Common cause of hip osteoarthritis

The hip joint is located at the junction between the femur and pelvis, responsible for supporting the upper body and daily movements, absorbing impact when standing, walking, running, jumping or bending. Therefore, when the hip joint degenerates, the above functions also gradually disappear and cause the patient to encounter many difficulties in daily life. In the early stages, the disease often develops very silently, easily mistaken for common low back pain or buttock pain.

MSc. Ho Duc Loc, Orthopedics Center, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, points out some common causes of hip osteoarthritis.

Natural aging is the most common cause of the disease, often occurring in the elderly. As the body ages, the articular cartilage gradually loses elasticity and thins, causing bone ends to rub against each other when moving.

Injury Direct effects on the hip joint area such as cracks, fractures of the femoral neck, dislocation of the hip joint or torn cartilage… all change the biomechanics of the joint, leaving long-term sequelae and weakening the joint, leading to degeneration, even when the patient is young.

Birth defects or structural abnormalities can cause problems such as hip dysplasia, congenital hip dislocation… causing the joint to become misaligned, subject to uneven force, increasing pressure on a small area of ​​cartilage, causing cartilage erosion many times faster than in normal people.

Pathology including autoimmune arthritis diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis… attack the synovial membrane, destroying cartilage and subchondral bone structures. Osteonecrosis of the femoral head occurs due to lack of blood supply, causing bone cells in the femoral head to necrosis, collapsing the head and quickly leading to serious hip degeneration.

Excessive exercise Such as regularly playing combat sports, high impact (football, basketball…) or doing heavy labor, causing joints to be easily eroded and weakened due to frequent repetitive pressure. As a result, osteoarthritis occurs earlier or progresses faster.

Overweight, obese does not directly cause disease, but excess body weight increases pressure on the hip joint, causing cartilage to quickly be destroyed, accelerating the degeneration process.

Some other factors such as a family history of osteoarthritis, menopausal women causing hormonal changes, long-term use of corticosteroids increases the risk of osteonecrosis, low birth weight or premature birth may be related to some minor defects in the hip joint structure, contributing to the development of degenerative processes…

Dr. Loc said that as hip osteoarthritis progresses, signs will gradually appear such as pain in the groin, buttocks or thighs. The pain can spread to the front of the thigh or to the back of the buttocks, increases when walking or standing for long periods of time, and decreases when resting.

The patient may have difficulty with simple daily activities such as tying shoelaces, cutting toenails, squatting, turning or straddling the legs… The patient has a feeling of stiffness in the hip joint after waking up or after sitting still for a long time. In the late stages, the articular cartilage dissolves, causing the two ends of the bones to rub, causing noise and severe pain, leading to a limp gait and crunching sounds when moving.

When dull pain in the groin area or limited hip movement lasts for more than 2 weeks, patients should immediately go to medical facilities with specialized in Trauma and Orthopedics for examination, X-ray/MRI and timely advice on treatment regimens.