Hip problems are not only quite painful, but they can have lifelong effects and that’s not the most ideal situation. You will need to go through the treatment suggested by your orthopedic surgeon to get better. Here is everything you need to know about hip avascular necrosis and everything that comes along with it.

Avascular Necrosis Of The Hip

This might or might not come as a surprise, but your bones also need a regular blood supply, otherwise that part of the bone tissue can die. This is what an avascular necrosis is. It is essentially the death of the bone tissue when blood doesn’t reach that area for a long time. It is also known as osteonecrosis, which simply means necrosis in the bones. If the necrosis affects your hip bone or the area near the hip, then it is known as hip osteonecrosis.

Hip avascular necrosis is pretty common and it can happen to people who are older or young, depending on the circumstances. Usually, necrosis is not something that is developed overnight. If you have an injury in the hip bone for a long time and it’s not been healed properly, then it can lead to necrosis being developed after a few months.

When a bone breaks or there is a minute fracture, the area is already deprived of the blood supply it needs to heal. Over time, if this isn’t healed, the area will become dead and necrosis will develop. This can cause immense pain and overall difficulty in moving the hip.

Causes Of Hip Avascular Necrosis

There can be many causes of hip avascular necrosis and some of them are as follows:

Fall

Your hip has taken the brunt of the force when you fell and that can lead to a fracture among other things. Later, there is a high possibility of necrosis being developed.

Chronic Hip Injuries

If your hip was injured before, but you never got it checked, either because it didn’t hurt as much or you simply didn’t notice it, then necrosis can develop after the passage of a couple of months or even years. It depends on how strenuous the activity is and how your hip is coping with all of the impacts you’re putting on it.

Bone Disorders

If you are suffering from bone disorders like osteoarthritis, arthritis, osteoporosis, etc., then it is highly likely that you develop avascular necrosis after some time, because your bones are already quite achy and weak and a sudden impact can accelerate the necrosis in no time.

Fats

If your blood flow has a lot of fat in it, then it can cause the passageways to be blocked. This can ultimately cause the bone to lose contact with the blood passageway. It can lead to the death of the bone tissue because there’s no blood reaching the bone.

Unhealed Injuries

If you have broken bones because of an accident or trauma that has never been mended, then the possibility of necrosis becomes sky-high.

Genetics

Genetics and familial history can also play a huge role in determining whether a person will be affected by avascular necrosis or not. Necrosis is a genetic and hereditary disorder and it can occur in people who have a long family history.

Symptoms Of Hip Avascular Necrosis

Now that you know the causes of avascular necrosis of the hip, here are the symptoms of it, so that you can identify the problem right away.

The obvious symptom includes pain. Your hip area will be in a lot of pain, to the point where you need to take a breather from walking, standing and even sitting around too much, because you’ll always feel that dull pain creeping up.
Hip rotation will be almost impossible, especially when the necrosis exceeds to the point where it hurts a lot. It will become hard for you to rotate your hip and even move yourself in general.
The hip is a complex connection of joints, the main one being the ball and socket joint, so if you develop avascular necrosis, then it might hurt a lot when you sit in a certain position that puts pressure on the joint. Sometimes, even lying down can hurt too and it’s quite frustrating when you can’t find relief in any position.
If you develop necrosis in both of the hip joints, then that’s going to lead to immobility, because even if you try to move an inch, then a shooting wave of pain will prevent you from moving any further.

Diagnosis Of Hip Avascular Necrosis

Before diving into the treatment of the avascular necrosis of the hip, you must visit a doctor so that they can run some tests for an official diagnosis. This condition can develop in any bone so consult the right doctor. If you’re feeling pain in your back, you should visit a spine and back doctor Woodbridge. Here is what you can expect when you go for a doctor’s appointment for your painful hip.

First, the doctor might do a physical exam. A lot of the time, there aren’t any physical deformities in the hip that can be seen, but it’s still important to do, especially if you have a history of injuries or fractures that have led to the necrosis worsening. The doctor might feel around your hip bone for an old fracture.

Next, some blood tests will be necessary. Since the presence of fats and lipids can be a cause of necrosis in the hip, the doctor needs to rule that possibility out too, because if it is not investigated, then the necrosis can strike again, in different joints of the body, so the lipid issue needs to be dealt with, first. If there is no presence of fats in the blood, then the doctor can move on to other modes of diagnosis.

Speaking of other modes of diagnosis, an X-ray or MRI is a foolproof way of determining what’s wrong with your hip. You might get an x-ray on the appointment immediately, depending on your condition and how severe the pain is.

Treatment For Hip Avascular Necrosis Of The Hip

Here are some treatment methods that are employed for hip avascular necrosis.

Surgical Methods

You can go for bone compression, which is the shaving down of the inner hip bone. This allows the regeneration of bones and it will reduce the pain as well.
There is also bone graft. It’s essentially a transplant of sorts, where a part of the healthy bone is taken from your body and attached to the affected hip bone.

Non-Surgical Methods

Proper rest and light stretching are recommended for people who are feeling a lot of pain in their hips.
Anti-inflammatory drugs and NSAIDs are perfect for consuming if you want to manage the pain without any surgery.
Physical therapy works wonders for people who have slight pain in their hips and don’t need to go for surgery.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and following a low-cholesterol diet will prevent necrosis from developing and it’ll also lead to faster healing.

Conclusion

Hip avascular necrosis is a serious issue and it can affect your daily movement and life activities. Now you know how you can pinpoint the disorder and when you need to go to orthopedic hip surgeons Woodbridge for diagnosis and treatment.