Osteoarthritis of the hip joint is the general name for 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 anterior area, which is difficult to treat and diagnose.
Causes and mechanism of development of hip osteoarthritis.
Arthrosis of the hip joint is divided into primary and secondary. Primary is a disease that has developed independently, regardless of other factors, for example, as a side effect of the natural aging process. Secondary osteoarthritis 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 state of the cartilage that covers the thigh, being at the same time a sign of the absence of osteoarthritis. If the distance is not noticeable, the cartilage has been damaged, which means that there are many reasons to assume the presence of the disease described above. This form of osteoarthritis is not genetic, that is, as a rule, it is not inherited. However, factors such as cartilage weakness, bone fragility, metabolic disorders can be transmitted 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 trauma nature. For example:
- Hip dislocation and hip dysplasia are congenital diseases that are most often diagnosed in early childhood using ultrasound diagnostics. It is very important to identify this pathology, which is present in ten percent of newborns, as soon as possible, because the correction of dysplasia is possible only in the first two years of a child's life.
- Chronic infectious and inflammatory diseases such as tuberculosis of the hip joint. This disease is especially dangerous due to the very difficult diagnosis. Symptoms are often 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 of this is compounded by the fact that there is a limited shortage of 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 children. With this disease, the femoral head suffers, its blood circulation is disturbed, as a result of which the cartilage tissue suffers.
- Various mechanical injuries, such as injuries and dislocations of the hip joint.
Symptoms
Arthrosis is an extremely dangerous disease, since at first it can be completely asymptomatic. Often, just by lucky chance, an X-ray examination reveals the presence of this ailment in a patient who did 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. Arthrosis of the first degree is characterized by pain only during physical exertion, for example, walking, and only the joint hurts. On radiography, the distance between the femoral head and the socket is approximately half the normal distance. With a disease of the second degree, the pain intensifies, radiates to the groin and may be present even at rest, lameness may appear. The third degree is the most severe, when the patient cannot move independently without aids, the pain is permanent. A person is forced to lean to one side when walking due to shortening of the leg.
Diagnosis
When diagnosing, it is important to take a correct 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 the muscles and nerve endings, the features of the patient's gait and the state of blood circulation in the extremities.
With all this, X-ray examination is decisive in diagnosing arthrosis of the hip joint, however, additional examinations may be needed, such as: MRI of the thigh, puncture of the painful area, tomography of the extremities, ultrasound examination.
Treatment of the disease
First of all, in the treatment of osteoarthritis it is necessary to eliminate the pain, or at least reduce it to a level that the patient can tolerate. 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 can restore it, but only in the early stages of the disease. Hormonal injections are also prescribed if necessary. 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 and funds from the patient, although they are not the defining method of treatment.
However, with arthrosis of the third degree, doctors often insist on surgical intervention, while replacing the destroyed joint with a prosthesis.
Folk methods of treating arthrosis
Traditional medicine also does not deviate from the treatment of a serious illness. For these purposes, various ointments and compresses prepared from birch leaves, burdock and cabbage are used. They are pounded into mush, and then tied to the site of pain.
As compresses, a mixture of honey, alcohol, iodine and glycerin is used. Traditional medicine confirms the effectiveness of baths with nettle decoction. Also, treatment with bee stings 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 general rule, preventive measures include strict weight control (since excess weight exerts great pressure on the hip joints), the correct distribution of physical activity so as not to overload the joints and, at the slightest suspicion, timely contact a specialist. .
Arthrosis of the hip joint is an extremely unpleasant and serious disease that threatens serious complications, but timely consultation with a qualified doctor will help to avoid the terrible consequences of the disease.