Osteoarthritis of the hip joint is the general name of a group of diseases, which includes all diseases of the degenerative system of the hip joint, which destroy cartilage tissue, is progressive in nature. This disease has another name - coxarthrosis. The disease is characterized by pain in the above area, which is difficult to treat and diagnose.
Causes and mechanism of development of hip arthrosis
Osteoarthritis of the hip joint is divided into primary and secondary. Primary is a disease that has developed independently, independent of other factors, for example, as a side effect of the natural aging process. Secondary arthrosis is the result of a complication of a disease of a different nature.
With a healthy pelvis, the distance between the femoral head and the acetabulum is clearly visible on the radiograph. This indicates the optimal condition of the cartilage that covers the thigh, and at the same time is a sign of the absence of arthrosis. If the distance is not noticeable, then the cartilage has been damaged, which means that there is every 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 from generation to generation and can trigger the development of osteoarthritis.
However, the main causes of this disease are various diseases of an infectious and traumatological nature. For example:
- Hip dislocation, hip dysplasia are congenital disorders most often diagnosed in early childhood using ultrasound diagnoses. It is very important to identify this pathology, present in ten percent of newborns, as early as possible, as the correction of dysplasia is only possible in the first two years of the child's life.
- Infectious and chronic inflammatory diseases such as tuberculosis of the hip joint. This disease is especially dangerous due to the very difficult diagnosis. Often the symptoms are so mild that they are mistaken for another illness. Even an x-ray sometimes helps to identify tuberculosis only at an advanced stage, when a full recovery is no longer possible. All this is compounded by the fact that there is a shortage of narrow specialists in the country who can correctly diagnose and treat this disease.
- Metabolic and thyroid disorders such as diabetes mellitus.
- Perthes disease, which most often affects boys. With this disease, the head of the femur suffers, its blood circulation is disturbed, as a result of which the cartilage tissue suffers.
- Various mechanical injuries such as hip joint injuries and dislocations.
Symptoms
Osteoarthritis is an extremely dangerous disease, since at first it can be completely asymptomatic. Often, just by luck, an x-ray exam reveals the presence of this disease in a patient who has not found a single sign in himself.
Osteoarthritis of the hip joint can be first, second or third degree, depending on the severity of the disease. First-degree osteoarthritis is characterized by pain only during physical exertion, for example, walking, and only the joint itself hurts. On radiography, the distance between the femoral head and the socket is about half the normal distance. With a second-degree disease, the pain intensifies, radiates to the groin and may be present even at rest, claudication may appear. The third degree is the most severe, when the patient cannot move independently without help, the pain is permanent. A person is forced to lean to one side when walking due to the shortening of the leg.
Diagnosis
When diagnosing, it is important to take an accurate medical history. In this case, first of all, attention is drawn to the nature and duration of the pain, the location of the pain points, the atrophy of muscles and nerve endings, the characteristics of the patient's gait and the state of blood circulation in the extremities. .
With all this, the radiographic examination is decisive in the diagnosis of arthrosis of the hip joint, however, additional tests may be necessary, such as: magnetic resonance imaging of the thigh, 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 eliminate the pain, or at least reduce it to a tolerable level for 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 needed. However, only a doctor can prescribe all of the above medications!
There is the use of physical therapy (although many experts consider such treatment a waste of time). This is a special massage, laser treatment, manual therapy, physical therapy exercises. However, these procedures take a lot of time, as well as patient resources, although they are not the defining method of treatment.
However, with 3rd degree osteoarthritis, doctors often insist on surgical intervention, replacing the destroyed joint with a prosthesis.
Popular methods of dealing with osteoarthritis
Traditional medicine is also not excluded from the treatment of a serious illness. Various ointments and compresses prepared from birch leaves, burdock, cabbage are used for these purposes. They are turned into porridge and then tied to the place of pain.
A mixture of honey, alcohol, iodine and glycerin is used as compresses. Traditional medicine confirms the effectiveness of baths with nettle decoction. Also, bee sting treatment has become very popular to get rid of the disease. Tincture of honey, carrots, beets, radishes and aloe juice should 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 control of weight (since excess weight puts a lot of stress on the hip joints), the correct distribution of physical activity so as not to overload the joints and in due course, at the slightest suspicion, contact with an expert.
Osteoarthritis of the hip joint is an extremely unpleasant and serious disease that threatens with serious complications, but timely consultation with a qualified doctor will help to avoid the terrible consequences of the disease.