Coxalgia - Causes and Symptoms

Definition

Coxalgia is an expression of a pathological process affecting the coxofemoral joint, located between the femoral head and the iliac bone of the pelvis.

This symptom shows a typical hip pain, localized in the groin and sometimes in the gluteal region. Furthermore, it is possible that this manifestation radiates along the front of the thigh up to the medial aspect of the knee.

The coxalgia assumes a gravitational character on the occasion of the load on the articulation or of the movements of the limb in general, while it is relieved by the rest. This indicates the presence of a local irritative state of the tissues or an altered mechanical joint.

Coxalgia can occur as a result of trauma, chronic injury from later use (degenerative processes) or acute and chronic inflammation of joint tissues.

Hip arthritis (or coxarthrosis) is the most common disease that can affect the adult. It is a chronic-degenerative process, which causes the gradual disappearance of the layer of cartilage that covers the femoral head and the cup. Coxarthrosis is progressively established and leads to an increasing joint limitation.

When hip pain is rapid on the other hand, it is necessary to consider an infection, an inflammatory arthritis, a tendonitis or a fracture. The latter is very common in the elderly, particularly among those suffering from osteoporosis.

Coxalgia can also result from a dysplasia of the hip, that is a congenital malformation that gradually brings the head of the femur to dislocate from the acetabular cavity, destined to contain it and make it rotate inside. This alteration of the articular heads is due to an abnormal development in the intrauterine age and is favored by a genetic predisposition and by various environmental factors (eg podalic position of the fetus during gestation, marked laxity of the joint ligaments, etc.).

The causes of coxalgia include traumatic dislocation, a rare event that can occur in the event of an intense impact, for example due to road accidents involving the impact of the knee against the dashboard. In this situation, the femoral head comes out of the acetabulum and the person feels a very intense pain and the inability to move the leg.

Other possible causes of coxalgia include periarthritis (inflammatory disease involving fibrous tissues surrounding a joint), osteonecrosis of the femoral head, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia and bone tumors involving the proximal femur or acetabulum.