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Patient education: Avascular necrosis of the hip (The Basics)

Patient education: Avascular necrosis of the hip (The Basics)

What is avascular necrosis of the hip? — Avascular necrosis of the hip is a condition that causes hip pain. It happens when bone tissue inside the hip doesn't get enough blood and dies. If avascular necrosis is not treated, it can eventually cause the hip joint to collapse.

Avascular necrosis of the hip is also called "osteonecrosis of the hip."

What are the symptoms of avascular necrosis of the hip? — The symptoms include:

Pain in the groin, especially when walking

Pain in the buttocks, thighs, and knees

Limping

Are there tests for avascular necrosis of the hip? — Yes. Your doctor or nurse will ask about your symptoms and do an exam. Other tests include:

An X-ray of the hip

An MRI – This is an imaging test that create pictures of the inside of your body.

How is avascular necrosis of the hip treated? — Treatments include:

Bed rest

Using crutches

Medicines – These include pain-relieving medicine such as ibuprofen (sample brand names: Advil, Motrin) and drugs to prevent bone loss, such as alendronate (brand name: Fosamax).

Surgery – Different kinds of surgery can help reduce pressure and pain in your hip. They include:

Core decompression – For this surgery, the doctor takes out some of the inner layer of damaged bone tissue.

A bone graft – This is when the doctor takes healthy bone from another part of your body and puts it into the damaged area of your hip. It might be done together with core decompression.

Osteotomy – In this surgery, the doctor reshapes your hipbone.

Hip replacement – This surgery replaces your hip with a man-made hip joint, called a prosthesis. A prosthesis can be made out of plastic, metal, or ceramic.

Can avascular necrosis of the hip be prevented? — You can reduce your chances of getting avascular necrosis of the hip by keeping your bones as healthy as possible. To do this, you can:

Eat foods with a lot of calcium and vitamin D, such as milk, yogurt, and green leafy vegetables, and fish from the ocean (figure 1)

Take calcium and vitamin D pills

Be active for at least 30 minutes, most days of the week

Avoid smoking

If you drink alcohol, limit yourself to 1 drink per day (for women) or 2 drinks per day (for men).

If you take medicines called steroids, such as prednisone (sample brand name: Winpred) or prednisolone (sample brand name: Orapred), work with your doctor to take the lowest possible dose.

Do your best to keep from falling, too. It sounds simple, but you can prevent a lot of fractures by trying not to fall. To do that:

Make sure all your rugs have a no-slip backing to keep them in place.

Tuck away any electrical cords, so they are not in your way.

Make sure all walkways are well-lit.

Watch out for slippery floors.

Wear sturdy, comfortable shoes with rubber soles.

Have your eyes checked.

Ask your doctor or nurse to check whether any of your medicines might make you dizzy or put you at risk of falling.

More on this topic

Patient education: Hip pain in older people (The Basics)
Patient education: Osteoporosis (The Basics)
Patient education: Preventing falls in adults (The Basics)
Patient education: Hip replacement (The Basics)

Patient education: Osteoporosis prevention and treatment (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Total hip replacement (Beyond the Basics)

This topic retrieved from UpToDate on: Jan 01, 2023.
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