Arthrosis of the hip joint

Coxarthrosis(arthrosis of the hip joint) is a type of deforming arthrosis of the joints, which is a chronic, non-inflammatory disease that affects the hip joints (one or both at the same time). This disease is degenerative-dystrophic in nature. This means that the cartilage that makes up the hip joint undergoes degenerative changes, while the surface of the bones also changes. In addition, bone growths (osteophytes) form, the joint is deformed, the range of motion in the affected joint decreases, and they become extremely painful and uncomfortable.

The hip joint is one of the largest joints in our body. It is thanks to him that a very important motor function is performed in the human body, and he is also responsible for our body being able to move. If the hip joint gets sick, it affects the whole body and prevents a person from living calmly, walking, not to mention playing sports. Very often we see elderly people who are forced to rely on a cane due to hip joint disease.

Despite the fact that the hip joint is extremely massive and strong, it is also quite fragile, especially over time. Pain in the hip joints significantly reduces the quality of human life.

Coxarthrosis (arthrosis of the hip joint)it firmly ranks second among joint arthrosis in terms of the frequency of diagnosed cases after gonarthrosis (knee joint arthrosis).

Classification of coxarthrosis (hip joint arthrosis).

It happenscoxarthrosisboth primary and secondary.

• Primary coxarthrosis is mainly caused by the inevitable wear and tear of the hip joints during life and usually affects people over 40 years of age.
• The causes of secondary coxarthrosis are usually the following diseases: congenital dislocation of the femur, death of the hip bone around the head, Peter's disease, previous traumatization of the hip joint, inflammatory diseases of the hip joint. Wherearthrosis of the hip jointit can affect one joint separately or both.

There are several types of coxarthrosis:

• Dysplastic (a congenital pathology characterized by underdevelopment of the joint).
• Involutive (typical of older people and associated with age-related changes).
• Post-infection (purulent or purulent-allergic, preceded by rheumatoid arthritis).
• A disease caused by Peters disease (development of osteochondropathy in the head of the femur).
• Coxarthrosisas a result of trauma (neck and femur fracture).
• Coxarthrosis due to metabolic disorders (metabolism).
• Dyhormonal (taking glucocorticosteroids, antidepressants for a long time).
• Idiopathic (the cause of which cannot be determined).

Symptoms of coxarthrosis (hip joint arthrosis).

In order to correctly describe the symptoms of coxarthrosis, the stages of the disease must be taken into account at the same time, since the symptoms depend on the stage of the disease.

Stages of coxarthrosis (hip joint arthrosis).

Coxarthrosis (arthrosis of the hip joint) has a total of three stages:

• Stage 1 of coxarthrosis. This is the initial stage of the disease, in which the symptoms are still mild. The joint does not hurt much at this stage, and the pain appears only after physical exertion, such as lifting heavy objects or jogging, long walks. After the person rests, the pain disappears. The patient may also develop lameness if, for example, he walks more than two kilometers. Increases pain going up stairs. The motor volume of the joint is slightly reduced or preserved. X-rays can show only minor changes in the bone structures.
• Stage 2 of coxarthrosis. This stage develops in the absence of treatment of the first stage. A specific crack (cracking) in the joint can be added to the above symptoms. The pain becomes more intense and starts radiating to the groin area and may spread to the thigh and knee. In this stage, not only strong, but also any kind of movement can cause pain symptoms, even slight strain on the hip joint. Even getting out of bed or turning your trunk can cause pain. There is tension in the periarticular muscles, which does not go away even at night, so patients often complain that the thigh hurts at night. A person can start limping even after short walks (up to 500 meters). At this stage, the disease forces the person to rely on a stick while walking. The limitation of movements in the joint becomes more pronounced. Based on the results of X-ray diagnostics, the developing osteophytes are determined.
• Stage 3 of coxarthrosis. The final stage of the disease. At this stage, the pain becomes constant and torments the patient. Any movement, even the weakest, multiplies the symptoms of pain. At this stage, the hip joint is completely immobilized. The muscle mass of the thighs and buttocks decreases due to muscular dystrophy, which is very noticeable. It is typical that the patient cannot stand up directly, while the body will be tilted. Any arthrosis leads to the development of a contracture (flexion position), in this case the contracture is also due to the fact that the muscle fibers are in constant tension, while the leg on the side of the lesion is shortened. As a result of the immobilization of the hip joint, the whole leg does not perform its motor function, which has a very negative effect and leads to osteochondrosis. In addition, the spine also suffers, there is discomfort and pain in the region of the sacrum.

Causes of coxarthrosis (hip joint arthrosis).

The main causes of coxarthrosis:

• Age-related changes in the joint. Typical for old people. The hip joint wears out over time, it ceases to perform its functions over time, it "dries out", which leads to a decrease in its shock-absorbing function and to friction between the bones that make up the joint.
• Hip joint injury. Among people belonging to this age group, the most common injury is a femoral neck fracture, which threatens to cause disability if not treated properly. The joint can be damaged at any age, but older people are more likely to suffer.
• Disturbed metabolism. This is typical for people with a history of metabolic disorders and diseases associated with impaired metabolism.
• Violation of the hormonal state. It is more common in women, especially those who have been taking antidepressants and glucocorticosteroids for a long time.
• Hereditary disorders in the development of the locomotor system, as well as congenital disorders. Unfortunately, quite a lot of children are currently born with congenital pathologies of the locomotor system and the nervous system. As for anomalies in the development of the hip joint, this may include dysplasia, in which several structures of the joint do not develop.
• Systemic arthritis. Damage to several joints can also lead to damage to the hip joint. In this case, one of the main risk factors is the presence of an inflammatory process.
• Rheumatic conditions and chronic arthritis. All this can also lead to the appearance of hip joint pain. Such diseases that cause pain in the examined joint are: rheumatism; rheumatoid arthritis; spondyloarthropathy; juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.
• The defeat of osteochondrosis. Osteochondrosis of the spinal column is a fairly common and serious disease that, in addition to the spine, can "paralyze" other structures of our body, especially the hip joint.
• Muscles and ligaments of the joint. Damage to these structures can also be the result of degenerative and dystrophic processes of the hip joint.
• Infectious lesions of both the joint and the femur. Such lesions are very serious as they have serious consequences and are sometimes difficult to treat. Osteomyelitis can occur, which simply "eats" or "dissolves" bone tissue. Tuberculous lesions can also occur, and such localization is more common in the pre-pubertal period. Abscess in the pelvic area, which is more often the result of an untreated or poorly treated infectious process, for example, appendicitis, inflammatory processes, especially in the genitals of women (ovarian disease), the formation of an abscess in the area of the ischiorectal depression, which leads to gait disturbance (appearance of lameness). In most cases, pain and lameness are the result of compression or damage to nearby nerves (sciatic or obturator).
• Malignant tumors. Malignant tumors rarely affect the hip joint and the surrounding bones, as the cause of the disease is more often metastases from other malignant areas, such as breast or lung cancer.
• Narrowing of the lumen of the aorta and iliac arteries (narrowing and occlusion). At the same time, the joint receives less and less nutrients for normal functioning, which leads to its deterioration.

Coxarthrosis (hip joint arthrosis) risk group

The main risk group may include the following categories of people and harmful factors:

• Older people. This disease is characteristic of the elderly, the elderly, because degeneration processes occur, which occur precisely at this age.
• Female. According to statistics, women are more prone to hip joint problems.
• People who are overweight or obese.
• Previous trauma to one or both hip joints.
• Hereditary predisposition to such diseases and congenital abnormalities in the development of the hip joint.
• Infectious lesions in the past, such as abscesses, aseptic necrosis of the head of the iliac bone, osteomyelitis, and so on.
• Hard physical work.
• Summer residents, who have an extremely high risk of developing coxarthrosis.

Prevention of coxarthrosis (hip joint arthrosis).

The main measures to prevent coxarthrosis are as follows:

• Dosed physical activity. It is important to exercise and knead the joint in order to prevent the development of pathological processes and slower aging. This not only improves the condition of the hip joint, but also the whole body.
• If there are metabolic disorders, they must be corrected. You need to consult a professional for this.
• Watch your weight. Do not forget that the hip joint already carries a large load, almost the entire body, so you should not interfere with the performance of its functions. In addition, the heavy weight puts so much pressure on the joints that they gradually collapse. Overweight people are also prone to metabolic disorders.
• Avoid sharp turns of the body, especially if you are not warmed up and prepared, this will prevent you from injuring the head and neck of the femur.
• It is better, of course, to choose the sport with the least risk of joint injuries, such as swimming or yoga, especially if there are hereditary tendencies or developmental disorders.
• A tendency to joint diseases requires careful treatment, as well as regular visits to the doctor, so as not to miss the possible development of the disease or other pathological process in the joint.
• If a child is diagnosed with hip dysplasia, it must be treated immediately! It is better to leave the child immobilized for a few weeks early than to suffer for the rest of his life.
• Timely treatment of infectious diseases, especially those that threaten to spread to the hip joint.

Diagnosis of coxarthrosis (hip joint arthrosis).

When diagnosing coxarthrosis, it is very important to find the cause that caused it. After all, as discussed above, there are many reasons, many andtreatment of hip arthritis, or will be radically different. Sometimes this is not so easy, and sometimes it is not possible at all. Emphasis is placed on studying the manifestations of the disease and choosing the appropriate treatment.

First of all, the doctor carefully questions the patient, studies in detail the complaints, the causes of the disease, the hereditary burden, the presence of injuries, etc. It is very important that the complaints described above exist and for how long they can be observed in the patient.

After the interview, the doctor personally examines the affected area for inflammatory changes, trophic changes, deformities, shortening of the limbs, asymmetries, etc. And children can have a "clicking" symptom.

Additional examination methods - computerized and magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound and X-ray examination - are an important aspect, because they help in establishing the final diagnosis. This item is extremely important in the differential diagnosis of coxarthrosis from other diseases of the hip joint.