Avascular Necrosis - anyone familiar? hip related

SoCal · Mar 29, 2010

Ok, So I broke off the ball at the top of my femural head last weekend (the little ball that sits at the top of your femur and sits in the hip socket. I was skiing - fyi. I had surgery - now have a plate and a pin connecting the femur to the ball. Week 2 and I am out of commission, just a matter of waiting for everything to fuse. No weight bearing allowed. blah blah blah. I have heavy duty meds and short term disability bene's, so I'm good.

My question is this... there is a related condition called "Avascular Necrosis" which describes the deterioration of a bone due to lack of blood flow. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avascular_necrosis

This is the condition that Bo Jackson got after going thru physical therapy on his hip injury and it ultimately required that he get a hip replacement. The blood wasn't flowing to the injury spot well enough and his bone deteriorated. My Doc. told me I am at high risk for that based on where I had the surgery. If anyone out there is familiar with the condition... is there any advice on diet or herbs that can help prevent Avascular Necrosis? I used google and found a page about chinese herbs thus far; http://www.itmonline.org/arts/femur.htm

I am collecting info right now and I am not acting on any of the info without consultation with a Dr. being that I am on some hard core narcotics. I don't want to mess the wrong herbs with meds, etc... just collecting info. Anyone familiar or have any experiences, recommendations? gratzi

ZJP6050 · Mar 29, 2010

what was the surgery procedure? so nothing was sitting in your acetabulum when you broke the head of your femur off?! sounds painful man. i'm sure age\cholesterol has a little bit of play in this. at least it makes sense to me. technology\modern medicine should take care of you. it's unlikely that supplements would help a whole lot but they may. good luck, keep us posted. (sorry i don't have more insight)

SoCal · Mar 29, 2010

ZJP6050 said:
what was the surgery procedure? so nothing was sitting in your acetabulum when you broke the head of your femur off?! sounds painful man. i'm sure age\cholesterol has a little bit of play in this. at least it makes sense to me. technology\modern medicine should take care of you. it's unlikely that supplements would help a whole lot but they may. good luck, keep us posted. (sorry i don't have more insight)

I have high cholesterol. Not sure what the bone arrangement looked like prior to surgery. I went under the knife about 24 hrs after the accident. The procedure was to put a plate in the ball and a rod in the femur. Attached them and sew me back up. As far as I know anyway. You're thinking that high cholesterol may have contributed to the injury? I am not sure what happened to be honest. I am 6'7", 290 lbs and when I started to fall, not too much was going to stop my momentum.

ZJP6050 · Mar 30, 2010

no no not contributing to the injury but affecting the blood flow around your femoral artery may be a problem (post surgery). get your calcium and vitamin D, both contributing to bone density

scott · Mar 30, 2010

My son Vincent lost his femur and pelvis to cancer 16 yrs ago. They took everything right up to his spine so there was nothing to attach a prosthesis to. The surgeon at UCLA was way ahead of his time and pioneered his own procedure, leaving his leg on for cosmetic purposes among other things. The normal protocol was to amputate. The surgeon sensed something in Vincent, he had never seen a more calm, determined kid.
The surgery team took big swaths of muscle from his back and fashioned them in the cavity where the femur and pelvis was. A patient who has had a hemi pelvectimy (sp?) is given zero chance to walk but the surgeon new if anyone could beat those odds it was Vincent.
Vincent comes home from UCLA (and Cedars Ciani where they gave him a 15% chance to live) and went back to his old job in the Palace Station Sportsbook, which they held for him along with his tokes for the entire time.
Right here I'll skip some drama including where our good friend Oscar Goodman came to Vincents rescue literally saving his life. Vincent also had to overcome his wife who served him with divorce papers and took their boy on the night before his surgery.
Back home in LV he's sitting behind the sports counter at the Palace Station and vows never to use a wheelchair and to get rid of his crutches. With nothing going for him but balls and determination and that mess of "stuff" his surgeon rearranged in him he eventually willed himself to walk. He has a built up shoe and a bad limp but he walks, swims, shoots baskets, golfs, bowls, etc. With every step he must conciously think "I'm stepping with my left leg" because if he doesn't he'll collapse since there are no nerves conecting his brain and leg.
He's somewhat of a "walking" miracle. They've had him back to UCLA to film him, show the residents and other patients who are down. He accompanied his surgeon to the Mayo to show him off. His last visit to UCLA consisted of a two hour session where he was hooked up to that weird machine that films athletes muscles. You know the scenes on TV where some athlete does his speciality and you see his muscles inside at work.
Jumping way ahead he's become a philanthropist donating big sums to childrens causes, especially childhood cancer.

Being 6'7" and 290 you have added difficulties to deal with SoCal. The first thing that comes to mind is don't atrophy. Keep the circulation going to that area no matter how you do it. Keep us posted.

groundhog11 · Mar 30, 2010

SoCal said:
Ok, So I broke off the ball at the top of my femural head last weekend (the little ball that sits at the top of your femur and sits in the hip socket. I was skiing - fyi. I had surgery - now have a plate and a pin connecting the femur to the ball. Week 2 and I am out of commission, just a matter of waiting for everything to fuse. No weight bearing allowed. blah blah blah. I have heavy duty meds and short term disability bene's, so I'm good.

My question is this... there is a related condition called "Avascular Necrosis" which describes the deterioration of a bone due to lack of blood flow. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avascular_necrosis

This is the condition that Bo Jackson got after going thru physical therapy on his hip injury and it ultimately required that he get a hip replacement. The blood wasn't flowing to the injury spot well enough and his bone deteriorated. My Doc. told me I am at high risk for that based on where I had the surgery. If anyone out there is familiar with the condition... is there any advice on diet or herbs that can help prevent Avascular Necrosis? I used google and found a page about chinese herbs thus far; http://www.itmonline.org/arts/femur.htm

I am collecting info right now and I am not acting on any of the info without consultation with a Dr. being that I am on some hard core narcotics. I don't want to mess the wrong herbs with meds, etc... just collecting info. Anyone familiar or have any experiences, recommendations? gratzi

Socal..... i have had this.....it basically started for me i was in a car wreck probably 3 years ago and i hit the whole left side of my body in the wreck... so my left hip was really weak....there is a type of surgery they do to help blood get down the leg, where it is kinda like a stent....but if you miss this early part where they could stent it (like i did) you will end up having to get a hip replacement basically when you cant stand the pain anymore....i held off of the pain for 2 years then decided to get the hip replacment....and im glad i did...i was in the hospital for 1 day then got to go home.....no rehab and i was walking everywhere in a few days....it was a little sore the first week but now im pain free and very glad i got it done....if you want any more info, let me know....good luck...

groundhog11 · Mar 30, 2010

also, for diet.....i would recommend calcium and vitamin d.....i currently take 1200mg of caltrate and over 2000mg vitamin d per day not including food.....you may also look into fosamax which is a pill you take once a week.....this stuff is for bone growth....this stuff will add on to your hip life....but if you do end up having hip replacement dont worry, as the technology is very good now a days.....i am very young too....i know with the above post it seems like im an old man but im not.....

bigbet1234 · Mar 30, 2010

Drinking is not good for this

SoCal · Mar 30, 2010

scott said:
My son Vincent lost his femur and pelvis to cancer 16 yrs ago. They took everything right up to his spine so there was nothing to attach a prosthesis to. The surgeon at UCLA was way ahead of his time and pioneered his own procedure, leaving his leg on for cosmetic purposes among other things. The normal protocol was to amputate. The surgeon sensed something in Vincent, he had never seen a more calm, determined kid.
The surgery team took big swaths of muscle from his back and fashioned them in the cavity where the femur and pelvis was. A patient who has had a hemi pelvectimy (sp?) is given zero chance to walk but the surgeon new if anyone could beat those odds it was Vincent.
Vincent comes home from UCLA (and Cedars Ciani where they gave him a 15% chance to live) and went back to his old job in the Palace Station Sportsbook, which they held for him along with his tokes for the entire time.
Right here I'll skip some drama including where our good friend Oscar Goodman came to Vincents rescue literally saving his life. Vincent also had to overcome his wife who served him with divorce papers and took their boy on the night before his surgery.
Back home in LV he's sitting behind the sports counter at the Palace Station and vows never to use a wheelchair and to get rid of his crutches. With nothing going for him but balls and determination and that mess of "stuff" his surgeon rearranged in him he eventually willed himself to walk. He has a built up shoe and a bad limp but he walks, swims, shoots baskets, golfs, bowls, etc. With every step he must conciously think "I'm stepping with my left leg" because if he doesn't he'll collapse since there are no nerves conecting his brain and leg.
He's somewhat of a "walking" miracle. They've had him back to UCLA to film him, show the residents and other patients who are down. He accompanied his surgeon to the Mayo to show him off. His last visit to UCLA consisted of a two hour session where he was hooked up to that weird machine that films athletes muscles. You know the scenes on TV where some athlete does his speciality and you see his muscles inside at work.
Jumping way ahead he's become a philanthropist donating big sums to childrens causes, especially childhood cancer.

Being 6'7" and 290 you have added difficulties to deal with SoCal. The first thing that comes to mind is don't atrophy. Keep the circulation going to that area no matter how you do it. Keep us posted.

Amazing story about your son Scott. Vincent is an inspiration to many I am sure. I am an optimist by nature and, aside from knowing I am overweight, I feel great about recovery. I am unsure how to assist with circulation at this early stage since I am on strict orders of no weight bearing on that side. I have some ideas though. My follow up with the surgeon is on Fri. April 9th at which time I am sure they will x-ray and give me some updated parameters which I can work with. Thanks for the feedback by the way. I didn't hesitate to post such an unusually specific topic because I know we have a great demographic sample that visits here, whether by post or lurking. I am zooming around on crutches already just focusing on allowing the bones to fuse correctly. Updates to come after april 9th

SoCal · Mar 30, 2010

ground hog11 said:
Socal..... i have had this.....it basically started for me i was in a car wreck probably 3 years ago and i hit the whole left side of my body in the wreck... so my left hip was really weak....there is a type of surgery they do to help blood get down the leg, where it is kinda like a stent....but if you miss this early part where they could stent it (like i did) you will end up having to get a hip replacement basically when you cant stand the pain anymore....i held off of the pain for 2 years then decided to get the hip replacment....and im glad i did...i was in the hospital for 1 day then got to go home.....no rehab and i was walking everywhere in a few days....it was a little sore the first week but now im pain free and very glad i got it done....if you want any more info, let me know....good luck...

Thanks groundhog. I have been reading that hip replacements or alternative solutions work out very well with today's technology. I am only 8 days removed from surgery, so I am hoping to find a way to help the blood flow before any significant time passes by to perhaps avoid a replacement down the line. If I have to get one, so be it... but I think I am in the window of time where my actions may help direct what happens. I am also going to investigate your ideas for dietary supplements to strengthen bone. I've always been a quick healer and I am a youngish 42 so I feel like I have a good starting block for recovery here. Thanks man.