Osteoarthritis of the hip joint is the general name of a group of diseases, which include all diseases of the degenerative system of the hip joint, which damage cartilage tissue, are progressive. This disease has another name - coxarthrosis. This disease is characterized by pain in the area above, 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 develops independently, regardless of other factors, for example as a side effect of the natural aging process. Secondary arthrosis is the result of complications of a disease of a 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, as well as a sign of the absence of arthrosis. If the gap is not visible, the cartilage has been damaged, which means there are many reasons to assume the disease described above. This form of arthrosis is not genetic, that is, as a rule, is not inherited. However, factors such as cartilage weakness, bone fragility, metabolic disorders can be passed from generation to generation and can provoke the development of arthrosis.
However, the main causes of this disease are various infectious and traumatic diseases. As an example:
- Hip dislocation, hip dysplasia is the most common congenital disease diagnosed in early childhood using ultrasound diagnostics. It is very important to identify this pathology, which is present in ten percent of newborns, as early as possible, since 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 very dangerous because the diagnosis is very difficult. 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 compounded by the fact that there is a narrow shortage of specialists in the country who can properly 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.
Symptom
Arthrosis is a very dangerous disease, because at first it can be completely asymptomatic. Often, just by chance, x-ray examination reveals the presence of this disease in patients who do not find a single sign in him.
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 activity, for example, walking, and only the joint itself hurts. On X-ray, the distance between the femoral head and the cavity is about half the normal distance. With the disease of the second degree, the pain increases, radiates to the groin and may be present even at rest, lameness may appear. The third degree is the most severe, when the patient is unable to move independently without assistance, the pain is permanent. A person is forced to lean to one side when walking due to shortening of the legs.
Diagnostic
When diagnosing, it is important to make a correct medical history. In this regard, first of all, attention is paid to the nature and duration of pain, the location of pain points, 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, 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 punctures of the painful area, tomography of the extremities, ultrasound examination.
Disease treatment
First of all, in the treatment of arthrosis, it is necessary to relieve pain, or at least reduce it to a level that can be tolerated by 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 at the initial stage of the disease. Hormonal injections are also prescribed if necessary. However, only a doctor can prescribe all of the above drugs!
There is the use of physiotherapy (although many experts consider such treatment a waste of time). These are special massage, laser treatment, manual therapy, physiotherapy exercises. However, this procedure takes a lot of time, as well as patient funds, while not being a decisive method of treatment.
However, with 3rd degree arthrosis, doctors usually insist on surgical intervention, while replacing the destroyed joint with a prosthesis.
Traditional methods of treating arthrosis
Traditional medicine is also inseparable from the treatment of serious diseases. Various ointments and compresses made from leaves of birch, burdock, cabbage are used for this purpose. They are ground into a pulp, and then tied to the place of pain.
A mixture of honey, alcohol, iodine and glycerin is used as a compress. Folk remedies confirm the effectiveness of baths with a decoction of nettle. Also, treatment with bee stings has become very popular in getting rid of the disease. Tincture of honey, carrots, beets, horseradish 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 weight control (since excess weight puts a lot of pressure on the hip joint), the correct distribution of physical activity so as not to overload the joints, and timely, with 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 doctor will help to avoid the dire consequences of this disease.