Arthrosis of the hip joint is also called coxarthrosis. This is a degenerative-dystrophic disease of the locomotor system. Coxarthrosis begins with the articular cartilage, where the thinning process begins, the cartilage is fragmented, thereby losing the main function of the joint - cushioning.
The process becomes more complicated if the blood supply to the femoral head is interrupted, then aseptic necrosis develops, which in turn is accompanied by arthrosis. After that, the patient needs to use drugs, do certain exercises or undergo a treatment that includes a whole complex.
Causes of the disease
Of course, the reasons that give impetus to the disease can be completely different. If the disease is accompanied by constant immobility of a person, then the treatment will not be difficult, just change your lifestyle and do not forget that disease prevention will take place after that. Thus, you can get rid of the main symptoms that lead to the fact that the pain returns regularly and eventually does not decrease at all. Bones and joints, although strong and able to withstand considerable weight, can fail with constant physical stress on the body. Be sure to get rid of unnecessary stress, which can lead to the first signs of the disease. Injuries do not lead to anything good, it does not matter here whether the injuries were accidental or not. Due to injuries received in youth, this disease very often develops in athletes, the treatment of which is not always carried out immediately. Here the diagnosis will be clear, the load on the body must be limited, in this case the disease cannot be treated differently.
Strange as it may seem, heredity can affect the development of coxarthrosis. Some people have a congenital dislocation of the hip, which eventually becomes arthrosis of the hip joint.
The disease has two forms: primary and secondary. In the first case, the disease develops on its own and they feel pain, while the secondary form is a consequence of other diseases. They can be:
- Perthes disease;
- congenital dislocation of the hip;
- hip dysplasia;
- Received joint injuries;
- Aseptic necrosis of the femoral head;
- Inflammation.
- Most often, the primary form of the disease appears after the age of 50, that is, when the body's joints wear out and subsequently feel pain.
Symptoms
Arthrosis of the hip joint can be determined based on the symptoms. Basically, it will be pain that occurs when walking. This disease is chronic, so the symptoms appear once and do not disappear. The pains gradually increase, at first they are barely noticeable, but over time, if we do not pay attention to this, the symptoms worsen and become more noticeable.
Most often, the symptoms appear when the body does not move for a long time, that is, pain may appear after sleep, after a person has been sitting in one position for a long time. Such discomfort is called incipient pain. After a person develops some joints, the pain recedes for a while.
The areas of pain localization can be different. The main part is manifested in the inguinal region, buttock region, along the front surface of the thigh, then the transition to the knee, sometimes along the outer region of the left or right thigh.
Such symptoms are worthless without timely treatment. While walking, when the patient feels the greatest pain, he tries to avoid it, or at least to make the symptoms feel less, as a result of which gait disorders and other body disorders occur.
Treatment
Although treatment, although prevention can be done in several ways. It is best to choose the option that your doctor will advise. It can be treated with medication (injection or pill), exercise, and traditional medicine can also help. And although the latter has not been confirmed, some patients report improvement after certain procedures, even if only prophylaxis was performed.
Treatment may include injections or tablets. The doctor will look at a number of factors, such as pain, the stage of the disease, and which drugs are best tolerated by the patient's body.
Chondroprotectors
There are a lot of chondroprotectors - drugs that nourish the cartilage tissue, then the destruction process stops, and then the cartilage tissue is restored. Doctors often prescribe injections into the hip joint because they believe it is easier to treat. A big advantage is that the injections are very effective and can also be used to treat certain co-morbidities. But you must remember that a maximum of three injections can be given per joint. And also a positive moment, but a warning, injections should not be done often, the break between each procedure is at least two weeks.
How they work
First of all, these drugs are designed to restore the cartilage tissue that is so necessary for arthrosis. Therefore, the purpose of these drugs is to stop the degeneration of cartilage tissue. It cannot be said that chondroprotectors will have a positive effect only if you use them for arthrosis of the hip joint, not at all. Chondroprotectors are an excellent treatment for all types of joint diseases.
Chondroprotectors contain products of both animal and vegetable origin (depending on the specific preparation), as well as other components that increase the production of collagen and hyaluronic acid, and stimulate the production of chondroitin in cartilage tissue. All these components result in the fact that the natural processes occurring in the cartilage tissue are supported, its main functions are restored, and, accordingly, joint pain disappears.
What is suitable for arthritis
When you come to a pharmacy looking for chondroprotectors, you will be surprised at how many different names there are for the right medicine today, which actually do not differ much in their ingredients. So which chondroprotector will be the best choice for arthrosis?
The best advisor in this matter is without a doubt your doctor, who sees the picture of the disease from the outside and can advise you on several medications that are most suitable for your individual case (sometimes you can choose). Do not take medicines without consulting your doctor on this point.
Be aware that clinical trials are very important in this area, and these are mainly expensive and popular chondroprotectors. Their effectiveness has already been confirmed and the possibility of allergic reactions has been reduced to a minimum. Remember that the natural substances that make up chondroprotectors rarely cause an allergic reaction, the additives that make up the medicine are most often to blame.
Contraindications
There is a group of people for whom chondroprotectors are contraindicated:
- Pregnant and lactating women should not take the medicine;
- Children under the age of 12 may not use it;
- If a person has gastrointestinal diseases, it is worth excluding medicines in the form of tablets and using other methods of treatment;
- At certain stages, chondroprotectors no longer exert their effect, so in advanced cases, other treatment methods are used;
- Some drugs are not individually tolerated and must be replaced by others.
Usage suggestions
It is impossible to say that only chondroprotectors help to cure the disease. It is worth focusing on the problems that caused the disease, and not on the drugs. Because if you have suffered such injuries due to excessive physical stress and hope that you can continue the same lifestyle and chondroprotectors will save you, then you are deeply mistaken. The possibility of the spread and worsening of the disease must be eliminated from all sides. Try to protect yourself from hypothermia as much as possible. Keep track of the medicines you are taking, if they have been prescribed for the treatment of another disease, ask your doctor if you need to change the way you are being treated.
Treatment of arthrosis of the hip joint with gymnastics
Doctors recommend treating arthrosis of the hip joint with the help of special exercises. It is best not to lead to treatment and remember to prevent the disease. The process of treating such diseases has never been quick, and in this case, gymnastics treatment is no exception. Some believe that since these are not medications that need to be taken continuously, the classes can be skipped. Forget it, it's your health, so exercise is a must.
Medical technology
It is worth noting that the medical complex has proven itself in the field of therapeutic gymnastics. The specialty of the doctor is that, unlike his colleagues, he did not turn to surgery and medical treatment of arthrosis, such as injections. His exercises are designed to help the body heal itself. In the treatment of arthrosis, the doctor's main method is kinesitherapy, which means treatment with movement. According to his methodology, a separate program, or rather a series of exercises, is developed for each patient, which prescribes which simulators to use, which exercises and how to perform them. The exercises and the complex created by the doctor must be performed correctly on the doctor's recommendation. Even if one knows what the exercises are, but does them incorrectly, there will be no results. It is important to perform this or that exercise correctly, or rather to repeat the entire complex.
This technique confirms that we are not treated by drugs, but by ourselves.
Implementation rules
Sometimes the injections do not give the desired effect, the treatment is practiced. Recommendations for implementation. If you notice the first symptoms and decide that it is best to treat yourself physically, remember a few rules:
- Exercises are not performed suddenly, everything should be smooth and measured;
- The joint should be developed and not put even more strain on it to aggravate the symptoms of the disease;
- Do not forget that exercises help if they are followed by a little massage;
- This treatment (exercises) is best done lying down.
For the effectiveness of physiotherapy exercises, a whole complex is performed, which includes various exercises.
You should monitor your health, do sports and consult a doctor at the first symptoms of the disease. After all, if the disease is detected at an early stage, it will be much easier to cure or stop its development.