Other accompanying symptoms
In addition to the joint pain and the characteristic groin pain, which occur mainly in the morning or after physical exertion, hip arthrosis can cause other symptoms. Due to the loss of cartilage, the hip is limited in its function and those affected have problems walking. The maximum walking distance decreases steadily in the course of the disease.
Especially after lying or sitting for a long time, walking is difficult and patients limp or bend their leg on the affected side. The progressive wear and tear on the joints slowly leads to stiffening of the hip and patients have problems with hip flexion. This is particularly noticeable when putting on socks or shoes.
Accompanying cracking or rubbing noises can occur, as the two joint surfaces audibly rub against each other. In order to relieve the pain, the affected persons usually fall into a relieving position unnoticed. This, however, leads to tension in the muscles in the hip area and again to muscle pain. An acute inflammatory process can also lead to redness and overheating of the hip, and swelling in the affected area of the body also indicates an inflammatory process.
Causes of hip arthrosis
Osteoarthritis is a wear process in which the cartilage that covers the joint surfaces is worn away. Since this cartilage normally acts as a buffer, loss of cartilage causes the bones of a joint to rub together, which can cause severe pain. On the one hand, arthrosis can be caused by the everyday strain of walking and moving, but it is also increasingly caused by certain circumstances.
These include heavy strain, where the wear and tear process occurs more quickly, accidents and other injuries in which the joint was affected, and increased strain due to overweight. But also congenital causes, such as a malposition of the hip joint, can lead to arthrosis due to the permanent incorrect loading. Arthrosis occurs more frequently in advanced age in particular, as the amount of fluid in the body decreases and the cartilage consists partly of fluid. The elasticity and the resilience of the cartilage thus decreases.
