Avascular Necrosis is the medical condition where the supply of blood to bone tissue is hampered leading to death of bone tissues. The condition is also refereed as osteonecrosis and it causes tiny breakage in to the bone and eventually the bones collapse. When you have a fracture or the joints become dislocated, the supply of blood to the section of bone is hampered and this causes Avascular Necrosis. The condition may also be caused because of prolonged use of steroid medications and intake of excessive alcohol.
The hip joint is the section of bone which is primarily affected by the condition and the condition may occur to anyone, especially in people between 30 and 60 years.
In the early stage of Avascular Necrosis no signs or symptoms are develop and making it difficult to diagnose it in early stage. As the condition worsens, the joints which are affected would hurt when you put weight on it. You may also experience the hurt in the joint when you are lying down.
You may experience severe pain which would develop gradually. The joints in foot, hands, knee, shoulder and hip are likely to be affected by Avascular Necrosis.
As mentioned, Avascular Necrosis is the death of bone tissue which is caused when the supply of blood to the section of bone is hampered or reduced. Some of the conditions due to which the supply of blood in the bone section may get reduce and cause Avascular Necrosis is:
The risk of developing Avascular Necrosis increases due to certain diseases or conditions, excessive drinking, and medical treatments.
Doctors would check the tenderness around the joints by pressing around the joints. Joints would also be moved in varied positions to check the range of motion. There are also imaging tests which are conducted like x-rays, bone scanning, MRI to check the signs and symptoms of Avascular Necrosis. MRI provides the doctors with detailed images of the internal structures of bone and through the images they can easily make out if you are having Avascular Necrosis.
The focus of Avascular Necrosis treatment is to reduce the bone loss. The treatment plan for your condition depends on the amount of bone damages that the patient is already having.