In the vast majority of cases, hip pain is associated with degeneration of the synovial layer of cartilage and the development of osteoarthritis deformity. But that's if we're talking about patients over the age of 45. But at a young age, a completely different pathological process may be responsible for this clinical symptom. Many times, they are directly related to failure of the lumbosacral spine and low back pain syndrome. Most are complications of long-term osteochondrosis without proper treatment.
Hip pain is a signal that the position of the femoral head in the joint acetabulum is disturbed. This joint is one of the most loaded joints. It takes into account the maximum depreciable load when walking and running as well as standing and sitting.
The femoral head, like the acetabulum of the ilium, is lined with a cartilaginous synovial layer. Inside the joint capsule is synovial fluid. When compressed, the cartilage tissue secretes synovial fluid, which is absorbed when it is straightened. Thus, the depreciation load is carried out while distributing and protecting the bone tissue from damage and cracking.
Synovial fluid is produced during the work of the muscles around the joints. It penetrates into the joint capsule by diffusive exchange. Maintaining adequate levels and optimal viscosity of synovial fluid is the key to longevity and health of the hip joint.
Unfortunately, a sedentary lifestyle, poor nutrition, traumatic effects, excess weight and other risk factors cause synovial fluid to become smaller or lose its physiological properties. This begins the process of destruction of the synovial layer of cartilage.
Bone tissue is destroyed and begins to be covered in calcium salt deposits - osteophytes. Joint loss of mobility. Tonicity and contractures develop. In later stages of hip disease, only the surgical procedure of hip replacement can help the patient. This is the most dangerous disease that can lead to disability in adulthood. In the early stages, it can be successfully treated with manual therapy methods.
At a young age, hip pain while walking may be due to traumatic injury to the ligament and tendon apparatus. If a person has a slight problem with the lumbosacral spine, his depreciation load will not be evenly distributed. As a result, ligaments and tendons are subject to high mechanical loads. They are subject to periodic microscopic damage. In these places, scars form and gradually begin to compress adjacent nerve fibers. This can cause pain to appear.
In middle age, hip pain may also be associated with lumbosacral injuries. But in this case, the possibility of violation of blood microcirculation increases. Failure of the root nerves and the lumbosacral plexus results in disturbances in the tension of the blood flow muscle wall. As a result, the tissues around the hip joint, like the rest of the lower extremity, don't get enough nutrients. The ischemic process begins.
In the context of an ischemic process, there is a risk of developing aseptic necrosis of bone tissue with long-term combined loading of the hip joint. This is a very dangerous condition that can lead to disability in adulthood if treatment is delayed. A person loses the ability to work and requires surgery and long-term rehabilitation.
We strongly recommend that you contact your orthopaedic surgeon if you experience any discomfort in your hip joint. If necessary, he will consult with a chiropractor, neurologist or vascular surgeon.
Causes of severe pain and stiffness in the hip joint
Some of the potential causes of severe hip pain have been mentioned above. However, this is not a comprehensive list of factors that negatively affect hip condition.
Severe pain in the hip joint can be due to traumatic effects - this is:
- A hip fracture is a serious injury that often requires surgical intervention to restore integrity;
- a hip or femur fracture;
- Dislocation or subluxation with stretching of the joint capsule, accumulation of capillary blood and the subsequent development of hemoarthrosis;
- rupture of the joint capsule;
- Violation of the integrity of the joint pocket (burr);
- Stretching and rupture of ligament and tendon fibers, including the subsequent process of deforming scarring.
Hip pain may be the result of a malnutrition process. They can affect the outer soft tissues and the cartilaginous synovium within skeletal joints. Tension that disrupts the vessel wall in the context of lumbosacral osteochondrosis is the most common cause of tissue destruction in the hip joint. If we add the negative effects of forced curvature of the spine due to fibromuscular tone syndrome, it is clear that the pathology of the cartilaginous intervertebral disc can lead to disability due to the destruction of the hip joint.
Be aware that hip pain and stiffness may be signs of ankylosis. The disease can be post-traumatic or rheumatoid. In the first case, contractures occur first, followed by a reduction in the range of motion to complete immobility. Rheumatic lesions are joint types of ankylosing spondylitis, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, polyarthritis, and the like.
Potential causes of hip pain are disorders of the musculoskeletal system. They develop under the influence of the following risk factors:
- overweight and obesity (every extra kilogram puts a huge burden on all joints and spine, accelerating their destruction);
- Maintain a sedentary lifestyle, lack of physical activity and sedentary work - the process of blood supply to the tissues of the hip joint is disrupted, the efficiency of the synovial fluid decreases, the process of disintegration of the cartilage-protective tissue begins;
- Smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages - alter biochemical processes, causing severe spasms of capillary blood flow;
- Heavy physical labor and weight lifting without prior training;
- An incorrectly fitted foot in the form of a flat foot or clubfoot;
- Wrong choice of everyday wear and sports shoes;
- Violating ergonomic rules when scheduling sleep and workplace.
All these risk factors must be excluded. During the initial collection of medical history data, an experienced physician will attempt to identify all alleged negative causes and factors. He will then give the patient individual recommendations, and compliance with these recommendations will eliminate the risk of future recurrence of the identified disease. So be sure to follow all your doctor's advice.
Which doctor should I contact for hip pain?
The answer to the question of which doctor treats hip pain depends largely on the circumstances in which this clinical symptom occurs. For example, if you fall, slip or become involved in an accident, you must first contact a trauma doctor. The physician will rule out violation of tissue integrity. All necessary assistance will be provided if necessary.
Then, for a full recovery, it is advisable to contact a chiropractor. He will develop a course of therapeutic exercises to fully restore the working ability of the body's muscular framework after forced immobilization. This will prevent the risk of developing osteoarthritis deformity and other severe degenerative conditions in the future.
If hip pain is bothering you - which doctor should you consult? We strongly recommend that you find a manual therapy clinic near where you live. There are usually physicians with extensive experience working with such patients.
Unfortunately, in most urban clinics, it is either impossible to make an appointment with an orthopaedic surgeon, or the specialist specializes in symptomatic treatment of identified pathologies. Those ones. A solution to a patient problem that is exclusively approached formally.
For chronic pain, it is important to rule out the possibility of lumbosacral disruption. Therefore, in addition to consulting an orthopedist, you may need to see a chiropractor or neurologist. Typically, physicians of this type practice successfully in specialized manual therapy clinics.
Treat hip pain
Treatment of hip pain should only be started after an accurate diagnosis has been made. This is a clinical symptom of various pathologies. The correct course of treatment should take into account their causes.
For example, if muscle weakness causes the destruction of the cartilage layer within the joint in the context of insufficient innervation due to the destruction of the lumbosacral disc, the course of treatment is roughly as follows:
- First, with the help of artificial traction on the spine, the normal position of the vertebral body is restored, and the compression pressure of cartilage tissue and root nerves is eliminated;
- Then, with the help of massage, the doctor can eliminate the syndrome of hypertensive muscle fibers, improve the elasticity of all soft tissues and speed up the process of their blood supply;
- Osteopathic influence triggers a disordered process of blood microcirculation, lymph and intercellular fluid, which has a positive effect on tissue nutrition, eliminates infiltrative edema in the soft tissues around the joints;
- Physiotherapy accelerates the metabolic process, removes decay products, enhances the synthesis of new cells, etc. ;
- Laser irradiation stimulates the repair process;
- Reflexology has a stimulating effect because it affects the body's biologically active points;
- Therapeutic gymnastics combined with exercise therapy develops the muscular framework of the body, begins the process of nutritional disturbance of the cartilage tissue in the joints and in the area of the affected cartilaginous discs.
The treatment course for hip pain is always developed individually. Do not rush medication without a doctor's prescription. Most of them are probably completely useless in your case. The second part of the agent can significantly accelerate the process of tissue breakdown in the hip joint.
If you have unpleasant sensations in this area of skeletal joints, they cannot be tolerated under any circumstances. Make an appointment with an available specialist. Ask for an X-ray of the joint and, as needed, an MRI. For treatment, look for a manual treatment clinic in your area.