How to treat arthrosis of the hip joint - methods and means

Coxarthrosis is a disease that affects the patient’s hip joint.Treatment is long-term.Just a few decades ago, such a diagnosis was practically a death sentence for the patient, promising him: severe debilitating pain, a gradual decrease in mobility, early disability.

But thanks to modern, most effective treatment methods, it has become possible not only to stop the degenerative process, but even to completely cure coxarthrosis in the early stages.

Understanding the causes of the disease has given impetus to the use of an integrated approach in therapy.Treatment of arthrosis of the hip joint may include both medication and physiotherapeutic methods.

What is hip arthrosis

Arthrosis is a disease in which the normal structure of the cartilage tissue of the joints is disrupted.Unlike arthritis, the cause of deformation is not infectious inflammation of tissues, but a disturbance in metabolic processes.

Deforming arthrosis of the hip joint, with rare exceptions, is observed in patients over 40 years of age.The development of pathology occurs as follows:

• Metabolism is disrupted.Cartilage tissue does not have blood vessels, so its nutrition is provided by adjacent muscle tissue.For various reasons, the synthesis of substances is disrupted.
• Due to insufficient nutrition, cartilage begins to lose elasticity.Over time, it thins out.The interosseous clearance is significantly reduced.Arthrosis in the hip joint, grade 3, is characterized by the fact that growths on the bone tissue rub against each other.Cartilaginous tissue is practically absent.

• The load on the bones and a decrease in the thickness of the cartilage contributes to the deformation of the bone tissue.

After the onset of degenerative changes, it may take years for the patient to develop the third stage of the disease, but under unfavorable circumstances and failure to take precautions, pathological changes can occur much faster.

How does arthrosis manifest?

Symptoms of arthrosis of the hip joint and their nature depend on the degree of development of the disease.The most characteristic symptom is pain.It is because of pain that patients most often turn to a doctor for qualified help.Moreover, the insidiousness of the disease is that at the early stage of degenerative changes, pain, as a rule, does not cause great inconvenience, is short-term in nature and is often attributed to ordinary fatigue.

Delay leads to the fact that the best moment to start treatment is missed, and curing grade 2 hip arthrosis requires more time and effort.There are still chances for a successful prognosis, provided that therapy is prescribed correctly.

Symptoms of the disease are:

1. Pain can occur in the hip, groin area and in the joint itself.You should be wary if pain symptoms appear at rest.This indicates the need for an urgent visit to an arthrologist.
2. Stiffness of movement, limping.It is observed after prolonged immobility of the leg, for example, after sleep.
3. Over time, the diseased leg becomes shorter than the healthy one, atrophy of muscle tissue is observed, which can be felt during palpation.

Diagnosis of the disease cannot be done without modern diagnostic studies.Thus, grade 1 hip arthrosis is diagnosed only using radiography, CT and MRI.The image clearly shows changes and narrowing of the interosseous space.

Stages of hip arthrosis

After diagnosing the pathology, the patient is assigned a code according to ICD 10. This is an international classification of diseases, which is revised every 10 years.

Thanks to the assigned code, not only statistical data is collected.Therapies that have produced the most significant results can be selected.Thanks to international collaboration, drug treatment of hip arthrosis has improved significantly over time.

In world practice, it is recognized that arthrosis of the hip joint has three stages or stages of development.Each of them has its own symptoms.Namely:

1. First stage.Painful sensations occur only against the background of excessive stress: running, exercise, exercise, and so on.The pain is concentrated mainly in the joint area.Usually the pain goes away on its own after some time of rest.At the same time, the mobility of the leg remains in full, muscle strength is not limited.Arthrosis of the first degree can only be diagnosed using radiography or tomography.The image clearly shows slight deformations of the bone tissue that do not extend beyond the so-called labrum.The joint space is slightly narrowed, usually in uneven areas.
2. Second stage.Migrating pain is characteristic, beginning to spread to the groin area and thigh.May occur spontaneously during rest.Pain due to arthrosis of the hip joint at the second stage does not go away on its own and requires the patient to take anesthetics.The range of motion is impaired, and muscle tissue atrophy is observed.The image clearly shows bone growths and deformations of the femoral head.Perhaps the appearance of a cyst in the most loaded part of the thigh - the acetabulum.Diagnosis of arthrosis at the second stage is carried out quickly.Even with a cursory examination, pathological changes are obvious.X-rays or MRIs are ordered to see the extent of the deformity.
3. Third stage.The pain begins to become chronic.Arthrosis can be determined even without a thorough examination.The patient cannot move without a cane; there is a tilt of the pelvis, which leads to shortening of the leg.When moving, the patient has to tilt his body onto the damaged joint.As a result, this leads to even greater degenerative changes.The image shows extensive bone deformation.The joint gap is almost invisible.

Therapeutic treatment of deforming arthrosis of the hip joint is effective only at stages 1-2 of the disease.The third stage of pathology development often leads to the need for surgical intervention.

How to treat arthrosis in the hip joint

Regardless of what is used, gymnastics for arthrosis of the hip joint or taking medications, all approaches are based on six fundamental principles.Namely:

• Relieve pain.
• Ensure normal nutrition of cartilage tissue and, if possible, restore it.
• Improve blood flow to the affected area.
• Reduce stress on the joint.
• Strengthen atrophied muscles.
• Restore joint mobility.

To achieve all six goals, it is necessary to use complex therapy.So, for example, by prescribing injections into a joint, but without taking care to reduce the load on it, you can negate all the beneficial effects of chondroprotectors.It is not surprising that in world practice, from 2 to 10 different approaches are usually used simultaneously, depending on the patient’s condition.

How to treat hip arthrosis

An integrated approach to the treatment of the hip joint provides better results compared to the use of only one therapeutic agent - this is a fact recognized by the world's leading arthrologists.Therefore, the patient is often simultaneously prescribed several types of treatment from the following:

• NSAIDs- non-steroidal drugs to relieve the inflammatory process are the “classics” of treatment.Medicines for arthrosis of the hip joint are necessarily prescribed either in combination with non-steroidal medications or contain them in their composition.NSAIDs are especially effective during exacerbations of the disease.Help relieve pain and reduce swelling.The appointment makes it possible to perform physical therapy exercises for arthrosis of the hip joint, move on to massage, gymnastics and other physiotherapeutic procedures.The disadvantage of NSAIDs is their negative effect on the gastric mucosa.Patients need to understand that non-steroidal drugs for the treatment of hip arthrosis do not cure the disease, but simply eliminate the symptoms, making therapy possible.
• Chondroprotectors and hyaluronic acid.These drugs are a new stage in the treatment of the hip joint, so they can be divided into a separate group.
  1. Chondroprotectors are prescribed as restorative therapy.With long-term use, chondroprotectors restore damaged cartilage tissue, but their effectiveness is limited to the initial stage of the disease.
  2. Hyaluronic acid creates a layer between the bones, reducing the load on the joint.Effective as a restorative therapy.
• Muscle relaxants- are vasodilators and allow you to relieve spasm of muscle tissue.Prescribed to reduce the load on the joint.Muscle relaxants can only be used as part of complex drug therapy.
• Pain relieving ointment- despite advertising that talks about ointments as a means of miraculously eliminating the disease, in fact they only eliminate the unpleasant symptoms of the disease.On the other hand, painkillers in the form of ointments enhance the effectiveness of conservative treatment, allowing you to relieve swelling and alleviate the patient’s condition.
• Intra-articular injections- designed to relieve pain, restore cartilage tissue or provide protection from excessive pressure on a joint.The most commonly used are corticosteroids.They relieve pain, allowing the patient to begin treatment with physical therapy.The group of corticosteroids also includes hyaluronic acid preparations.The effectiveness of intra-articular injections largely depends on how experienced the surgeon is (according to statistics, 30% of doctors miss the joint capsule when performing manipulations).

Some drugs can harm the body.Self-medication is strictly prohibited!

A hip joint bandage will relieve the load on the joint and reduce the factor that is the main reason for the onset of tissue irritation leading to the inflammatory process.Therefore, together with drug therapy, fixation of the damaged area is often prescribed.

Non-traditional methods and physiotherapy

In addition to prescribing anti-inflammatory drugs, intra-articular injections and other drugs, the patient can undergo physiotherapy and take advantage of alternative methods of therapy.

• Manual therapy- this procedure has a gentler effect on damaged tissues than massage of the hip joint for arthrosis.Any aggressive impact on the damaged area can easily trigger the onset of the inflammatory process.In our area we are not yet accustomed to manual therapy, but in the West it is widespread and is one of the official methods of therapy.
• Therapeutic exercisewith deforming arthrosis - a wide area in which the patient can choose between traditional and non-traditional methods.For hip arthrosis, Pilates, yoga, as well as exercises in water and other methods to restore the function of atrophied muscles are popular.Physical education and moderate exercise, along with medications, have a beneficial effect and contribute to the patient’s recovery.
• Traditional medicine- most arthrologists are against this method as an independent therapy.And their opinion has a basis.A large number of patients, having refused the help of traditional medicine, have earned themselves a disability.But under the supervision of the attending physician, effective treatment of arthrosis of the hip joint with folk remedies is quite possible.Most herbs and infusions that are used have an anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect.Some medicinal preparations have serious contraindications, so before taking them you should consult with an arthrologist.Non-traditional folk methods for treating arthrosis of the hip joint are recommended to be used with caution.Some of the recipes not only do not contribute to improvement, but also lead to the opposite effect, provoking accelerated destruction of cartilage.
• Homeopathy- helps normalize the synthesis of substances in the body.Homeopathy is especially effective for post-traumatic arthrosis, allowing you to cope with the main factor that led to the development of the disease.
• Apitherapy- treatment with bee stings is very effective, allowing you to combine the effects of acupuncture and drug therapy.It is not surprising that many warming and effective ointments contain processed bee venom.Often, the use of apitherapy is more effective than a hip block.The appropriateness of using apitherapy should be decided by the attending physician.
• Magnetotherapy- used as an auxiliary treatment and prevention of disease.The effect of a magnet increases blood flow into tissues and helps restore metabolic processes.Removes salt deposits.
• Hirudotherapy- Leech treatment has been used for several centuries.It has been proven that the saliva of leeches, which enters the blood, contains a substance that helps thin it.As a result, blood can even enter atrophied capillaries and vessels.
• Mud therapy- has a mild warming effect, helps to obtain essential nutrients.With proper use of mud therapy, the inflammatory process and pain syndrome are reduced.Prohibited for purulent arthrosis of the hip joint.Prescribed with caution in the presence of blood clots and vascular disease.
• Shilajit for arthrosis- used both in pure form and as part of tinctures and compresses.The beneficial substances included in Mumiyo promote tissue regeneration.Mumiyo is especially effective in the early stages of the disease.
• Self-massage- sharp aggressive pops and pressure are eliminated.When massaging, it is necessary to ensure the flow of blood and lymph.A chiropractor or experienced massage therapist will show you the types of movements and their direction.

Treatment of arthrosis of the hip joint at home using unconventional methods must be supplemented with proper nutrition.

Losing just 5 kg will reduce the likelihood of the onset of an inflammatory process by approximately 30%.

Arthrosis in the hip joint and pregnancy

Pregnancy with arthrosis in the hip joint is double stress for the woman’s body.Taking most medications during pregnancy is prohibited.At the very least, they must be taken with great care so as not to harm the child.

If hip arthrosis during pregnancy is at an early stage, drug treatment is recommended to be postponed until after childbirth.

It is possible to give birth with arthrosis in the hip joint, but you need to understand all the risks associated with it.Complications after the birth of a child are not uncommon, and deformation of cartilage tissue occurs at an accelerated rate.

Even while planning a child, it is necessary to undergo a complete examination of the body.All medications, ointments, and painkillers can only be taken as prescribed by a doctor.

Consequences of arthrosis

In the later stages of the disease, it becomes impossible to cure coxarthrosis in the usual way.Prompt surgical intervention is required.The operation is a last resort and can be performed in different ways.

1. Joint replacement- completely restores all motor functions.The disadvantage of the solution is the limited period of use of the prosthesis.On average, after 15 years, a second operation will be required to replace it.
2. Laser therapy for operated arthrosiship joint - used in case of rejection of the articular part of the bone.Using laser therapy, the damaged surface is removed and replaced with an artificial insert.

All types of surgical intervention are temporary, but without them the patient becomes disabled.

Early diagnosis of coxarthrosis and a properly prescribed course of restorative therapy is the only reliable way to combat the disease.Ignoring symptoms leads to disability.