What is avascular necrosis and how is it treated? I recently has an X-ray of my rt. hip that only showed minor arthritis change in my hip. I am 60 yrs old female. I also have rt thigh pain and rt. abdomen pain/soreness heat does provide relief. with increased activity my thigh and rt. hip pain increase causing me to limp. My doctor recently treated me with methylpredisolone tablets 4 mg. for a week that really helps with the pain and soreness, After the medications was gone the pain and soreness started to come back. I hope that you can help me to understand what is going on. Thank you.
avascular necrosis is revascularization of femoral head (loss in blood supply), this causes bone part to become necroses (dead) and becomes susceptible to fracture collapse eventually, when partially necroses, it is very painful on weight-bearing or walking. X-ray shows it as denser area than surrounding or adjacent bone. Once the blood supply is impaired, complete necrosis follows in 6 months to 2 years. So salvage operations are done with prosthetic implants or weight shifting surgery. I hope your doctor has confirmed if it is indeed avascular necrosis. Arthritis is different, in hip, it doesn't lead to avascular necrosis but destruction of joint surfaces and reshaping of joint in later stages. We must be clear whether it is arthritis only or avascular necrosis as treatment varies.It's best to leave it to your orthopedic or hip surgeon to decide diagnosis and treatment. Yes, as you are advised physical therapy it maybe just arthritis, which is more readily manageable conservatively, unlike avascular necrosis which requires surgery more frequently best wishes