Hip troubles can be a real pain in more ways than one. One of the less common but quite troublesome conditions is bilateral avascular necrosis of the hip. I should know. I had it and it nearly ruined my life.

Bilateral avascular necrosis of the hip? Sounds complicated, right? Well, it’s basically a case of both your hip joints facing some blood supply problems. Imagine your hip joints as the hinges of a door, allowing you to move around freely. Now, if these hinges start getting rusty due to lack of blood flow, it’s like your door is stuck, and moving around becomes a real chore.

So, why does this happen? AVN, as it’s casually known, occurs when the blood supply to the hip’s “ball” (the femoral head) goes haywire. The lack of blood flow makes the bone tissue go all cranky and, eventually, it starts to die. When your bone tissue begins to die, your hip joint deteriorates, causing pain and making it harder to get up, walk, or do pretty much anything without feeling like you’re dragging a ball and chain.

What’s causing this hip trouble? Well, there are a few culprits. It seems to be partly genetic in origin, so you’ll want to keep special watch if a parent or grandparent was afflicted. One of the other usual suspects is prolonged use of corticosteroid medications. These drugs, while they might help in other ways, can mess with the blood vessels supplying the bone and set the stage for avascular necrosis. Too much booze can also be a troublemaker, as excessive alcohol consumption can throw blood flow off balance. Injuries or trauma to the hip and certain health conditions like sickle cell anemia and lupus can also tag along as accomplices in causing this hip drama.

How do you know if you’ve got bilateral avascular necrosis of the hip? Well, sometimes — as it did for me — you feel it first in your knees because of the extra weight they have to bear. Other times it starts with a nagging hip pain that just won’t leave you alone, especially when you’re active. It can be a real hindrance to everyday activities, making it hard to move, and has this nasty habit of flaring up when you try to bear weight on your hips. Sometimes, the pain spreads down to your thigh and makes your life miserable. Left untreated, it’s like a ticking time bomb, slowly but surely wrecking your hip joints.

Getting a diagnosis for this hip hassle often starts with a chat with a healthcare pro who’ll listen to your complaints and check out your mobility. Then, they’ll usually order some cool scans like X-rays, MRIs, or CT scans to confirm the diagnosis and see how bad the bone damage is. Well talk about remedies next week.

So, there you have it – bilateral avascular necrosis of the hip, the unexpected party crasher that makes your hips throw a tantrum. It’s not the end of the world, but it’s essential to catch it early and explore treatment options to keep your hips swinging like they should.

By Steven Roberts