Osteoarthritis of the hip joint is the common name of a group of diseases, which includes all diseases of the degenerative system of the hip joint, which destroys cartilage tissue, is progressive in nature. The disease has another name - coxarthrosis. The disease is characterized by pain in the above areas, difficult to treat and diagnose.
Causes and mechanisms of development of hip arthrosis
Arthrosis of the hip joint is divided into primary and secondary. Primary is a disease that has developed independently, without other factors, for example, as a side effect of the natural aging process. Secondary arthrosis is the result of complications of diseases of different nature.
With a healthy pelvis, the distance between the femoral head and the acetabulum is clearly visible on x-ray. This indicates the optimal condition of the cartilage covering the thigh, at the same time being a sign of the absence of arthrosis. If the distance is not significant, the cartilage has been damaged, which means that there is reason to assume the presence of the disease described above. This form of arthrosis is not genetic, that is, as a rule, it is not inherited. However, factors such as cartilage weakness, bone fragility, metabolic disorders can be passed down from generation to generation and can trigger the development of arthrosis.
However, the main cause of this disease is a variety of diseases of an infectious, traumatological nature. For example:
- Hip dislocation, hip dysplasia is a congenital disease most often diagnosed in early childhood using diagnostic ultrasound. It is very important to identify this pathology, which is present in ten percent of newborns, as early as possible, because the correction of dysplasia is only possible in the first two years of a child’s life.
- Infectious and chronic inflammatory diseases such as tuberculosis of the hip joint. This disease is very dangerous because of its very difficult diagnosis. Often the symptoms are so mild that they are mistaken for another disease. Even x-rays sometimes help identify tuberculosis only at an advanced stage, when full recovery is no longer possible. All this is exacerbated by the fact that there is a narrow shortage of specialists in the country who can diagnose and treat the disease properly.
- Metabolic and thyroid disorders, such as diabetes mellitus.
- Perthes disease, which most often strikes boys. With this disease, the femoral head suffers, its blood circulation is disrupted, as a result the cartilage tissue suffers.
- Various mechanical injuries, such as injuries and dislocations of the hip joint.
symptoms
Arthrosis is a very dangerous disease, because at first it can be completely asymptomatic. Often, just by lucky chance, x-ray examination reveals the presence of the disease in a patient who does not find a single sign in himself.
Arthrosis of the hip joint can be of the first, second or third degree, depending on the severity of the disease. First -degree arthrosis is characterized by pain only during physical exercise, for example, walking, and only the joint itself is sore. On x-ray, the distance between the femoral head and the cavity is about half the normal distance. With second -degree disease, the pain increases, radiates to the groin and may be present even at rest, lameness may appear. The third stage is the most severe, when the patient cannot move freely without assistance, the pain is permanent. One had to lean to one side when walking because of the short legs.
Diagnostics
When diagnosing, it is important to make a proper medical history. In this case, first of all, attention is paid to the nature and duration of the pain, the location of the pain point, atrophy of the muscles and nerve endings, the characteristics of the patient's gait, and the state of blood circulation in the legs.
With all this, X-ray examination is decisive in diagnosing arthrosis of the hip joint, however, additional examinations may be required, such as: MRI of the thigh, taking a puncture of the painful area, tomography of the extremities, ultrasound examination.
Disease treatment
First of all, in the treatment of arthrosis, it is necessary to remove the pain, or at least reduce it to a level acceptable to the patient. For this, NSAIDs are used, which not only fight pain, but also relieve inflammation.
Then drugs are prescribed that provide nutrition to the cartilage tissue, which is able to restore it, but only in the early stages of the disease. Hormone injections are also prescribed if necessary. However, only a doctor can prescribe all of the above medications!
There is the use of physiotherapy (although many experts consider such treatment a waste of time). These are special massages, laser treatments, manual therapy, physiotherapy exercises. However, this procedure takes a lot of time, as well as patient funds, while not a definitive method of treatment.
However, with stage 3 arthrosis, doctors usually insist on surgical intervention, while replacing the destroyed joint with a prosthesis.
Folk methods of dealing with arthrosis
Traditional medicine is also not exempt from the treatment of serious diseases. Various ointments and compresses prepared from the leaves of birch, burdock, cabbage are used for this purpose. They are pounded into a porridge, and then tied to the site of pain.
A mixture of honey, alcohol, iodine and glycerin is used as a compress. Traditional medicine confirms the effectiveness of baths with a decoction of nettles. Also, treatment with bee stings has become very popular in getting rid of the disease. Colored honey, carrots, beets, radish and aloe juice must be poured with vodka and infused for a week, after which the tincture can be drunk once a day, 20 grams each.
Prevention of coxarthrosis
As a rule, preventive measures include strict weight control (because excess weight puts a lot of pressure on the hip joint), proper distribution of physical activity so as not to burden the joints, and timely, on the slightest suspicion, contact a specialist.
Arthrosis of the hip joint is a very unpleasant and serious disease that threatens with serious complications, but timely consultation with a qualified physician will help avoid the consequences of a terrible disease.