4 May 2021
Also known as osteonecrosis or aseptic necrosis, this condition is caused by the lack of blood circulation in the bones, which causes the decomposition and death of the tissue, regularly affecting the long bones of the body, especially the femur, although it can occur in any bone.
This disease can affect people of all ages, but its incidence is higher in men between 40 and 50 years old.
The cessation or reduction of blood circulation that causes avascular necrosis can result from the following, among other causes:
Often, there are no symptoms when avascular necrosis begins, but as it progresses, the main symptom, which is pain in the damaged joint area, appears and progressively intensifies.
At first, the pain may occur only when you move, support, or exert force in the joint, but in later stages, the pain is intense despite being immobile, sitting, or lying down.
How can I prevent it?
Once your doctor analyzes your symptoms and medical history, they will perform a physical examination in which they will touch different areas of the painful joints to observe their sensitivity and will have you move them in different directions to notice your movement limitations.
Likewise, they will request a series of tests to rule out other conditions that cause joint pain and confirm the diagnosis, such as x-rays, MRI, computed tomography, and bone scan.
The treatment to follow will depend on the severity of your case, but its purpose is to prevent the condition from advancing, so it will prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, anticoagulants, and drugs to fight osteoporosis, as well as others to lower cholesterol, combined with physical therapy and electrical stimulation.
In severe cases, treatment options are surgical in nature and range from procedures to decompress the bone core, grafts, osteotomy, to joint replacements.
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