Is it better to prevent and treat osteonecrosis early than late?

  Nowadays, the danger of osteonecrosis as an irreversible and disabling disease is well known. Studies on the natural course of osteonecrosis of the femoral head have found that without effective treatment, about 80% of the femoral head will collapse within 1 to 3 years. Once the femoral head collapses, the hip joint will inevitably develop into osteoarthritis and seriously affect the function of the hip joint, necessitating artificial joint replacement. Although the cause of osteonecrosis is complex and dangerous, osteonecrosis is still a preventable and treatable disease, and its early diagnosis and early treatment are especially important. We found in the clinic that many patients did not go to the regular hospital for diagnosis and treatment in time, or blindly believe in the so-called ancestral recipes, so that the best time for treatment was delayed, resulting in lifelong regret. Therefore, the correct understanding of osteonecrosis and the active prevention of osteonecrosis is of great significance, and its significance lies not only in the prevention before the onset, but also in the prevention of progress after the onset. High-risk groups of osteonecrosis: Osteonecrosis can be divided into two categories: traumatic and non-traumatic. Traumatic osteonecrosis is mainly caused by trauma, with a history of hip trauma and fracture; personnel working in decompression environments such as underwater and pipelines should be taken seriously. The pathogenesis of non-traumatic osteonecrosis is still not well understood, but 90% of the osteonecrosis we see clinically is related to the use of hormones and alcohol abuse. Therefore, people who need to take corticosteroids for a long time for various reasons; who are chronic heavy drinkers; who have certain blood disorders such as hypercoagulable states, sickle cell anemia; and who have undergone organ transplantation are at greater risk.  Prevention of osteonecrosis: We should avoid alcohol and smoking in our daily life. Eat a rich and varied diet, avoid high-fat and high-sugar foods, take appropriate calcium supplements, dairy products, fish and vegetables with high calcium content, and take regular physical exercise to prevent osteoporosis. Middle-aged and elderly people, especially women, have a high incidence of femoral necrosis after femoral neck fracture, so it is not only important to avoid fracture, but also important to treat the fracture in a timely and correct manner; for people at high risk of non-traumatic osteonecrosis, they can take early intervention methods to prevent osteonecrosis while treating the disease, such as applying drugs to improve blood circulation: prostaglandin E1, salvia, low molecular heparin, etc. Drugs that regulate lipid metabolism can also be applied.  Early treatment of osteonecrosis: osteonecrosis emphasizes early treatment, once diagnosed with osteonecrosis, should be timely to the regular conditional medical units, do not believe in “miracle doctors” “miracle drugs” delay the disease. Any promises claiming “100% cure” have no scientific basis. About 70 percent of the patients believed in the propaganda of small advertisements and took medicine indiscriminately, which delayed the condition and finally caused the femoral head to collapse and had to go to a large hospital for joint replacement surgery. In addition to the 20% of patients with femoral head necrosis who can be cured by simple treatment, 80% of patients must undergo surgery, otherwise the head of the femur is bound to collapse, and finally only the joint can be replaced.