Osteoarthritis is a joint disease characterized by the breakdown of the cartilage in your joints. This can lead to joint pain , stiffness and swelling.
It is important to know that osteoarthritis does not only affect the hips. It can also affect your hands, feet, spine, and knees.
In this article, we are interested in the symptoms warning us of the presence of osteoarthritis in the hip.
Early cartilage degradation
Joints are made up of cartilage. Hip osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage in the joint deteriorates. The joint concerned here is that located between the femur and the pelvis.
Regarding the femur, know that it is the bone of your thigh. The X-ray will reveal cracking of the articular cartilage. This results in the detachment of fragments of cartilage.
Thus, they will end up within the joint cavity. It should be remembered that osteoarthritis of the hip, also called coxarthrosis , can be caused by a disease or malformation.
Doctors have listed a variety of factors favoring this pathology. These include: age, obesity, overload on the joints, etc.
Pain in the hip
It is above all the pain that attracts attention and leads to the consultation of a therapist. The pains do not appear suddenly. But they will settle gradually.
Don't confuse hip osteoarthritis with other conditions like osteochondritis of the hip or hip cold. When it is osteoarthritis, the pain is mainly located in the area of the fold of the groin. This will then irradiate the thigh.
Walking will amplify the pain of osteoarthritis of the hip. There are also up and down movements. For example, the pain will increase when going up or down stairs. In fact, osteoarthritis pain tends to get worse with exertion.
However, the pain stops when the patient is at rest. That's why you can sleep well at night without complaining about possible pain. There is also an inflammation of the hip joint during painful flare-ups.
stiffness in the morning
In case of osteoarthritis, your nights can be peaceful since you are at rest. But when the day comes, it's no wonder you feel stiffness. It should be noted that stiffness is common in the mornings.
This singular stiffness, in the morning, should immediately suggest osteoarthritis of the hip rather than another joint condition. We distinguish another aspect of the stiffness felt.
Indeed, it can induce blockages. Under these conditions, do not hesitate to resort to rehabilitation exercises. The interest of these exercises is to promote better maintenance of the hip joint.
Other symptoms of osteoarthritis
In some patients, the disease may progress and cause discomfort when walking. People are sometimes forced to use a cane to get around. The hip rotation seems to be the most difficult movement to accomplish.
For example, it will be painful for you to put on tights. Putting on your socks can get complicated. Note that swelling or cracking may appear in the area of the joints.
The evolution of the disease can lead to a deformation of the joint . Definitely, you need to see a doctor and do tests so as not to confuse the symptoms of hip osteoarthritis with arthritis.
But what solutions?
There are natural treatments to relieve inflammation and pain associated with osteoarthritis. These natural solutions are numerous and you would be wrong not to take advantage of them. Our article "Arthrosis of the hip, discover these natural treatments" gives tips to improve the daily life of people suffering from this ailment.
