Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of cartilage tissue that can affect the joints of the spine and all bones of the skeleton.The hip joint (HJ) is the largest and most stressed bone joint.Therefore, coxarthrosis (deformed arthrosis of the hip joint) is a very common cause of disability in patients over 50 years of age.
Coxarthrosis (arthrosis of the hip joint): symptoms
reasons
The causes of coxarthrosis are diverse.This pathology can cause:
- Age-related dystrophic changes in cartilage.
- Constant physical activity among athletes and carrying heavy loads for many years.
- Congenital dysplasia.
- TJ lesions.
- Femoral head necrosis (Perthes disease).
The head of the femur, covered with elastic cartilage, is located in the acetabulum of the pelvic bones.
There are unilateral lesions (when the disease affects one joint) and bilateral lesions - when the articular surface of the hip is damaged.
Symptoms of arthrosis of the hip joint
When making a diagnosis, the following symptoms of hip arthrosis appear:
- Cartilage thins, becomes dry and rough.
- Thickening of the lower bone, its growth on the sides.
- Fibrotization and inflammation of joint capsule.
- The appearance of inflammatory exudate in the capsule.
- Joint stiffness, occurrence of contractures.
Externally, these changes are manifested by the following symptoms:
- Pain in joint, radiating to groin, thigh and knee.
- Initial (morning) pain symptom that disappears after warming up.
- Stiff, unsteady, limping gait.
- By shortening the leg on the affected side (this is due to contracture).
- Weakening and atrophy of the thigh muscle.
- Cramp in the joint.
Stages of the disease
Depending on the signs and symptoms, three stages of the disease can be distinguished:
first
- Discomfort and pain that usually goes away with rest.
- Absence of external symptoms - lameness, stiffness, atrophy.
Such signs do not particularly worry patients, and few people pay attention to episodic pain, especially when they start treatment.
But exactly at the initial stage, arthrosis of the hip joint is still a reversible disease.
second degree
- Painful symptoms become more intense and may persist even during rest.
- The functional characteristics of the hip joint are reduced:
- Limitations of hip abduction and internal rotation occur
- Lameness is observed
- X-ray shows:
- marginal osteophytes;
- Deformation of the head and changing its contour;
- Reduction of joint space.
The third stage
- The pain becomes constant and even the most excruciating night pain begins.
- The patient is forced to rely on a cane.
- There is a sharp limitation of movements and atrophy of the gluteal, thigh and calf muscles.
- Leg shortening and lameness are noticeable.
- Due to excessive osteophytes, the joint space practically disappears, fusion of the hip joint and complete loss of function.
It happens that the first attack occurs at a fairly young age - in the early forties.A person most likely forgets this and remembers already at the age of 50-60, when joint deformations become significant, which affects the quality of life.
diagnosis
X-ray and functional diagnostics are carried out.The orthopedist not only encodes the image, but also rotates, bends the femur in all directions and studies the symptoms that arise during walking.
However, more and more often, if a patient is suspected of coxarthrosis of the hip joint, leading specialists refer to diagnostics using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).The explanation for this is the absolute safety of the procedure and high information content.It is the magnetic resonance imaging examination that allows us to detect the slightest changes in the hip joint at an early stage, which helps to develop the most effective treatment tactics.
Treatment of coxarthrosis of the hip joint
Treatment is carried out on the principle "the sooner the better".
Early coxarthrosis can be treated:
- Chondroprotectors.
- Light physical therapy - swimming, aerobics, walking and cycling.
- Regulation of permissible physical loads on the joint.
- Weight correction (below).
- Physiotherapy treatment
- extraction procedures.
- Massage sessions.
- Compresses at the site of pain.
Painful symptoms can be alleviated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
Annual sanatorium treatment is also very effective.
Pain-relieving intra-articular corticosteroid injections may be used to treat more intense pain in the later stages.
Treatment of coxarthrosis in the late stage is very difficult due to the complete removal of the hip joint.Chondroprotectors are absolutely useless in this case.
All kinds of external means in the form of ointments and gels can relieve muscle spasms and pain, but, of course, will not affect the condition of the diseased immobilized joint in any way.Therefore, you should have a reasonable approach to all kinds of advertisements that assure us that by rubbing the painful area with ointment, you will soon forget about the disease.
hip replacement
In the third stage of coxarthrosis, the only option for complete restoration of the hip joint is surgical intervention - endoprosthesis of the hip joint (arthroplasty).
Endoprosthesis consists of two components: head and cup.
This operation is not easy:
- A long rehabilitation period is required after the operation.
- Joint healing is painful (pain can last for a year).
- You will need to use a walker or cane for some time.