Arthrosis of the hip joint, or in other words, coxarthrosis, is a serious pathology in this area of the skeletal system, which is characterized by the destruction of the articular layer of cartilage, further damage to other components: adjacent muscles, bursa, pelvic bones.
Deforming osteoarthritis is particularly dangerous because it not only leads to thinning of cartilage, but also to bone growth, which threatens with irreversible consequences.
Actively progressing, osteoarthritis contributes to the development of vascular sclerosis of the joint head with the growth of a large number of cysts. The consequences of the disease will be severe deformities, dysfunctions of one or both hip joints. Coxarthrosis of the joint manifests itself not only in connection with age-related changes in the skeletal system, but also in children with congenital dislocation of the hip, dysplasia.
Osteoarthritis of the hip joint: symptoms
The signs of damage to the pelvic bones manifest themselves differently in each patient, but among the common are the following:
- The main place among them is occupied by the pain syndrome, from which the patient suffers not only after physical exertion, but also at rest. Painful sensations are localized in the same thigh, groin, giving to the knee. The pains are not always static, as the disease progresses, the place of localization, intensity, duration change;
- Restriction of motor activity of the musculoskeletal system leads to stiffness of human movements, lameness, sometimes shortening of the limb due to spasm of the gluteal muscles;
- The acute stage is characterized by the inability to bring the affected leg to the body or to take it away in the supine position. When performing movements, joint crunches are heard.
There are three degrees of development of coxarthrosis. If at the first stage of the pathology the painful sensations pass after a short rest, they become more and more intense. The hip joints are threatened with immobility, and the muscles of the thighs, buttocks and lower legs are difficult to cope with their functions due to their atrophic changes.
The main causes of the injury
- The risk of developing osteoarthritis is often found in those groups of people who already have metabolic disorders, genetic features in the structure of the skeletal system and weakness of cartilage tissues.
- But most often the appearance of this pathology is preceded by some diseases associated with malnutrition, rush of blood to the head of the femur, for example, Peters disease. It occurs mainly in boys in childhood.
- Congenital dislocation of the hip also leads to the development of joint pathologies of the pelvis.
- Injuries in the form of fractures, dislocations provoke the development of diseases of the hip joints.
- Inflammatory processes in the bones, such as arthritis of various etiologies, contribute to damage to joint tissues.
- And leading a sedentary lifestyle, hormonal disorders in the body, playing heavy sports only provoke the development of arthritic changes in the hip joints.
Treatment of arthrosis with therapeutic methods
In case of advanced pathology, an operation is likely. But in the early stages of development, deforming osteoarthritis is treated with conservative methods in the hospital or at home.
Joint treatment with drugs
Several main types of medicines are used to treat the disease:
- Non-steroidal drugs are often produced in the form of tablets, capsules and gels. They are effective anti-inflammatory and analgesic agents that relieve swelling, reduce pain and stop the pathological process in the tissues. Tablets, capsules, drugs are taken during meals, first forty milligrams, then two days later they are reduced to twenty. The gel is used three times a day, rubbing with massage movements. With caution, drugs are prescribed to elderly patients with heart failure, pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract. While using, you must not drink alcohol, drive a car;
- The agent, which is a chondroprotective agent, restores metabolic processes, the functions of the cartilage tissues of the hip joint and reduces pain. They take the medicine one and a half grams a day for six weeks. Thanks to these drugs, after three months it will be possible to feel improvements in the condition of the hip joint;
- To relax smooth muscles, eliminate spasms of small vessels, a drug that improves the properties of the blood, increases resistance to hypoxia, helps. Take two tablets once a day with meals;
- Muscle relaxants are aimed at normalizing blood circulation, relieving muscle pain. One tablet is prescribed three times a day. The drug is contraindicated for people with severe liver pathologies;
- Corticosteroids are used only for extremely severe forms of the disease, when other drugs do not provide relief. Some of these medicines have strong anti-inflammatory effects. Most often, a solution of the drug is injected intramuscularly, starting from one hundred milliliters, every six hours. It is successfully used for administration by ultrasound equipment (phonophoresis, electrophoresis).
Treatment with warming ointments for such a joint pathology is rarely used, since it is rather difficult for external agents to penetrate the lesion through the layers of fat, skin and muscles.
We treat coxarthrosis at home
In the treatment of coxarthrosis, time-tested traditional medicine recipes should also be used.
- After passing the pulp of three lemons, 250 grams of celery root, 120 grams of garlic through a meat grinder, a mixture is obtained which, after putting in a three-liter jar, is poured with boiling water. The infusion should be taken half an hour before breakfast, half a glass a day.
- A glass of calamus and astragalus is boiled in five liters of water for five minutes. After infusing the medicine, add the solution to a warm bath. After taking medical procedures, it is good to do gymnastics to develop mobility in the joints of the pelvis.
- Aspic, cooked from a kilogram of salt-free beef hooves, is very useful for joint ailments. It must be consumed two hundred grams half an hour before meals.
- A bath with the addition of Jerusalem artichoke, pine branches, sea salt, honey will relieve the patient's condition. And the net of iodine and pork fat will consolidate its effect. Also, after taking a bath, a compress of horseradish gruel mixed with honey, applied to the painful area, will help.
Of course, treatment with folk remedies will only weaken some of the symptoms of the disease, will not completely remove them, but in combination with other methods it will be effective.
Medical procedures can help with pelvic osteoarthritis
The procedures prescribed by specialists for the effective treatment of coxarthrosis have a beneficial local effect on the tissues of the affected area of the skeletal system of the human body:
- By acting with low temperatures on the painful areas of the pelvic bones, cryotherapy stimulates the blood flow to them, the metabolic processes in the tissues. Partial immersion of the body in an environment with liquid nitrogen, where the temperature varies from minus one hundred and ten to minus one hundred and sixty, will help to remove the unpleasant symptoms of arthritic pain, restore motor functions;
- Irradiation with infrared light is used for painful sensations in muscle tissues, nerve endings. Before the phototherapy procedure, it is necessary to lubricate the affected area with gel, then for thirty minutes they act with the help of a special apparatus on the pain site. To avoid allergic reactions, mandatory tests are carried out before the session, then the appropriate dose of radiation is selected;
- Traction, or traction, of the hip joint is a way to stretch the joints in order to prevent abrasion and increase the space between them. The procedure is performed by a specialist himself or using a traction unit. In the supine position, while fixing the chest, the patient's shoulder spine, a load is suspended from the lower back on a special belt. The weight of the load depends on the weight, height, age, severity of the person's disease. After such an operation, it is recommended to give the patient a long rest.
Physical therapy, massage should be prescribed to deform osteoarthritis of the hip joint, as this will help improve blood circulation, relieve muscle tension and pain.
Prevention of relapses of joint pathology
Successful treatment of any skeletal system disease must be established so that the disease does not recur.
- To develop the hip joint, daily gymnastics, massage of the thigh and buttocks will help. Swimming exercises have a positive effect on the condition of the pelvis, hips.
- Joint disease prevention is not complete without a balanced diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seafood, chicken, turkey.
- Recipes of traditional medicine will also strengthen muscles and bones, so the use of compresses, trays based on medicinal herbs is mandatory.
And most importantly, do not overload the joints, muscles with work, long walks, jogging. And when the first symptoms of pain appear, you should immediately consult a doctor.
The materials posted on this page are for informational purposes and are intended for educational purposes. The determination of the diagnosis and the choice of treatment method remains the exclusive prerogative of the treating physician.