Osteoarthritis of the hip joint - what is it?

arthrosis of the hip joint

Osteoarthritis of the hip joint is the general name for a group of diseases, which includes all diseases of the degenerative system of the hip joint, which destroy cartilage tissue, of a progressive nature. This disease has another name - coxarthrosisThe disease is characterized by pain in the above area, which is 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 has developed independently of other factors, for example, as a side effect of the natural aging process. SecondaryArthrosis is the result of a complication of the 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 position of the cartilage that covers the thigh, as well as the absence of arthrosis. If the distance is not noticeable, then the cartilage is damaged, which means that there is every reason to assume the presence of the disease described above. This form of arthrosis is not genetic, that is, as a rule, it is not inheritedHowever, factors such as cartilage weakness, bone fragility, metabolic disorders can be passed from generation to generation and trigger the development of arthrosis.

However, the main causes of this disease are various diseases of an infectious, painful nature. For example:

  • Hip dislocation, hip dysplasia are congenital diseases that are often diagnosed using ultrasound diagnostics in childhood. It is very important to identify this deformity as early as possible, present in ten percent of newborns, as the correction of dysplasia occurs in the first two years of a child's life. Only possible in years.
  • Infectious and chronic inflammatory diseases such as tuberculosis of the hip joint. This disease is especially dangerous because of the very difficult diagnosis. Often the symptoms are so mild that they are mistaken for another disease. Even an X-ray can sometimes-Sometimes it helps to diagnose tuberculosis only at an advanced stage, when complete recovery is not possible. All this is aggravated by the fact that the country lacks narrow specialists who can accurately diagnose and diagnose the disease. can treat.
  • Metabolic and thyroid disorders such as diabetes mellitus.
  • Perthes disease, which most commonly affects boys. This disease affects the femoral head, its blood circulation is disturbed, affecting the cartilage tissue.
  • Various mechanical injuries, such as bruises and dislocations of the hip joint.

Symptoms

Arthrosis is an extremely dangerous disease, because in the beginning it can be completely asymptomatic. Often, only by a lucky coincidence, an X-ray examination reveals the presence of this disease in a patient, who in itself has aDid not find any symptoms.

Arthrosis of the hip joint can be of first, second or third degree depending on the severity of the disease. Arthrosis of the first degree is characterized by pain only during physical exertion, for example, walking, and pain only in the jointOn X-ray, the distance between the femoral head and the cavity is about half the normal distance. With second degree disease, the pain intensifies, radiates to the groin and may be present even at rest, Lameness may appear. The third degree is the most severe, when the patient cannot walk independently without assistance, the pain is permanent. The shortened leg forces the person to bend to one side when walking.

diagnosis

When making a diagnosis, it is important to make a correct medical history. In this case, first of all, on the nature and duration of pain, the location of pain points, atrophy of muscles and nerve endings, characteristics of the patient's gait and the state of blood circulation in the extremitiesAttention is drawn.

With all this, X-ray examination is decisive in the diagnosis of arthrosis of the hip joint, however, additional examinations may be required, such as: MRI of the thigh, taking punctures from the painful area, tomography of the limbs, ultrasound examination.

treatment of disease

First of all, in the treatment of arthrosis, it is necessary to relieve pain or at least reduce it to a level tolerable by the patient. For this, NSAIDs are used, which not only fight pain, but also relieve inflammation. Huh.

Then drugs are prescribed that provide nutrition to the cartilage tissue, which are able to restore it, but only in the initial stage of the disease. Hormonal injections are also prescribed if necessary. However, all of the above drugs are used onlyOnly a doctor can prescribe!

Physiotherapy is used (although many experts consider such treatment to be a waste of time). It is a special massage, laser treatment, manual therapy, physiotherapy exercises. However, these procedures take a lot of time, as well as the patientEven though there is no defined method of treatment.

However, with third degree arthrosis, doctors usually insist on surgical intervention, while replacing the destroyed joint with a prosthesis.

Folk methods of dealing with arthrosis

Traditional medicine also does not differ from the treatment of a serious disease. For these purposes various ointments and compresses prepared from birch leaves, burdock, cabbage are used. They are infused in ghee, and then the place of pain. is tied on.

A mixture of honey, alcohol, iodine and glycerin is used in the form of compresses. Traditional medicine confirms the effectiveness of baths with a decoction of nettle. Also very popular treatment with bee stings to get rid of this diseaseDone. Tincture of honey, carrot, beets, radish and aloe juice should be poured with vodka and infused for a week, after which the tincture can be drunk once a day, 20 g each.

prevention of coxarthrosis

As a rule, preventive measures include strict weight control (since excess weight puts a lot of pressure on the hip joints), the correct distribution of physical activity so as not to overload the joints, and timely, at the slightest suspicion, Contact an expert.

Arthrosis of the hip joint is an extremely unpleasant and serious disease that threatens serious complications, but timely consultation with a qualified doctor will help to avoid the dire consequences of the disease.