Osteoarthritis of the hip joint is today considered one of the most common diseases of the musculoskeletal system.Its symptoms cause great discomfort to the patient and limit physical activity, making treatment time-consuming.
In severe cases, the disease leads to disability.Osteoarthritis of this location is also known as Coxarthrosis.With this disorder, the hip joint suffers from chronic inflammation.Its cartilaginous tissue is destroyed and the joint space narrows, which leads to a significant decrease in leg mobility.
The disease most often develops in elderly patients, but is sometimes 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, therefore it supports 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 the bone tissue is covered with durable and highly elastic cartilage.It plays the role of a shock absorber and also ensures smooth sliding of the bones.Cartilaginous tissue prevents destruction of the femurs and pelvis.
With Coxarthrosis, the cartilage begins to thin and collapse and, consequently, the bone tissues come into contact with each other.Sliding becomes difficult and painful.Movements are restricted.Further progression of the disease leads to more pronounced destructive changes: the bone surfaces are covered with protrusions (they appear due to constant injuries), which further complicate 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 can remain undiagnosed for many years of life;
- premature wear of joint mechanisms, explained by excessive loads (during intense sports or excess body weight);
- previous injuries;
- infectious processes that affect the functions of the musculoskeletal system;
- inadequate blood supply to the joint (for example, due to atherosclerosis);
- spinal diseases;
- hormonal disorders;
- rheumatic processes, etc.
Identifying the causes of arthrosis of the hip joint allows you to prevent the development of the disease, select the most comprehensive treatment and alleviate 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. In this condition, the patient is bothered by periodic pain in the groin area.They are caused by physical activity, prolonged walking and static positions.After resting, the discomfort disappears.Therefore, patients do not perceive them as a reason to see a doctor.And the disease develops further.
- Stage 2. At this stage of development, coxarthrosis causes more pronounced pain.Pain occurs even after small efforts.The patient begins to limp and the discomfort radiates to the inner thigh.The affected joint may crack.Often, osteoarthritis 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 even with small loads.A person with third-stage arthrosis of the hip joint is obliged to use a cane.In this case, the problem leg is often shortened, which is explained by the distortion of the pelvis and spine.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 osteoarthritis of the hip joint on a regular x-ray.When the pathological process has just begun to develop, the joint space narrows slightly and isolated small protrusions can be found in the bone tissue.At this stage of development, the disease can be controlled by 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), the normal state can only be restored with the help of surgery.
Non-drug treatment
Patients with osteoarthritis of the hip joint are advised to relieve the affected joint as much as possible.For this you need:
- avoid running, walking a lot, jumping, lifting weights and remaining in the same position for a long time;
- wear special shoes with well-padded soles;
- additionally rely on a cane or crutch (it should be held in the hand opposite the affected joint).
To reduce pain and improve the functioning of the joint system, it is recommended to perform regular physiotherapeutic exercises.Simple exercises help strengthen muscle tissue, which gives excellent long-term results.If you are overweight, you need to follow a diet and get rid of those extra pounds.
Drug treatment
Conservative drug treatment for arthrosis of the hip joint is selected individually;therapy largely depends on the symptoms of the disease and the results of diagnostic procedures.As a rule, patients are prescribed:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.Help relieve pain in the affected joint;
- Steroid (hormonal) drugs.They are used when nonsteroidal medications are insufficiently effective;
- Muscle relaxants that reduce muscle tone and help eliminate pain;
- Vasodilators.It may be necessary if there is insufficient blood circulation in the joint;
- Chondroprotectors that promote joint restoration and prevent further destruction.
Conservative treatment of the joint can be complemented by the use of the latest medical techniques.Patients can receive 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 can benefit from balneotherapy courses, especially mud baths.Such procedures can be carried out in regular clinics, private clinics, rehabilitation centers and sanatorium institutions.Mud baths are widely used to treat diseases of the musculoskeletal system.For osteoarthritis of the hip joint, mud treatment helps to 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 joint motor functions;
- significantly reduce the intensity of pain (the effect persisted for 3 months after the end of therapy);
- slow the progression of the disease.
However, it is worth considering that all physiotherapeutic and balneological procedures for coxarthrosis can only be carried out after approval by the attending physician.Such joint treatment must be combined with taking prescribed medications and complying with all restrictive recommendations.