Avascular Necrosis

• What Is Avascular Necrosis?

• Types of Osteonecrosis

• Where Does Avascular Necrosis Develop?

• What Causes Avascular Necrosis?

• Avascular Necrosis Symptoms

• How Is Avascular Necrosis Diagnosed?
  

• Avascular Necrosis Treatment
  

There are two types of avascular necrosis: traumatic and nontraumatic.

Traumatic osteonecrosis occurs after you sustain a significant injury, like breaking a bone or dislocating a joint. Nontraumatic osteonecrosis occurs as a result of a separate medical condition that affects your blood flow or some other behavioral cause, as long as it's not explained by an injury.

Sometimes the cause isn't clear. In fact, around 20% of osteonecrosis cases occur with no obvious cause, traumatic or nontraumatic

If it's a bone, it can develop avascular necrosis. Most commonly this disease occurs in joints and longer bones, like the hip, knee, and shoulder.

Hip Osteonecrosis

is caused by a lack of blood flow to the hip joint, specifically the head of the femur bone. Without blood, the femoral head can't create new tissue and collapses, which causes the surrounding cartilage to fail as well. This can lead to painful, disabling arthritis in the hip.

Anyone between 40 and 65 years of age are more likely to develop the disease, and men develop hip osteonecrosis more often than women. Both hips are typically affected if a patient has osteonecrosis.

Knee Osteonecrosis

Knee avascular necrosis is caused by a lack of blood flow to the knee joint, specifically a section of either the femur or tibia bone. Without blood, the femoral head or proximal tibia cannot create new tissue, and will eventually collapse and bring the surrounding cartilage with it. This can lead to painful, disabling arthritis in the knee.

Anyone over the age of 60 is more likely to develop the disease, and women develop knee osteonecrosis much more often than men.

Shoulder Osteonecrosis

Shoulder avascular necrosis is caused by a lack of blood flow to the shoulder joint, specifically at the top of the humerus bone in the upper arm. Without blood, the humerus cannot create new tissue and will eventually collapse in the shoulder joint, along with any surrounding cartilage. This can lead to sclerosis and arthritis in the shoulder

Avascular necrosis is a disease that gradually worsens over time, so it's possible that you might not notice any symptoms for quite some time. Some of the osteonecrosis symptoms you may feel or notice include:

• Limited range of motion
• Difficulty walking, standing, or climbing up stairs, especially without a limp
• Increased, intermittent pain in your joints
• Stiffness in your joints
• Pain that occurs when you put intentional pressure on your bones or joints
• Sudden intense pain

Non-Surgical Treatment

Some non-surgical avascular necrosis treatments include:

• Pain medication, including NSAIDs, to help control swelling and inflammation
• Walking aids to relieve pressure, like canes or walkers Physical therapy exercises and movements
• Rest and reduction of physical activity
• Electrical stimulation via electrodes
• Heat or ice treatment

Surgical Treatment

Some surgical AVN treatments include:

• Bone transplants, which involves a section from one of your healthy bones
• Bone reshaping, which helps alleviate extra stress on the affected joint or bone
• Core decompression, which relieves pressure from inside your bone by removing a section of its inner layer to improve blood flow
• Joint replacement, which requires a full artificial replacement of the affected joint bones to alleviate pain and restore mobility when improving blood flow is impossible

This is not an exhaustive list of surgical options to treat osteonecrosis. Your orthopedist will be the best person to discuss your unique treatment.

If you believe you may be experiencing avascular necrosis, we encourage you to schedule an appointment with our award-winning orthopedic team today and begin your journey towards a pain-free life. We will help you find a healthy solution and help you get moving again.