Osteoarthritis of the femur is a general name for a group of diseases that includes all diseases of the degenerative system of the femur that destroy cartilage tissue, progressive in nature. This disease has another name - coxarthrosis. The disease is characterized by pain in the above area, difficult to treat and diagnose.
Causes and mechanism of development of femoral arthrosis
Arthrosis of the femoral joint is divided into primary and secondary. Primary is a disease that has developed independently, independent of other factors, such as as a side effect of the natural aging process. Secondary arthrosis is the result of a complication of a disease of various natures.
In the case of a healthy pelvis, an x-ray clearly shows the distance between the femoral head and the acetabulum. This indicates the optimal condition of the cartilage that covers the thigh, at the same time a sign of the absence of arthrosis. If the distance is not noticeable, the cartilage is damaged, which means that there is every reason to assume the existence of the disease described above. This form of arthrosis is not genetic, ie it is usually not hereditary. However, factors such as cartilage weakness, bone weakness, metabolic disorders can be passed down from generation to generation and can lead to the development of osteoarthritis.
However, the main causes of this disease are various diseases of infectious, traumatic nature. For example:
- Thigh dislocation, femoral dysplasia is a congenital disease that is most often diagnosed in early childhood using ultrasound diagnosis. It is very important to identify this pathology, which is present in ten percent of newborns as early as possible, because dysplasia can be corrected only in the first two years of a child's life.
- Infectious and chronic inflammatory diseases such as tuberculosis of the femoral joint. This disease is especially dangerous because of the very difficult diagnosis. Often the symptoms are so mild that you mistakenly think of it as another disease. Even radiography sometimes helps to identify tuberculosis only at an advanced stage when complete recovery is no longer possible. All this is aggravated by the fact that there is a shortage of specialists in the country who will be able to correctly diagnose and treat this disease.
- Metabolic and thyroid disorders such as diabetes mellitus.
- Perthes's disease, which most often affects boys. This disease afflicts the head of the thigh, disrupts its blood circulation, resulting in damage to cartilage tissue.
- Various mechanical injuries such as injuries and dislocations of the femoral joint.
Symptoms
Osteoarthritis is an extremely dangerous disease because from the very beginning it can be completely asymptomatic. Often, just by a lucky chance, an X-ray examination reveals the presence of this disease in a patient who has not found any signs in himself.
Osteoarthritis of the hip joint can be first, second or third degree, depending on the severity of the disease. First-degree arthrosis is characterized by pain only during physical activity, such as walking, and pain only in the joint. At X-ray, the distance between the head of the thigh and the cavity is about half the normal distance. With second-degree disease, the pain intensifies, radiates to the abdomen, and may even at rest, lameness. The third degree is most severe when the patient is unable to move independently without assistive devices, the pain is constant. Due to the amputation of the leg, the person is forced to lean to one side while walking.
Diagnosis
Compiling a correct medical history is important when making a diagnosis. In this case, first of all, attention is paid to the nature and duration of pain, the location of pain points, atrophy of muscles and nerve endings, the patient's gait characteristics, and the state of blood circulation in the extremities.
In addition to all this, X-ray examination is crucial in the diagnosis of osteoarthritis of the femur, although additional examinations such as MRI of the thigh, puncture of the painful area, tomography of the limbs, ultrasound examination may be necessary.
Treatment of the disease
First of all, in the treatment of osteoarthritis it is necessary to remove the pain, or even reduce it to a tolerable level for the patient. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used for this purpose, which not only fight pain, but also relieve inflammation.
Medications are then prescribed to provide nutrition to the cartilage tissue, which can restore it, but only in the early stages of the disease. Hormonal injections are also prescribed if necessary. However, only a doctor can prescribe all of the above drugs!
There is the use of physiotherapy (although many experts consider such treatment a waste of time). This is a special massage, laser treatment, manual therapy, physiotherapy exercises. However, these procedures take a long time, as well as the patient's funds, although they are not a defining method of treatment.
However, with grade 3 arthrosis, doctors usually insist on surgical intervention while replacing a destroyed joint with a prosthesis.
Folk methods of combating osteoarthritis
Traditional medicine also does not stand aside from treating a serious illness. Various ointments and compresses made from birch leaves, burdock, cabbage are used for these purposes. They are beaten in the groin and then fixed at the site of pain.
A mixture of honey, alcohol, iodine and glycerin is used in the form of compresses. Traditional medicine confirms the effectiveness of baths with nettle extract. Also, treatment for bee bites has become very popular in escaping from the disease. A tincture of honey, carrot, beet, radish and aloe juice should be poured into vodka and mixed for a week, after which the tincture can be drunk once a day, 20 grams each.
Prevention of coxarthrosis
Typically, preventive measures include strict weight control (because being overweight puts a lot of stress on the thigh joints), proper distribution of physical activity to overload the joints, and timely contact with a specialist in case of slight suspicion. .
Osteoarthritis of the hip joint is an extremely unpleasant and serious disease that poses serious complications, but timely consultation with a qualified doctor can help you avoid the dire consequences of the disease.