What Is Coxarthrosis?
While the term is rarely used on this side of the pond, coxarthrosis is something that no patient would like to overlook. It is another name for arthrosis of the hip joint, which can eventually lead to disability if left untreated. Read on to find out what the symptoms of coxarthrosis are, what causes can be behind it, and how it is treated.
What is coxarthrosis?
Coxarthrosis is a disease that leads to hip joint destruction. It is more likely to affect those aged 40 or older, with women being more prone to the disease. In most cases, only one hip is damaged, but it can be diagnosed in both hips as well.
The hip joint has to endure a lot of pressure, as it is used in a wide range of movements. Coxarthrosis progresses through different stages, and while earlier stages can be managed using medications, when the joint is damaged to such an extent the patient cannot move, such people have no option but to resort to surgery and hip joint replacement.
What are the causes behind coxarthrosis?
Coxarthrosis results from the gradual destruction of the hip joint cartilage. Hip arthroses can be primary or secondary, so causes may vary. The causes of primary hip arthroses remain unknown, whereas secondary coxarthrosis follows other disorders, which include rheumatism, injuries, circulatory disorders, congenital malformations, etc.
Among the factors that can contribute to coxarthrosis development are the following:
- Old age
- Failure to maintain decent physical activity level
- Obesity
- Overusing the hip joint. This is most common among athletes or obese people
- Kyphosis, scoliosis
- Metabolic disorders
- Endocrine disorders
What are the symptoms of coxarthrosis?
The key symptom of coxarthrosis is a pain in the hip. It is felt because bony deposits, which are formed on the joint, and abrasion particles prevent the joint from moving properly. Losing its fit, the joint becomes stiff.
At first, pain is experienced only if you are stressed or start moving after resting for some time. As the disease progresses, pain creeps into the night and can be felt even while resting. At some point, a patient with coxarthrosis becomes incapacitated.
However, the hip is not the only place in which coxarthrosis pain can dwell. Other locations may include:
- The groin
- The back of the thigh
- Knees
How is coxarthrosis treated?
If left untreated, arthrosis of the hip joint can lead to disability. The kind of treatment required depends on what stage the disease is at.
If symptoms are mild and the X-ray reveals the disease has not progressed much, lifestyle changes can still be effective. Exercising more (low-impact sports), following a healthy diet, getting rid of extra pounds, and reevaluating other aspects of your life can help halt disease progression and slow it down significantly.
If the pain you are having is quite intense, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used. As to the sports recommended to patients with coxarthrosis, swimming is one of the most beneficial options.
Should this kind of treatment prove to be useless, corticosteroid injections are what your doctor is likely to prescribe you. Alternative therapy is hyaluronic acid viscosupplementation.
The most radical solution, which is used when all other therapies fail, is hip surgery. Hip joint replacement is an option that enables a patient to start moving again and even do some low-impact sports, but it should be used at an appropriate time because if the patient’s muscles have already deteriorated, it will be difficult to start walking again even with a new joint.
The bottom line is that if you feel pain in some joint, do not hesitate to consult your doctor – a simple X-ray can help you keep your joints as healthy as possible for quite a long time. A stitch in time saves nine, and treating your hip joint can help you prevent hip replacement later.
