How to recognize problems with the hip joint: 4 noticeable signs from a traumatologist

The hip joint withstands a huge load every day, so even small failures in its work quickly make themselves felt. But there is a nuance: at first, the symptoms are often blurred - many blame them on fatigue, age or overload, which is why the problem is aggravated. Russian doctor traumatologist-orthopedist Ivan Eremin told how the first signs to suspect problems with the hip joint, writes sb.by.

Inclination of the body towards the sore leg

According to Ivan Eremin, with each step, a person falls slightly in this direction: so the body transfers the center of gravity over the sick joint, because the muscles that hold the pelvis have already weakened. From the outside, this resembles a “walk-transshipment”, and the person himself can note increasing fatigue by the evening.

Turning the foot outwards and shortened step

- The sock of the sore leg looks outward, the step from this side becomes shorter: a person does not carry the leg forward, but substitutes it. This is not an accident, but a forced posture: the joint is so comfortable, because turning the leg inside is already given with difficulty, the doctor said.

Difficulties in getting up and landing

As Ivan Yeremin explained:

- A person leans on his hands, looks for a high support, avoids low chairs, and sits in the car “back”, alternately putting his legs and helping himself with his hands. This is a sign that the joint does not allow you to bend and turn at the same time, and the body breaks down one movement into several.

Unsymmetrical wear of shoes

This sign literally “stands in your hallway”, drew the attention of the expert:

- If you turn over an everyday pair of shoes, you can notice that the heel on one side is worn harder, and the sole is worn asymmetrically. Shoes keep a gait history for months of use. Important: wear itself is not a diagnosis, because people have different settings of the foot. But the combination of an erased sole with at least one of the three previous signs is already a reason to consult a doctor.

Often discomfort in the hip or groin is confused with lower back problems. Here are simple landmarks:

Pain from behind often gives on the back surface of the leg, often accompanied by numbness and intensifies with slopes. Problems with the hip joint give pain in the groin, sometimes it "gives" to the knee, and increases when trying to turn the leg inwards. Bath for pain in the hip joint and after its replacement: when heat is useful, and when it is harmful