Avascular necrosis is
a disease resulting from death of bone tissue due to lack of blood supply. The hip bone is the most commonly affected
due to this condition and long-term disease leads to eventual collapse of the
joint. Modern management consists of the use of biphosphanates to reduce or
slow down calcium loss from the bone, decompression surgery, physiotherapy, and
- as a last resort – surgical joint replacement.
This condition
usually causes severe pain, stiffness, and limitation of joint movement. Activities of daily living are restricted
because of this disease. Most patients
who resort to decompression surgery seldom obtain any benefit from the
procedure. Total joint replacement is a
costly procedure and does not offer full joint mobility.
Ayurvedic herbal treatment
is highly effective and successful in the management AVN of the hip. Treatment consists of aggressively using
herbal tablets which are safe and effective for long-term use. Additionally, a medicated enema is given
weekly along with local application of medicated oils and fomentation. Graded physiotherapy is also beneficial along
with other treatment. This combination
treatment is very effective and successful in treating all the symptoms of AVN
related to pain, stiffness, and limitation of movement. Most people affected with AVN can walk
normally and lead a normal life after a few months of Ayurvedic treatment.
In order to prevent
further deterioration of the joint and to prevent a relapse, medicines can be
continued in low dose as a supplementation therapy. However, most patients consider themselves
fully cured within a few months of treatment.
It is important to initiate Ayurvedic herbal treatment at the earliest
possible in order to get maximum benefit and a complete cure. The greater the joint destruction at commencement
of therapy, the longer is the treatment required to reverse the entire
pathology as well as all the symptoms.
Ayurvedic herbal treatment can thus be judiciously utilized in
successfully and effectively treating AVN of the hip joint.
The writer, Dr. A. A.
Mundewadi, is available as an online Ayurvedic Consultant at https://www.mundewadiayurvedicclinic.com and http://www.ayurvedaphysician.com