Anatomy of the Hip Joint
Your hip joint is located at the point in which your leg connects to the trunk of your body. This important joint contains your thigh bone, which is referred to as your femur. It also includes your pelvis which consists of three different bones – the ilium, the ischium and the pubis. These three bones combine to form the socket, which joins the ball that is located at the top of your thigh bone in forming your hip joint.
This ball and socket joint is held together by ligaments and is responsible for the task of supporting your weight. You also depend upon your hip to tolerate the repetitive movement in the upper portion of your leg that is natural with common day-to-day functions such as walking, traveling upstairs and squatting.
The structure of this ball and socket joint that comprises your hip is formed to efficiently absorb this consistent movement, and the flexibility that is necessary for this process is made easier by the cartilage that buffers the friction that occurs as the bone moves within the socket.
You also depend upon your hip joint to continue operating reliably when you undertake more demanding movements that take place during exercise, sports and recreational activities.
Your hip joint can normally tolerate this repeated range of motion along with the understandable degree of wear and tear that can accumulate over time. But even though your hip joint usually functions effectively when you embark upon your regular movements, the ongoing challenge of perpetual mobility can eventually result in pain.
Causes:- Injury: Hip pain can be caused by a number of injuries such as stress on hip bone resulting in the fracture and hence pain. Another most common factor causing acute hip pain is over-exercising or over weight lifting results into a stretch in the joints and consequently leads to pain.
- Arthritis: Arthritis can cause pain, stiffness, tenderness and swelling in hip joints.
- Other medical conditions: It has been found that Bursitis, Tendinitis, Cancer and Avascular Necrosis patients are more prone to hip pain.
- Compression: Various physical activities may lead to nerve compression. Nerve compression should not be ignored as it may further lead to a severe problem like hip pain.
- Miscellaneous: It can be caused by various other factors including hip injury, overuse of the joints, posture problems or another factor such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Common Causes of Hip Pain
Arthritis – this inflammation of your hip joint can occur due to osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis takes place when the cartilage deteriorates, while rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic condition that involves the lining in your joint. These conditions become more likely as we age.
Bursitis – the sacs of liquid that are located within the tendons, bones and muscles are known as bursae. These sacs reduce the friction that takes place when the tendons and muscle make contact with the bones. When the bursae become inflamed, it can cause discomfort.
Tendonitis – the ongoing demands of making the repetitive motion can eventually result in overuse. This can lead to an inflammation of the tendons. The repeated motion that becomes necessary in many sports activities can accelerate this condition, as can a sudden increase in the intensity of your exercise regimen.
Muscle Strain – this is another unwelcome result of repetitive movement, and involvement in sports or recreational activities is often the culprit. Neglecting to warm up properly can lead to this inflammation, as can a sudden fall or collision.
Labral Tear – the ring of cartilage that follows the outside rim of your hip joint socket is referred to as your labrum. This keeps the ball that is located at the top of your thighbone within your hip socket. Once again, repetitive motion that can take place during sporting activities is a frequent cause of this condition.
Pinched Nerve – if a nerve receives excessive pressure from an adjacent bone, muscle or tendon, it can become pinched. The impact on your nerve creates pain, and the level of discomfort can sometimes become severe.
Hip Fracture – unfortunately, if you experience a break that is located in the upper portion of your thigh bone (femur), then you will be contending with a fractured hip. This often takes place due to a fall or a direct blow to that region of the hip.
Hip Dislocation – while this condition is rare in comparison to other health issues that have been listed, it does occur if the head of your thigh bone (femur) is shifted out of the socket in your pelvis. It usually takes a significant event for this to transpire, such as an automobile accident, or a fall from a sizable distance. This results in an emergency situation when it occurs.
Bone Infection – this is a rare issue, but it can develop when an infection travels through the bloodstream into your bone, or if a surgery exposes your bone to infection.
Symptoms:- Deformity: Hip joint getting deformed.
- Difficulty in lifting weight: If the hip is unable to bear weight.
- Swelling: When large amount of swelling is felt at the affected area and bars the body to walk, stand and sit.
- Severe Pain: Severe pain felt in hip joints, thighs and legs.
- Inflammation: Inflammation in hip joints can also be taken as one of the symptoms. When the bursa (a liquid-filled sac next to a joint) over the hip joint gets inflamed.
When Should You Visit a Doctor
You should seek immediate medical assistance if you are unable to move your hip or your leg, or cannot place any weight on your leg. This is also the case if you are experiencing intense pain, swelling, signs of infection or if your joint does not appear to have its normal form. In every example that was just mentioned, you should absolutely have someone else drive you to urgent care for assistance.
You should also contact a physician if you have been contending with discomfort and your attempts to improve the situation with rest, heat, ice and pain medications have not eliminated the pain.
Treatment: Treatment of hip pain depends on the factors causing it. Following are the treatment options:- For injuries, treatment generally involves medication and bed rest used to relieve stress or pain.
- Surgical intervention may be required in case of hip fractures or malformation of the hips. This kind of surgery is generally termed as hip replacement surgery in which damaged hip joint is replaced with an artificial one.
Your path to recovery starts here. Schedule an appointment with OrthoTexas or find a location near you.