures, femoral head epiphysis.
Hip joint connective tissue lesions: Reiter's disease, arthritis and only rheumatoid, ankylosing spondylitis.
Joint diseases, accompanied by degenerative processes in tissues: coxarthrosis.
Osteochondropathies: osteochondritis disecans, Legg-Calve-Perthes pathology.
Skeletal development problems: varicose epiphyseal deformity of the foot that develops in adolescents.
Inflammatory processes of soft tissues in the joints: bursitis, transient synovitis, articular coccyx, provoked by a tuberculous bacillus.

Radiation pain in the thigh area develops as a result of such lesions: symphysis, radicular syndrome, pathological processes within the sacroiliac joint, enthesopathy. Generally, a left or right hip joint causes considerable discomfort and pain. It should 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:

Congenital displacement of the hip, resulting from unsuccessful birth or during intrauterine development. Impairment can be quickly diagnosed even in newborns. The child has uneven gluteal folds, shortening one leg. An implanted nerve is also common. For a newborn, this disease is quite complex and dangerous, as the consequences of trauma can remain for life.
Traumatic displacement of the hip. Characterized by sharp pain, a person can not make any movement and can not talk about sitting or standing. Edema and hematoma appear above the joint. During hip dislocation (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.
Femoral neck fracture. This diagnosis is often made in women over the age of 60 years. The cause of such an injury to the hip joint is a banal drop or a targeted blow to the hip joint. At the time of fracture, a very sharp pain is felt, aggravated by movement. Unpleasant sensations begin to give on the inner surface of the thigh. At the site of injury, swelling appears, a bruising over the area of the hip joint. The injured left or right leg becomes shorter, and the person develops lameness, the joint begins to click. In addition, trauma contributes to nerve scratching, so the thigh begins to remain numb.
Transtrochanteric fracture of the femur. The pain in this case is moderate or severe. When you move, the symptoms in the hip are worse. Here, an embedded nerve is also quite possible. In such a situation, the pain shoots, and the limbs may numb.
Contusion of the hip joint. Here the pain is of moderate intensity but can become severe during a person’s active movement. At rest, the symptoms disappear. This cause of pain in the hip or hip joint is very common, especially in people prone to falling. The patient has lameness, which passes quickly.

Traumatic injury to the hip joint can be considered the main and common cause of uncomfortable pain. Serious fractures or displacements of the femur, pelvis often require surgery. If a person has a tight nerve and the patient begins to numb 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 connective tissue lesions. Treatment of such diseases should be carried out continuously, as they are considered practically incurable. Moreover, therapy should be comprehensive and give 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, the painful sensations become stronger at night. Localization of pain syndrome - sacrum or pelvis. At the same time, he is able to give in the knee, thigh, groin, shoot. Movement in this case, especially walking, is difficult, the patient feels stiffness. Hip pain can be quite strong. An inflammatory process develops inside the right or left node.
Reiter 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 within the joint begins several weeks or months after the onset of disease development. Characterized by acute pain in the hip or joints, temperature changes. A pronounced swelling appears in the pelvic area on the left and right. In most cases, the disease leads to a symmetrical damage to the joints.
Rheumatoid arthritis. This problem is characterized by connective tissue damage. This type of disease is never associated with 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 inflammatory process, the temperature rises (local and general). Further progress contributes to the display of stiffness in every 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 pulled out, so the limbs become numb. Treatment here should be immediate.

Systemic pathologies are able to give a pain of a different nature to a person: sharp, extremely sharp, attractive. It is not always possible to deal with strong anxiety on your own, even during a rest period. Therefore, only a doctor should prescribe the correct treatment. This is especially true for those situations where a newborn baby is sick. Ineffective treatment can ruin his life in the future.

Pain caused by degenerative changes

Too sharp, burning or pulling joint pain can cause such diseases:

Deformity of the epiphyseal varus, common in adolescents. With it, the senses have a dull, alluring character. They are capable of giving in to the inside of the knee. Running and other sports training provoke an increase in the intensity of pain syndrome. The pain can occasionally shoot, and the joint can click.
Coxarthrosis. The pathology presented occupies one of the leading positions among all hip joint lesions. It is diagnosed in both men and women. It will take a long time to treat and the therapy is quite complicated. The disease is characterized by the development of degenerative and destructive processes in the joints. The symptoms of the 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 anxiety disappears. Movements are not limited here yet. In the second stage of development, the following symptoms appear: pain syndrome begins to be given in the groin as well as in the thighs. Daily stress increases the intensity of feelings, but at rest they disappear. Prolonged walking provokes the appearance of the lame, the node begins to click. The work of the muscles and tendons is interrupted, their tone is reduced. In the last stage of the development of the disease, the patient has pain even at night, and they are quite strong. The lameness becomes severe. Muscles lose their volume and atrophy - a person becomes immobile. Treatment can stop or slow down the destruction of the joint.

These pathologies can lead to constant lameness, and this is already a limitation of work activity, lack of full 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 joint bones, inflammation of the muscles, tendons, and capsule of the joint can cause discomfort. And infectious diseases are also capable of provoking pain syndrome:

Purulent arthritis. Signs of such a pathology are: an increase in general temperature, redness of the skin in the joint area, strong swelling, sharp or sharp pain. Any load (running and even walking) or even banal getting out of bed becomes impossible. The pain starts to erupt. Treatment here should not be delayed, as the patient develops sepsis.
Necrosis of the femoral head (aseptic). It is mainly observed in quite young men. The disease appears due to deterioration of blood circulation in this area. The result of the development of necrosis is the death of tissue cells. The pathology has the following signs: an acute pain that appears sharply that may radiate to the groin, a burning sensation in the affected area. It can hurt so much that a person is unable 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 wrist. 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 develops mainly in young children who have weakened immunity. The pathology is slow. The little patient gets tired quickly, he runs very little. The thigh muscles gradually atrophy. The joint starts to click, the leg becomes shorter. Over time, the affected joint begins to hurt a lot. Sometimes the pain is sharp, and sometimes traction or burning. Further, suppuration appears inside the node, the symptoms intensify.
Bursitis is an inflammatory lesion of the articular bursa. The main symptom of the pathology is pain that will creep along the leg. At the same time, the sensations are acute, and when you get up or walk, the discomfort appears very strongly. At rest, the injured limb will ache or burn.

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

Characteristics of pathology diagnosis

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

Ultrasound examination of the hip joint.
Radiography of the thigh area, and 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 degree of erythrocyte sedimentation rate.
External examination of the joint by palpation, as well as fixation of patient complaints.
MRI.

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

How should the pathology be treated?

If you periodically feel pain in the hip joint, it should be treated. Therapy depends on what cause caused it. So joint treatment occurs depending on the pathology.

Congenital displacement

If the displacement is congenital, special orthopedic products are applied to the baby’s joint: Freak putty, separator or pillow is recommended. All of these tools support the newborn baby's feet in the proper physiological position. The child will have to stay in them for at least six months. If traditional treatment is not effective, then the child is prescribed surgery. That is, the femoral head is surgically placed in a newborn baby, and other deficiencies are also corrected. Once the orthopedic devices are removed, the baby can be gently massaged to strengthen the muscles.

Traumatic dislocation

In the presence of a traumatic displacement, the doctor will need to adjust it again using medications that help eliminate muscle tone. After that, the patient should be provided peace. Numbness of the limb indicates that the nerve is tight. This will require a mandatory examination by a neurologist.

Hip fracture

The hip fracture is treated by a traumatologist. With such an injury, the patient is indicated for surgery. Conservative treatments are sometimes ineffective. But if the operation can not be done, then the patient is recommended to place a plaster bandage on the left (right) leg, and 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, can be singled out the insufficient functionality of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, because the patient is unable to lead an active life and move normally. Even reduction becomes a problem for him. A joint fracture may be accompanied by a burning sensation in the soft tissues. In terms of surgery, 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. Helps to reduce the intensity of symptoms provoked by inflammation. Therapy includes medications (anti-inflammatory drugs, hormonal medications, immunosuppressants), physiotherapy procedures, therapeutic exercises (muscle stretching is beneficial). Massage the affected joint to the left or right is considered equally beneficial. All medications, as well as therapeutic exercises, are strictly selected by a traumatologist, orthopedist or surgeon. To strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, you need to swim. In particularly severe cases, the patient is shown joint arthroplasty on the left or right side.

Reiter's disease

To treat Reiter's pathology, antibiotics will be needed, as well as anti-inflammatory drugs, glucocorticosteroids, drugs to suppress immune function, and topical oils. The treatment will last a long time - at least 4 months. It should be noted that the pathology presented is capable of recurrence in half 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 should 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 anti-rheumatic drugs. As for surgical intervention, it is used only in the last stages, when walking and sitting are almost impossible. Fixation or arthroplasty of the wrist is recommended. Exercise is also beneficial, especially daytime stretching oils.

Coxarthrosis

Treatment of coxarthrosis aims to eliminate the cause of the development of symptoms and signs. Pathology in the early stages of development is treated using conservative methods. The patient is prescribed NSAIDs, chondroprotectors, and medications to improve blood circulation. Pain relievers and warming oils are used for treatment. Furthermore, the patient is prescribed light therapeutic training. Of course, the joint often has to be numb. In case of severe discomfort, injections are used.

The final stage of coxarthrosis is no longer suitable for conservative therapy. Any load on the joints worsens a person’s well-being. Getting out of bed without help is impossible. The patient should have injections to relieve the pain. In this case, it is necessary to treat the disease only with surgery. In general, ankle arthroplasty is necessary, however, it is contraindicated for very elderly people. Therefore, such patients undergo only ancillary surgeries. After surgical treatment, the patient needs a course of recovery: light stretching, very simple training under the supervision of a doctor. The load should be minimal.

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

Characteristics of treatment of infectious and inflammatory pathologies

It all depends on the type of disease:

Purulent arthritis. To begin, the patient must numb the affected hip joint. For this, an injection of an analgesic directly into the joint can be used. Infection must be fought with antibacterial agents and antibiotics. Moreover, several groups of drugs are used simultaneously. Only a doctor can prescribe them. Moreover, abscesses are removed. The diseased foot should be completely at rest, i. e. , a cast or splint application is applied to the patient.
Treatment of aseptic necrosis of the femoral head includes restoration of blood flow, rapid resorption of dead areas. The limb should be anesthetized with NSAIDs. Vitamin complexes, medicines to reduce blood viscosity, are also used. If the thigh continues to ache, then you should also apply massage, anesthetic ointment. This condition can also be treated with physical therapy and therapeutic exercises. In severe cases, minimally invasive surgical techniques or joint arthroplasty are used.
Since with bursitis, the hip joint hurts a lot, it should be numb. For this, an analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent is used, and administered by an intramuscular injection. Steroids are also used to quickly get rid of severe anxiety. Since the hip and hip joint can ache constantly, it needs to be kept calm.
Tuberculous arthritis is mainly treated conservatively. The baby needs to restrict movement with a tight bandage. If an abscess forms in the baby’s soft tissues, it should be surgically removed.

Burning, numbness of the limbs, pain in the hip joint, radiation to the legs - 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 the tendons, but it is not desirable for him to take pills, then you can use folk remedies. They can not be called medicine, but help in complex treatment. Of course, you should consult a doctor before use.

The following popular recipes will be helpful:

Clay compress (blue, white). Such a popular remedy allows you to relieve swelling and pain. Better the better the alternative clay. The clay should be applied overnight and wrapped in a warm cloth.
Cabbage compresses. They 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 bandages on the affected hip joint, you can do a light massage: rubbing, stroking.
Homemade ointment from internal fat and white perestroot root (250 gr. ). The fat should melt, add the chopped root to a meat grinder and place on low heat. It is necessary to boil the mixture for 7 minutes. Once the oil has cooled, it should be applied to the affected hip joint overnight. In this case, the node must be insulated. This folk remedy well relieves swelling and other unpleasant symptoms.
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. garlicAll ingredients are carefully cut in a meat grinder and placed in a container with a tight lid. Further, the whole mixture is poured into boiling water and mixed. Now the product should be tightly covered, wrapped in a blanket and left overnight. You should take the medicine one teaspoon before meals for several months.

A locked 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 should be identified and treated in a timely manner. And light gymnastics, stretching exercises will help prevent the development of functional disorders of the hip joint.