Arthrosis of the hip joint, or in another way, 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 arthrosis is especially dangerous because it not only leads to thinning of the cartilage, but also to the growth of bones, which threatens with irreversible consequences.
Actively progressing, arthrosis contributes to the development of vascular sclerosis of the articular 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.
Arthrosis of the hip joint: symptoms
Signs of damage to the pelvic bones appear differently in each patient, but among the common ones there are the following:
- The leading place among them is occupied by pain syndrome, from which the patient suffers not only after physical exertion, but also at rest. Painful sensations are localized in the very thigh, groin, giving to the knee. The pains are not always static, they change the place of localization, intensity, duration as the disease progresses;
- Restriction of the 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, then 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 atrophic changes in them.
The main causes of the lesion
- The risk of developing arthrosis 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, blood supply to the femoral head, for example, Peters' disease. It manifests itself mainly in boys during childhood.
- Congenital dislocation of the hip also leads to the development of articular 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 joint tissue damage.
- And leading a sedentary lifestyle, hormonal disorders in the body, engaging in heavy sports only provoke the development of arthritic changes in the hip joints.
Treatment of arthrosis with therapeutic methods
In the case of advanced pathology, an operation is likely. But in the first stages of development, deforming arthrosis is cured by conservative methods in a hospital or at home.
Joint treatment with medications
Several main types of medicines are used to treat the disease:
- Non-steroidal type drugs are often produced in the form of tablets, capsules, and gel. They are effective anti-inflammatory, analgesic agents that relieve swelling, reduce pain, and stop the pathological process in the tissues. Tablets, capsules, drugs are taken with meals, first at forty milligrams, then after two days reducing to twenty. The gel is used three times a day, rubbing in with massage movements. With caution, drugs are prescribed to elderly patients with heart failure, pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract. While using it, you must not drink alcohol, drive a car;
- The agent, which is a chondroprotective agent, restores metabolic processes, functions of the cartilaginous tissues of the hip joint, and reduces pain. They take the medicine one and a half grams daily for six weeks. Thanks to such 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 blood, increases resistance to hypoxia, helps. Take two tablets once a day with meals;
- Muscle relaxants are intended to normalize blood circulation, relieve muscle pain. It is prescribed one tablet three times a day. The drug is contraindicated for people with serious 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 using ultrasound equipment (phonophoresis, electrophoresis).
Treatment with warming ointments for such an articular pathology is rarely used, since it is rather difficult for external agents to break through to the lesion through the layers of fat, skin, and muscles.
We treat coxarthrosis at home
Time-tested traditional medicine recipes should also be used in the treatment of coxarthrosis.
- Having passed the pulp of three lemons, 250 grams of celery root, 120 grams of garlic through a meat grinder, a mixture is obtained, which, after placing in a three-liter jar, is poured with boiling water. The infusion is taken half an hour before breakfast, half a glass daily.
- A glass of calamus and astragalus are boiled in five liters of water for five minutes. Having infused the medicine, add the solution to a warm bath. After taking medical procedures, it is good to do gymnastics to develop the mobility of the joints of the pelvis.
- Aspic, cooked from a kilogram of beef hooves without salt, is very useful for joint ailments. It needs to be eaten two hundred grams half an hour before meals.
- A bath with the addition of Jerusalem artichoke, pine branches, sea salt, honey will ease 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 area of pain, 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 arthrosis
The procedures prescribed by specialists for the successful treatment of coxarthrosis have a beneficial local effect on the tissues of the affected area of the skeletal system of the human body:
- Acting with low temperatures on the painful zones of the pelvic bones, cryotherapy stimulates blood flow to them, metabolic processes in tissues. Partial immersion of the body in an environment with liquid nitrogen, where the temperature ranges from minus one hundred and ten to minus one hundred and sixty, will help remove 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 a special apparatus on the pain site. To avoid allergic reactions, mandatory testing is carried out before the session, and then the appropriate dose of radiation is selected;
- Traction, or traction, of the hip joint is a way of stretching the joints in order to prevent abrasion and increase the gap between them. The procedure is carried out either by a specialist himself or using a traction unit. In the supine position, while fixing the chest, the shoulder spine of the patient, 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 illness. After such an operation, it is recommended to give the patient a long rest.
Physical therapy, massage must be prescribed for deforming arthrosis of the hip joint, as this will help improve blood circulation, relieve muscle tension, and soreness.
Prevention of recurrence of articular pathology
Successful treatment of any disease of the skeletal system must be consolidated so that the disease does not come back again.
- 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.
- Prevention of joint pathologies is not complete without a balanced diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seafood, chicken, turkey.
- Traditional medicine recipes will also strengthen muscles and bones, so the use of compresses, trays based on medicinal herbs is mandatory.
And most importantly, do not overload your 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 the method of treatment remains the exclusive prerogative of your attending physician.