Hip pain.

The hip joint is one of the largest and strongest joints of the human skeleton. This joint experiences enormous loads, which often leads to disturbances of its main musculoskeletal functions. Therefore, pain in the hip joint, according to doctors, is one of the most common pathologies associated with joint diseases in the human body.

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Causes hip pain

Modern medicine describes quite a lot of different reasons why pain may occur in the hip joint. Usually, the “deterioration of health” of this joint is influenced by injuries or systematic diseases.

Pain from injury. Of course, trauma is the most common cause among patients who complain of pain in the hip joint. However, pain can occur not only when the joint is damaged, but also when nearby organs, bones, tendons, and muscles are injured. It is worth sounding the alarm if the pain does not subside for a whole week after an injury. Then you need to urgently run to a neurologist and a chiropractor who can prescribe the correct course of treatment.

In any case, no matter what the pain is, you need to go to the hospital. Remember: timely treatment of hip pain allows you to establish an accurate diagnosis. You should never let a joint disease progress, because if you do not see a doctor in time, the complications can be much more serious than the injury or inflammation itself suggested. By the way, any damage to the hip joint, its synovial membrane, periarticular tissues, as well as post-traumatic decrease in the amount of synovial fluid can cause a violation of the main function of the joint. This is dangerous due to the destruction of joint tissues, which are very problematic to restore.

Pain in systemic diseases. Inflammation in the connective tissues of the hip joint can be a kind of litmus test that signals systemic diseases or infections. In such cases, of course, it makes sense to start treating the systemic disease. Non-traumatic pain in the hip joint is typical for osteoarthritis, osteoarthrosis, infectious arthritis, as well as pathologies associated with the functioning of the vessels and capillaries that supply blood to the joint and the bones of which it consists.

Diagnostics hip pain

Diagnosing problems in the hip joint can be difficult because the joint itself is deeply “hidden” inside the body behind muscles and internal organs. Therefore, at the first stage of diagnosis, doctors use X-ray methods, and only then prescribe an appropriate course of treatment, depending on the complexity and form of the disease.

When the pain in the hip joint becomes unbearable and does not subside after three days, and swelling and redness of the skin are visible, you should immediately contact a doctor.

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Complications and consequences

Mechanical wear of the hip joint, “wearing down” of the cartilage and other joint elements often leads to inflammation of its inner part, causing severe pain. Not so often, but still there are cases of complete wear of the cartilage, as a result of which the head of the femur comes into contact with the bone of the pelvic cavity, creating friction and pain.

The insidiousness of hip pain is that the discomfort can move to the thigh and shin. Injuries to the spine in the lumbar region can also cause severe pain in the joint.

Among other symptoms indicating musculoskeletal pathologies in the pelvic area, there may be a deterioration in the elasticity of the hip tendons with impaired mobility. This phenomenon is due to the fact that the nerve fibers approaching the hip and knee joint are intertwined crosswise.

More serious forms of hip joint dysfunction often cause lameness. The legs may appear to be of different lengths. When hip joint disease progresses, its mobility may deteriorate significantly. This symptom is especially noticeable when moving after a period of rest.

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Prevention

To make the hip joints “last” longer, be more trauma-resistant and maintain mobility for a long time, doctors recommend doing preventive exercises with the hip abductor muscles. These muscles stabilize the mechanical movements of the joint. A few simple exercises will help “harden” the hip abductor muscle.

• Exercise #1. Stand up straight and lean your hands on the table surface, as if you want to do a push-up. Your back and legs should be on the same line. Make sure there are no deflections in the lumbar region. In this position, slowly move your left leg to the side, and just as slowly return it to the starting position. The exercise is performed similarly for the right leg. 5-10 repetitions are enough.
• Exercise #2. Stand with your feet together. Bend your left leg at the knee and move your pelvis toward your right leg. Now very slowly, without sudden movements, lean forward, keeping your back straight. Do the exercise several times. Similarly, in a symmetrical position.

By doing these simple exercises, as well as following a proper diet, which includes foods rich in calcium and fluoride, you can not only relieve pain in the hip joint, but also keep the hip joint healthy for many years.