Why the hip joint hurts: reasons, what to do, how to treat

12 June 2021

The hip joint is considered the largest joint. And it is also the most charged in the human body. It is located in the area of the joint of the femur and pelvis. Due to the particular structure, the limb moves freely in different directions. This joint provides an upright posture. Pain in the hip joint impairs its function, causing a person severe discomfort when walking and even when sitting. In this case, the limb sometimes even becomes numb.

General classification of causes

Diagnosing a malfunction of the hip joint is fraught with some difficulties, since anything causes painful sensations: trauma, skeletal diseases, concomitant pathology of internal organs. In this case, the damaged area will hurt, the sensations will become burning.

This problem is more common among people over the age of 50. At the same time, women are prone to problems with this joint or hip much more than men.

Hip pain is often caused by:

Traumatic: fracture of the femoral neck, direct injury to the joint area, severe dislocation of the right or left hip, ossifying myositis, which developed as a result of a traumatic injury to the joint, fractures of the pelvic bones, epiphysiolysis of the head of the femur.
Injuries of the connective tissue of the hip joint: Reiter's disease, arthritis and rheumatoid ankylosing spondylitis only.
Diseases of the joint, accompanied by degenerative processes in the tissues: coxarthrosis.
Osteochondropathies: osteochondritis dissecans, Legg-Calve-Perthes pathology.
Skeletal Development Problems: Epiphyseal varus deformity of the foot that develops in adolescents.
Processes of inflammation of the soft tissues of the joints: bursitis, transient synovitis, joint coxitis, provoked by a tubercle bacillus.

Radiating pain in the thigh area develops as a result of such injuries: symphysitis, radicular syndrome, pathological processes within the SI joint, enthesopathy. In general, an injured left or right hip joint causes significant discomfort and pain. It must be treated when the slightest symptoms appear.

Detailed description of the traumatic causes

If the hip joint hurts, then the reason for the development of such a pathological condition can be:

Congenital dislocation of the hip, resulting from unsuccessful childbirth or during intrauterine development. The damage can be quickly diagnosed even in newborns. The child has uneven gluteal folds, shortening of one leg. A pinched nerve is also common. For a newborn, this disease is quite complex and dangerous, since the consequences of trauma can remain for life.
Traumatic dislocation of the hip. It is characterized by sharp pain, a person cannot make any movements, and there is no talk of sitting or standing. Edema and hematoma appear over the joint. During hip dislocation (running, sports training) only worsens the condition, provokes the progression of changes and pathological processes in the hip joint. This type of injury requires immediate treatment.
Fracture of the femoral neck. This diagnosis is often made in women over the age of 60. The cause of such damage to the hip joint is a trivial fall or a targeted blow to the hip joint. Very sharp pain is felt at the time of the fracture, aggravated by movement. Unpleasant sensations begin to give to the inner surface of the thigh. At the site of the injury appears swelling, a bruise on the area of the hip joint. The damaged left or right leg shortens and the person develops lameness, the joint begins to click. In addition, the trauma contributes to the pinching of the nerve, so the thigh begins to go numb.
Transtrocanteric fracture of the femoral bone. The pain in this case is moderate or severe. When moving, the symptoms in the hip are worse. Here, even a pinched nerve is quite possible. In such a situation, the pain shoots and the limbs can go numb.
Contusion of the hip joint. Here the pain is moderate in intensity, but can become severe during a person's active movement. At rest, the symptoms disappear. This cause of hip or hip joint pain is very common, especially in people prone to falls. The patient has lameness, which passes quickly.

Traumatic injury to the hip joint can be considered the main and common cause of unpleasant pain. Severe fractures or dislocations of the femur, pelvis often require surgery. If a person has a pinched nerve and the patient begins to numb the limb, a visit to the doctor should be immediate.

Systemic diseases as a cause of pain

Pain in the hip joint when walking or in other positions can be caused by systemic injuries of the connective tissue. Treatment of such diseases must be carried out constantly, as they are considered practically incurable. In addition, the therapy should be comprehensive and provide an impact, first of all, on the cause of the development of unpleasant sensations.

Thus, the following pathologies are capable of causing pain in the left or right hip joint:

Ankylosing spondylitis. Here the pain is dull. In a sick man or woman, the painful sensations become stronger during the night. Localization of pain syndrome - sacrum or pelvis. At the same time, he is able to give to the knee, thigh, groin, shooting. Movement in this case, especially walking, is difficult, the patient feels stiffness. Hip pain can be quite severe. An inflammatory process develops inside the right or left joint.
Reiter's syndrome. This disease is a lesion of the joints, genitourinary organs and inflammation of the conjunctiva. The disease is autoimmune and results from an intestinal infection. The pathological process inside the joint begins several weeks or months after the onset of the development of the disease. It is characterized by acute pain in the hip or joint, temperature changes. A pronounced swelling appears in the pelvic area on the left and right. In most cases, the disease leads to a symmetrical injury to the joints.
Rheumatoid arthritis. This problem is characterized by damage to the connective tissue. This type of disease is never accompanied by the appearance of pus. It is this disease that is considered a prerequisite for coxarthrosis of the hip joints. There is a gradual progression. Initially, it is characterized by the following symptoms: edema and swelling (left or right). Discomfort is felt when walking, pain shoots. Inside the joint, due to the inflammatory process, the temperature rises (local and general). Further progression contributes to the appearance of stiffness in any movement. There is pain in the hip joint when lying on your side at night. Usually, the presented pathology manifests itself simultaneously on the right and left. Due to the destruction of the hip joint, the patient's nerves can be pinched, so the limbs become numb. The treatment here should be immediate.

Systemic pathologies are able to deliver pain of a different nature to a person: acute, extremely sharp, pulling. It is not always possible to cope with severe discomfort on your own, even during a rest period. Therefore, only a doctor should prescribe the correct treatment. This is especially true for those situations where a newborn is sick. Ineffective treatment can ruin his life in the future.

Pain caused by degenerative changes

Sufficiently sharp, burning or pulling joint pains can cause such diseases:

Epiphyseal varus deformity, common in adolescents. With her, the sensations have a boring and enthralling character. I am able to give on the inside of the knee. Running and other sports training cause an increase in the intensity of the pain syndrome. The pain may shoot from time to time and the joint may click.
Coxarthrosis. The presented pathology occupies one of the leading positions among all injuries of the hip joint. It is diagnosed in both men and women. It will take a long time to treat and the therapy is quite complicated. The disease is characterized by the development of degenerative and destructive processes in the joint. Symptoms of the pathology are as follows: First, the patient's joint begins to ache after running, taking a long walk or climbing stairs. And at rest, the discomfort disappears. Movements are not limited here yet. In the second stage of development, the following symptoms appear: the pain syndrome begins to give way in the groin and thigh. Daily stress increases the intensity of the sensations, but at rest they disappear. Prolonged walking provokes the appearance of lameness, the joint begins to click. The work of muscles and tendons is disrupted, their tone decreases. At the last stage of the development of the disease, the patient has pains even at night and they are quite strong. The lameness becomes severe. Muscles lose their volume and atrophy - a person becomes immobile. Treatment can stop or slow the destruction of the joint.

These pathologies can lead to constant lameness, and this is already a restriction of work activity, the lack of full-fledged sports training. Getting out of bed in the morning can also be very difficult.

Inflammatory and infectious causes of pain

In addition to direct damage to the bones of the joint, inflammation of the muscles, tendons and joint capsule can cause discomfort. And infectious diseases are also capable of provoking pain syndrome:

Purulent arthritis. The signs of this pathology are: increased general temperature, redness of the skin in the joint area, severe swelling, sharp or sharp pain. Any load (running and even walking) or even trivial getting out of bed becomes impossible. The pain begins to be felt. Treatment here should not be delayed, as the patient develops sepsis.
Necrosis of the femoral head (aseptic). Mostly it is observed in quite young men. The disease appears due to the deterioration of blood circulation in this area. The result of the development of necrosis is the death of tissue cells. Pathology has the following signs: sharp pain that emerges sharply that can radiate to the groin, a burning sensation in the affected area. It can hurt so much that a person is unable to lean on the affected leg, getting out of bed is difficult for him. In most cases, the patient needs an injection of a pain reliever to numb the joint. After a few days, the symptoms disappear. If the pathology continues to progress, the person will experience changes in the muscles and tendons: they will atrophy. The person develops gait disturbance and lameness.
Tuberculous arthritis. A feature of the pathology is that it develops mainly in young children who have weakened immunity. The pathology is slow. The little patient gets tired quickly, runs very little. The thigh muscles gradually atrophy. The joint begins to click, the leg becomes shorter. Over time, the affected joint begins to hurt a lot. Sometimes the pain is sharp, sometimes it tingles or burns. In addition, suppuration appears inside the joint, the symptoms intensify.
Bursitis is an inflammatory lesion of the joint bag. The main symptom of the pathology is pain that will creep up the leg. At the same time, the sensations are acute and when getting up or walking, the discomfort manifests itself very strongly. At rest, the injured limb will hurt or burn.

Infectious pathologies cause a variety of types of pain within the hip joint: burning, pulling, or dull sensations. Often the discomfort is felt so much that the person cannot sleep at night. Of course, all of these pathologies need to be treated urgently.

Features of the diagnosis of pathology

To accurately determine the causes and factors provoking pain in the hip joint, the patient needs the careful attitude of doctors and a correct diagnosis. For this, the following procedures are used:

Ultrasound examination of the hip joint.
X-ray of the thigh area and should be done in two projections.
Laboratory blood tests: general and biochemical. They determine the presence of rheumatoid factor, an increase in the level of leukocytes and a change in the rate of erythrocyte sedimentation.
External examination of the joint with palpation, as well as fixation of patient complaints.
magnetic resonance.

After the examination, an accurate diagnosis is established and comprehensive treatment is prescribed.

How should the disease be treated?

If you periodically feel pain in your hip joint, it needs to be treated. Therapy depends on what cause caused it. Thus, the treatment of the joint occurs depending on the pathology.

Congenital dislocation

If the dislocation is congenital, special orthopedic products are applied to the child's joint - stirrups, spacers or Frejk's pillow are recommended. All these tools support the baby's legs in the correct physiological position. The child must stay there for at least six months. If traditional treatment is not effective, the child is prescribed surgery. That is, the femoral head is operationally set on a newborn, and other shortcomings are also corrected. After removing the braces, the baby can be gently massaged to strengthen the muscles.

Traumatic dislocation

If you have a traumatic dislocation, your doctor will need to readjust it using drugs that help eliminate muscle tone. After that, the patient must be provided with peace. Numbness in the limb indicates that the nerve is pinched. This will require a mandatory examination by a neurologist.

Fracture of the hip

A hip fracture is treated by a traumatologist. With such damage, the patient is indicated for surgery. Conservative treatments are sometimes ineffective. But if the operation cannot be performed, the patient is advised to apply a plaster bandage on the left (right) leg and from the lower back to the heel. In women or men after 60, such damage to the hip bone rarely heals, and the recovery process takes months. Among the consequences of this disease, insufficient functionality of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems can be identified, because the patient does not have the opportunity to lead an active life and move normally. Sitting down also becomes a problem for him. A joint fracture may be accompanied by a burning sensation in the soft tissues. As for the operation, in this case, fixation of the head and body of the bone with pins or screws, as well as endoprostheses, is used for treatment.

Ankylosing spondylitis

Treatment of ankylosing spondylitis is complex. Helps reduce the intensity of symptoms caused by inflammation. Therapy includes drugs (anti-inflammatory drugs, hormonal drugs, immunosuppressants), physiotherapeutic procedures, therapeutic exercises (muscle stretching is useful). Massage of the affected joint on the left or right is considered equally useful. All drugs, as well as therapeutic exercises, are strictly selected by a traumatologist, orthopedist or surgeon. To strengthen the pelvic muscles, you need to swim. In particularly difficult cases, the patient is shown arthroplasty of the left or right joint.

Reiter's disease

For the treatment of Reiter's pathology, antibiotics will be needed, as well as anti-inflammatory drugs, glucocorticosteroids, drugs to suppress the function of the immune system and local ointments. Treatment will take a long time - at least 4 months. It should be noted that the presented pathology is susceptible to relapse in half of the cases. During treatment, it is necessary to maintain muscle tone with exercise - regular stretching.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis, which can cause severe pain even at rest, cannot be completely eliminated. But you must try to improve the quality of life of a sick man or woman. For this, drug treatment is used with cytostatics, hormonal agents, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and antirheumatic drugs. As for the surgical intervention, it is used only in the last stages, when walking and sitting are almost impossible. Joint fixation or arthroplasty is recommended. Exercise is also helpful, especially stretching, topical ointments.

Coxarthrosis

Treatment of coxarthrosis is aimed at eliminating the cause of the development of symptoms and signs. Pathology in the early stages of development is treated with conservative methods. The patient is shown NSAIDs, chondroprotectors and drugs to improve blood circulation. For treatment, painkillers and warming ointments are used. In addition, the patient is prescribed light therapeutic training. Of course, the joint often has to be numb. In case of severe discomfort, injections are used.

The last stage of coxarthrosis is no longer amenable to conservative therapy. Any load on the joint worsens a person's well-being. Getting out of bed without assistance is impossible. The patient has to do pain relief injections. In this case, it is necessary to treat the disease only surgically. Joint arthroplasty is usually required, however it is contraindicated for the very elderly. Therefore, such patients undergo only auxiliary operations. After surgical treatment, the patient needs a recovery course: light stretching, very simple training under the supervision of a doctor. The load should be minimal.

Correct therapy will help to somehow slow down the progression of the disease, as well as eliminate unpleasant symptoms.

Features of the treatment of infectious and inflammatory pathologies

It all depends on the type of disease:

Purulent arthritis. To begin with, the patient must numb the affected hip joint. For this, an injection of an analgesic directly into the joint can be used. Infection must be fought with antibacterial agents and antibiotics. In addition, several groups of drugs are used at the same time. Only a doctor can prescribe them. In addition, abscess removal is performed. The diseased leg should be completely at rest, that is, a plaster cast or splint is applied to the patient.
Treatment of aseptic necrosis of the femoral head involves the restoration of blood flow, the rapid resorption of dead areas. The limb must be anesthetized with NSAIDs. Vitamin complexes, drugs to reduce blood viscosity are also used. If the thigh continues to hurt, then you should also apply a massage, anesthetic ointment. This condition can also be treated with physical therapy and therapeutic exercises. In difficult cases, minimally invasive surgical techniques or joint arthroplasty are used.
Since with bursitis, the hip joint hurts a lot, it must be numb. An analgesic and an anti-inflammatory agent is used for this and is administered through an intramuscular injection. Steroids are also used to quickly get rid of severe discomfort. Since the hip and hip joint can pain constantly, it should be kept at rest.
Tuberculous arthritis is mainly treated conservatively. The child needs to limit mobility with a tight bandage. If an abscess forms in the baby's soft tissues, it should be surgically removed.

Burning, numbness of the limb, pain in the hip joint, irradiation in the leg - these are unpleasant sensations that indicate the possible presence of serious problems.

Alternative treatment of hip joint pain

If a person has burning pain, tendon problems, but it is undesirable for him to take pills, then you can use folk remedies. They cannot be called a panacea, but they help in complex treatment. Of course, it is necessary to consult a doctor before use.

The following folk recipes will be useful:

Clay pack (blue, white). Such a folk remedy allows you to relieve swelling and pain. It is better to alternate with clay. The clay should be applied overnight and wrapped in a warm cloth.
Cabbage compresses. They also need honey. It is smeared with a cabbage leaf and applied to the place where a burning or sharp pain is felt. In addition, the compress is covered with a plastic bag and insulated with a woolen cloth. The course of treatment is 1 month. In the intervals between compresses on the affected hip joint, you can do a light massage: rubbing, stroking.
Homemade ointment from internal fat and white perestroot root (250 gr. ). Fat must be dissolved, add the chopped root in a meat grinder and put on low heat. It is necessary to boil the mixture for 7 minutes. After the ointment has cooled, it must be applied to the affected hip joint at night. In this case, the joint must be insulated. This folk remedy well relieves swelling and other unpleasant symptoms.
A kind of folk remedy based on garlic, celery and lemon, which relieves severe pain in the tendons. For cooking you need 2 lemons, 300 gr. celeriac, in addition to 130 gr. garlic. All ingredients are carefully chopped in a meat grinder and placed in a container with a tight lid. Further, the whole mixture is poured with boiling water and mixed. Now the product should be tightly covered, wrapped in a blanket and left overnight. You need to take the medicine one teaspoon before meals for several months.

A pinched nerve in the hip cannot be eliminated with these remedies. Numbness in the limb should alert and force you to see a neurologist. Any hip joint injury that causes pain must be identified and treated in time. And light gymnastics, stretching exercises will help prevent the development of functional disorders of the hip joint.