Our hip joints hold the support of the entire body - they bear the weight of the human body, ensure its mobility, and enable movement. But when pain during movement changes our everyday life, turning it into a constant struggle, it is immediately painful to find a way to get rid of it.
Qualified staff of orthopedists-traumatologists of Rudenko Medical Center, Zaporizhia:
- Provides assistance to patients with diseases of the hip joints.
- He has many years of experience in the treatment of osteonecrosis of the femoral head.
- Our personalized approach and professional assets allow patients to get maximum efficiency in a short time.
Hip joints are subject to time and diseases, like any other structures of our body. But there are conditions that will affect the hip joint more often than others. A significant part of patients over 60 years of age and a small percentage of the male population under 40 will face avascular necrosis in their lifetime. It is this cohort that is at risk for the development of osteonecrosis of the femoral head. At first glance, the condition, which is slowly progressing and does not have acute intrusive symptoms, does not pose a significant threat to our body. But this is where its complexity is hidden.
Due to the basis of the risk group, osteonecrosis of the hip joint often remains unrecognized for a long time and is mistaken for normal degenerative joint changes or the effects of herniated discs in the lumbar spine. Unfortunately, in many cases, avascular necrosis of the hip joint can be diagnosed only at the stage when:
- drug therapy (chondroprotectors, anti-inflammatory drugs) allows only temporary pain relief,
- the condition of the joint significantly limits the physical activity of the patient, gradually disabling him,
- the patient has to give up his usual life and daily overcome difficulties with motor activity.
At the same time, the quality of life noticeably deteriorates, the disease makes its corrections and limitations in every sphere of our life, and also constantly reminds us of pain, which only increases with the progression of osteonecrosis. Therefore, it is very important to consult an orthopedist in a timely manner in order to diagnose avascular necrosis in the initial stages, when it is still possible to stop the pathological process.
Why does aseptic necrosis of the femoral head develop?
Despite the massiveness and relative static of this joint, aseptic inflammation affects it most often. This is because during life, considerable pressure is created on the joint by the weight of the body, and the joint has an unstable blood supply, which becomes poor with age, specifically in the area of the head and neck of the femur. You can also distinguish:
- traumatic genesis of osteonecrosis, which is actually secondary and
- develops as a result of femoral neck fractures
- non-traumatic - against the background of no violation of bone integrity
Non-traumatic avascular necrosis is usually a bilateral process and can occur in different joints independently of each other in time, the lesion of traumatic genesis is, accordingly, mostly unilateral.
What symptoms will bother a patient who begins to develop osteonecrosis of the femoral head?
To differentiate this concussion from many others, there are no pathognomonic symptoms, only general manifestations of the inflammatory process of the hip joints, such as:
- Pain during physical exertion without clear irradiation
- A feeling of crunch in the hip joints when moving
- The need to leave in the morning
- Limitation of movements of the affected limb
You definitely won't be able to cope with the diagnosis of osteonecrosis on your own, which is why you should contact a traumatologist at the Rudenko Medical Center in Zaporizhzhia in case of joint pain to prevent the irreversible consequences of the development of this disease in advance.
After a detailed medical history and physical examination, the doctor will recommend diagnostic measures depending on the clinical situation.
Instrumental diagnosis of osteonecrosis of the femoral head is based on imaging methods: radiography of hip joints, computer tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging. Computer tomography is the most sensitive and specific method of diagnosing avascular necrosis of the femoral head. If necessary, consultation of related specialists, such as a neurologist, rheumatologist, may be necessary.
One of the important areas of treatment of this pathology in the clinic is organ-preserving interventions. These interventions in complex therapy with conservative measures (physio-restorative treatment, osteotropic drugs and chondroprotectors) allow to stop necrosis of the femoral head, especially in the early stages. At the stage when the shape of the head of the femur is not disturbed, its tunneling is performed in order to restore the blood circulation of the affected bone tissue. We have a lot of positive experience of such operations, when it is possible to extend the life of the joints, or to avoid further endoprosthetics of the hip joints altogether.
If there is a violation of the shape of the femoral head, or the progression of avascular necrosis, radical treatment of osteonecrosis of the femoral head is used -
with the help of hip arthroplasty. Total joint replacement eliminates the chronic inflammatory process and relieves you of all complaints related to pain in the hip joint and inability to fully move.
Cemented, cementless, bipolar or unipolar - the type of endoprosthesis is chosen together with the attending physician, depending on the clinical situation and the needs of the patient.
Hip arthroplasty is a surgical intervention performed by our specialists almost daily, taking into account all global trends in the field of joint replacement. Drug therapy of osteonecrosis in the case of malformation of the femoral head is usually aimed at relieving the pain syndrome and does not prevent the progression of the disease, but only takes away precious time that can be spent with the family, without pain and limitations.
Value your health and entrust it to the best specialists, doctors of the Rudenko Medical Center.