Osteoarthritis of the hip joint is a disease of the elderly caused by degenerative processes in cartilage tissue. Progression of osteoarthritis of the hip joint is accelerated by misalignment of the joint surfaces, leading to abnormal friction. In some patients the disease develops due to ischemia of the femoral head after a fracture of the femoral neck or due to direct damage to the articular cartilage; In 50% of cases the cause of the disease is unknown. Doctors diagnose osteoarthritis of the hip joint using X-rays and computed tomography.
Treatment of deformed arthrosis of the femoral joint is carried out with the latest drugs, which are very effective and have minimal side effects. Doctors review severe cases of coxarthrosis and decide on treatment tactics for each patient. Rehabilitation therapists use innovative methods of restorative therapy to slow the progression of articular cartilage degeneration.
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Signs of osteoarthritis of the thigh joint
Patients suffering from deformable arthrosis complain of sudden attacks of femoral joint stiffness that appear after rest and disappear after some activity. Initially, minor pain attacks last from 1 to 2 days, intensifying after prolonged wearing.
Often, defensive lameness occurs due to muscle spasm, accompanied by pain and a gradual feeling of tightening of the joints. Osteoarthritis of the left thigh joint is manifested by the same symptoms as osteoarthritis of the right hip joint. In osteoarthritis of the hip joint, it is localized along the anterior-outer or posterior surface of the joint, depending on the site of inflammation. It irradiates the anterior and inner surfaces of the thigh and the popliteal fossa. The pain syndrome intensifies after prolonged loading on the limb and movements, especially in the direction of internal rotation, abduction, and extension. Patients often complain of increased pain in humid and cold weather and report relief from heat and after taking acetylsalicylic acid preparations.
In the acute period of osteoarthritis of the hip joint, patients report pain at the site of inflammation of the capsule, accompanied by a muscle spasm that catches the adductor muscles of the thigh. Orthopedists perform a Faber test: The patient places the heel of the affected limb on the back of a healthy foot and slides it over the skin of the tibial surface of the lower leg to the knee. It will be positive for any inflammatory process in the femoral joint.
There are no changes on radiography in the early stages of osteoarthritis of the femur. Later, radiologists sometimes detect subchondral sclerosis, which gradually leads to narrowing of the joint space. An additional sign is flattening of the head at its upper pole, accompanied by cystic changes on this side.
Degree of arthrosis of the femoral joint
With progression, arthrosis of the femoral joints, respectively, goes through several stages, distinguishing three degrees of the disease.
Grade 1 arthrosis deformity is the initial stage of the disease when there are still no obvious changes in the structure of the joint tissues. Pain syndrome is often absent, if it arises, then against the background of the inflammatory process. Patients may complain of limb stiffness and fatigue. Often the first degree of osteoarthritis of the femoral joint is asymptomatic.
With grade 2 arthrosis deformity, morphological changes are evident. Joint surfaces are uneven, with significant bone growths on them. The bone tissue in the joint area becomes less strong. Due to the inflammatory process, the synovial membrane thickens greatly. The pain may be dull, painful in nature, and persistent, or it may occur sharply and suddenly.
In grade 3 deformable arthrosis, the pain becomes so intense that it does not go away even after a long rest. As mobility in the diseased joint decreases, the limb axis may be broken. Ulcers and bruises can form in the cartilage tissue that covers the joint surfaces.
How to treat femoral arthrosis
Conservative treatment of osteoarthritis of the hip joint is carried out with exacerbation of the disease. It includes limb unloading, stretching, heat and massage. Salicylates are prescribed to reduce the inflammatory process. Glucocorticoid injections are given for arthrosis of the femoral joint at 1 and 2 degrees. The only effective treatment for the third stage of femoral deformity is a planned replacement of the femoral joint with an endoprosthesis.
Complex treatment of osteoarthritis of the hip joint is carried out using physiotherapy and kinesitherapy, diet correction. Effective therapy for the early stages of the disease allows sick people with grade 1 and 2 arthrosis of the hip to avoid arthroplasty and limit the need for medication.
Surgical treatment of deformed coxarthrosis
With grade 3 coxarthrosis, when conservative treatment does not bring relief, only prosthetics help the patient relieve pain and discomfort, which restores the joy of movement. If there is fluid in the joint, it is pumped out after the puncture. Corticosteroid hormones are simultaneously injected into the femoral joint.
With the help of arthroscopic removal, the inner surface of the joint is cleaned of fragments of altered cartilage tissue and its cavity is rinsed with a therapeutic solution to alleviate the inflammatory process. A periarticular osteotomy is an artificial fracture of the femur followed by its fusion at another angle. Surgery can reduce stress on the joint.
Rehabilitation methods for arthrosis deformity
The following types of physiotherapy are used to treat patients with osteoarthritis of the hip joint:
- Shock wave therapy - the effect of sound waves, which provides blood flow to the desired area of the body, which stimulates regeneration processes and speeds up metabolism;
- Myostimulation, which restores the work of muscles that are weakened due to forced restriction of movements in the joint;
- Phonophoresis is a method that combines the advantages of ultrasound and drug action on the body (by exposure to the device, the drug in the form of ointment or cream reaches the skin of the thigh joint more effectively);
- Ozone Therapy - Reduces discomfort and activates cartilage growth due to the properties of the ozone-oxygen mixture.
Kinesiotherapy is considered to be the basis of successful treatment of osteoarthritis of any localization. Regular implementation of a special system of gymnastic exercises strengthens the ligaments and muscles around the joint, which reduce the pathological process, which reduces discomfort during normal daily stress. The Exercise Therapy Instructor individually selects 1, 2, and 3 degree exercises for femoral arthrosis. Specialists of the Rehabilitation Clinic perform various types of massage, including lymphatic drainage, using innovative manual therapy techniques aimed at passive work of muscles, ligaments and joints. Approaches to help people with coxarthrosis reduce the need for pills and injections to deform osteoarthritis, thus reducing the pharmacological burden on the body.
Rehabilitation clinics are equipped with modern mechanical and computer simulators from the world's leading manufacturers. They facilitate joint exercise without significant physical effort, which is especially in demand in the elderly. Expansion of the joints with the help of a special traction device or chiropractor increases the space inside the joint, which "throws" the pathological process a few steps back, relieves symptoms and gives the body time to restore function of the femoral joint.
Diet therapy is essential for all patients with osteoarthritis of the femur, but is most important for overweight people. Weight loss will be followed by stress on the inflamed joint and improved metabolism. Along with other conservative methods, a balanced diet allows you to forget about pain and other manifestations of osteoarthritis of the hip joint.
In gymnastics for osteoarthritis of the thigh joint
Exercises for hip arthrosis are not prescribed in the following cases:
- With exacerbation of arthrosis-arthritis;
- After a recent serious operation;
- In the presence of a hernia, acute diseases of the internal organs;
- During menstruation;
- With an increase in body temperature of 37. 5 more0with.
The therapist selects all exercises individually. Exercise therapy instructor takes into account the age of the patient, the severity of the pathological process and the presence of concomitant diseases. In deformed arthrosis, well-chosen gymnastics should give a beneficial load to the muscles and ligaments of the hip joint, but not the joint as it is already worn out.
A complex of hip arthrosis gymnastics exercises consists of more static exercises than dynamic ones. Static exercises are those where you need to fix your body position for a few seconds. If such movements are sufficient, the leg muscles and ligaments receive the necessary load to restore the joint. The hip joint itself takes minimal participation in such exercises and does not change.