My hip joint hurts. Which doctor should I see?

Hip pain

Powerful, complex in structure, and able to withstand enormous loads, the hip joint is susceptible to various pathologies leading to the emergence and development of pain.

Hip pain occurs due to:

• injuries;
• infectious infection;
• destructive processes in joints;
• inflammation;
• metabolic problems.

A person may feel that it is “giving” to him in the groin, buttocks, or knee. Lameness, muscle atrophy, weakness, and limited functionality of the limbs may occur. Practice shows that the nature and intensity of the pain syndrome can be different:

• starting (until you “disperse”);
• night;
• evening;
• constant (light, medium, strong).

Help from a specialist and a set of therapeutic measures at different stages

If you consult a doctor for treatment of coxarthrosis at the onset of the disease, the chances that hospital treatment can be avoided are high. A specialist in the treatment of joints prescribes chondroprotectors, anti-inflammatory and vasodilator drugs.

In combination with drug treatment, it is necessary to maintain a diet, engage in physical therapy (physical therapy) and limit physical activity.

It is forbidden to perform exercises: in case of severe pain, exacerbation, or discomfort in the sore leg! The exercises are performed smoothly, without jerking, otherwise the training, instead of the expected benefit, will only bring harm to the patient with coxarthrosis.

The diet must include: dairy products (preferably fermented milk and low-fat milk), lean meats, fish (boiled, baked, steamed), milk porridge (oatmeal, rice, buckwheat) and rye flour products (a source of carbohydrates) ).

Exclude from the diet - sugar, pastries, sweets, smoked meats, sausage, wheat and semolina porridge, limit salt intake (no more than a teaspoon per day).

At the second stage of the development of osteoarthritis, to help chondroprotectors and anti-inflammatory drugs, ointments are prescribed to relieve pain and muscle relaxants that relax the muscle. Rarely - injections into the joint, in case of unbearable pain. Complex therapy, as in the first stage of arthrosis of the hip joint, includes exercise therapy, massages and diet.

Be sure to exclude from the diet:

• Products high in preservatives;
• Fried and fatty foods;
• Offal.

To reduce the load on the hip joint, fixing medical bandages are used.

Treatment of stage III coxarthrosis is a complex, lengthy process. The disease borders on disability. Therapy is necessary without delay, otherwise the joint will completely collapse and treatment will only be possible through surgery. Hormonal steroids are added to the above remedies - by injection, the drug enters directly into the affected area, relieves pain, inflammation, and stabilizes the structure of cartilage.

The complex treatment, along with exercise therapy, massages and diet, includes physiotherapy.

Procedures with a high rate of effectiveness:

1. Magnetotherapy – accelerates the restoration of cartilage, improves blood circulation in tissues and slows down the process of joint destruction in coxarthrosis;
2. Ultrasound – relieves pain, a feeling of stiffness in the joint and promotes muscle relaxation;
3. Laser therapy – improves metabolism and blood circulation, is very effective in blocking pain attacks;
4. Mud treatment – ​​eliminates inflammation;
5. Radio wave baths - increase tissue properties such as permeability to microelements, saturate the body's cells with oxygen and other useful substances.

Physiotherapy is an auxiliary way to alleviate the patient’s condition and is used only in complex treatment. The procedures have a restorative and preventive effect and are prescribed after drug therapy.

Why does my leg hurt in the hip area?

There are quite a lot of articular and extra-articular ailments leading to pain. Among them:

• coccarthrosis;
• arthritis of various nature;
• pseudogout;
• Koening's disease;
• fractures, dislocations, bruises;
• tendinitis;
• myositis;
• bursitis.

1. Inflammation of the tendons of the abductor muscles of the thigh, the terminological name of which is tendinitis, attacks those who heavily load the joint while playing sports or doing physical work. If you don't put too much stress on your leg, you may not feel pain.
2. Bursitis, compared to other pathologies that affect the hip joint, is considered the most uncomplicated. With this disease, the joint capsule becomes inflamed, pain occurs on the outside of the buttocks
3. Myositis is also an inflammatory disease, but the abductor muscles are involved in the process. The cause may be overload, infection, injury. If left untreated, the muscles will atrophy and you can move your leg to a very limited extent.
4. Deforming arthrosis is a real scourge for those who have crossed the forty-year mark in life. It develops slowly, at first it hardly bothers you, but by the last stage the joint loses its ability to move. Pain in the hip joint with this pathology begins to bother you at the second stage of development of the disease. The person is in pain all the time, his muscles are tense
5. Arthritis, in all its variety of types, can also be a cause of pain. The disease is autoimmune, has an unclear etiology and is very difficult to treat. It manifests itself as pain in the groin, on the side of the leg up to the knee, and when walking it hurts more. Reactive and tuberculous arthritis are caused by infections that enter the joint. Because of this, it quickly becomes inflamed, swollen, the patient has obvious signs of fever, the pain is acute, even a slight touch to the joint causes it
6. Pseudogout is characterized by calcium deposits in various joints, ligaments, and cartilage. The disease leads to hardening of the hip joint shell. Due to the accumulation of calcium, the joint becomes inflamed and deformed. The pain syndrome is indicative: it comes in attacks for up to a day
7. Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease is classified as hereditary and affects boys. The articular cartilage of the femoral head becomes necrotic due to impaired blood supply. The child suffers from pain all the time, which becomes stronger with exercise. Due to the deformation of the head of the bone, the movements of the joint are severely limited
8. Tumor formations of various nature also lead to pain.

How not to miss the onset of coxarthrosis?

Coxarthrosis always begins on one side. At the first stage, it is usually discovered by chance, for example, during an examination for other reasons.

Let's look at the warning signs.

• Which doctor will help in the treatment of coxarthrosis of the hip joint?

Stage I - legs begin to get tired quickly; in the morning you feel stiffness in the hip (after a short walk, movements are restored); Sometimes there is pain in the groin area.

WHAT'S HAPPENING? The cartilage tissue becomes thinner, bone growths form, and the joint space narrows.

Stage II - pain from the hip area goes down to the knee, but does not spread to the foot and lower leg; after rest the pain disappears; mild lameness often occurs; with sudden movements of the leg, the suffering intensifies. Getting up from a chair and putting on shoes becomes a problem.

WHAT'S HAPPENING? Bone growths continue to deform the femur, and the joint space narrows even more.

Stage III is the penultimate stage in the destruction of the hip joint. Coxarthrosis atrophies the muscle groups of the thigh; the affected leg differs in appearance and length from the healthy one. There is a “shooting” in the lower back, pain becomes a constant companion. There is a need for around-the-clock outside help.

WHAT'S HAPPENING? The joint space almost disappears, and subluxation of the femoral head occurs. The reactive inflammatory process provokes severe pain that does not go away with rest.

Hip pain: which doctor should I go to?

It is obvious that the number of pathologies that lead to pain or numbness in the hip cannot be treated by one specialist. Most likely, you should contact a traumatologist or rheumatologist. It is possible that you will need to consult a surgeon. Due to the fact that the pain “shoots” in the groin, buttocks, and lower abdomen, a person may be referred to a neurologist. Thus, coxarthrosis is “masked” as radiculitis, problems with nerve roots, or herniated intervertebral discs. But the opposite situation is also possible, when neurological pathologies are suspected, but a joint disease is detected.

Women often cannot differentiate the cause of pain in the groin - inflammation of the appendages or joint disease. A visit to the gynecologist will bring clarity. A urologist will help men determine if there are pathologies of the prostate gland.

Diagnostic measures

In medical practice, a well-coordinated scheme has been developed, the use of which makes it possible to completely determine why the hip joint hurts, what to do and how to treat it.

During the first visit, the doctor’s task is to collect anamnesis. The person is asked about his lifestyle, physical activity, and is asked whether he has any relatives who suffer from joint diseases. An external examination of the joint and palpation is also carried out. If there is inflammation, this will help narrow the range of hypothetical ailments that cause pain.

Next, various laboratory tests and hardware studies are prescribed. As a rule, they resort to:

• tomography;
• radiography;
• endoscopy.

You will need immunological and microbiological blood tests and a test for rheumatoid factor. The synovial fluid of the joint may need to be examined.

Treatment methods

Due to the fact that the pathologies are quite diverse, it is not possible to treat them according to a single scheme. For example, inflammation of the hip joint, its symptoms and treatment will differ from the work of a doctor with an injury. In case of a fracture or dislocation, a rheumatologist or surgeon will prescribe immobilization of the joint. For infectious and purulent pathologies, it is necessary to take a course of antibiotics.

Inflammatory and degenerative diseases require the use of the following groups of drugs:

• non-steroidal;
• diuretics;
• chondroprotectors;
• muscle relaxants;
• vitamin complexes.

Moreover, the treatment is long-term, carried out in several courses, which can last several years. In addition to drug therapy, a person performs exercises, makes efforts to lose weight, and undergoes physical therapy procedures. If it is not possible to help the patient with conservative methods, surgical methods have to be used.

We looked at how the hip joint hurts, what symptoms characterize diseases that can cause pain, and methods of traditional treatment. However, various joint diseases have been known to humans for many thousands of years. Therefore, traditional medicine has developed a significant amount of knowledge on how to help a patient who is worried about joints. Of course, herbal medicine, lotions, compresses, ingestion of decoctions and tinctures cannot be the main method of treatment, but doctors recommend it as an addition to the main therapy. You should not drink or apply anything yourself, without consulting a specialist, as there is a danger of getting an allergy, a burn, or simply wasting time and effort without getting results.

Treatment of pain in the hip joint with folk remedies helps to obtain an anesthetic effect and strengthen the body. Most often, alternative medicine offers publicly available ingredients: burdock roots, pork fat, garlic, cinquefoil, dandelion, leaves of berry bushes, buds and fruits. For example, a regular rosehip decoction is a storehouse of vitamin C and an excellent diuretic, which removes excess fluid and unnecessary salts, reducing the load on the legs and heart.

We specialize in the treatment of the musculoskeletal system, even in severe stages of disease. We have been helping thousands of patients avoid surgery for 10 years!

• Our doctors

This is the strongest team of experts who teach at the RUDN Department. We are the clinical base of leading universities, where the best doctors in Moscow, unique specialists from Russia and abroad are trained.

Help from highly specialized doctors for coxarthrosis

Which doctor treats coxarthrosis if drug treatment is ineffective? When diagnosing stage 3 of coxarthrosis, the therapist refers the patient to other specialists: a surgeon, neurologist and orthopedist. The help of these specialists is required if drug treatment is ineffective.

Surgical intervention is carried out at the doctor’s choice of one of two types: organ-preserving or endoprosthetics. The first involves restoring the functions of the joint without removing it. Endoprosthesis replacement is the replacement of the affected bone with a metal prosthesis.

The operation will restore the mobility of the limb, during which the damaged elements will be replaced with endoprostheses. After installation, the prosthesis must “take root” in the tissues, after which it requires development.

Doctors' help and endoprosthetics

Endoprosthetics is only one of the surgical methods for treating coxarthrosis, and restoring the functioning of the hip joint is possible in other ways:

• Periarticular osteotomy: During the operation, the femur bone is filed down in certain places and then reattached at a different angle. The goal of the intervention is to slow down the development of toxarthrosis.
• Arthroplasty: first, the adhesion, which is the cause of limited mobility of the articular head, is removed. Then the shape of the joint surfaces is restored, between which a spacer is installed to prevent the re-development of toxarthrosis.
• Plastic surgery of intra-articular fluid: hyaluronic acid is injected into the joint cavity, which is embedded in the damaged cartilage and exhibits an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect.

In the postoperative period, the surgeon takes control of the patient’s condition and the rehabilitation specialist, whose goal is to restore the functions of the joint. The result is achieved through a set of exercises, breathing exercises, and massage.

After surgery and the rehabilitation period, the patient follows a daily routine and rest, avoids physical activity, and is examined prophylactically by an orthopedic surgeon.

• Treatment of grade 3 arthrosis of the hip joint: are there methods?

The primary category of osteoarthritis is that the disease occurs without visible prerequisites. Indirect causes of the disease are: circulatory and hormonal disorders, spinal pathologies, sedentary work, and old age. Secondary category - the disease develops after injury or against the background of concomitant diseases of the musculoskeletal system.