Case 1: Relief from Avascular Necrosis of the hip joint

Medical condition - Avascular Necrosis

Brief description - Also called as Ischemic Bone Necrosis (cellular death of bone components due to interruption of blood supply) without blood, the bone tissue dies and bone collapses. Here the hip joint is affected which often leads to the destruction of the joint articular surfaces.

Signs & Symptoms - Severe pain in the hip joint, movement restriction (unable to walk/stand or turn around)

Cause - Causes of AVN are many and the exact cause is not being clearly understood

In Ayurveda AVN can be co-related to various forms of Vatarakta; here most of the causes mentioned and symptoms matched well.

Treatment - Total Hip Replacement (THR), though total hip replacement is the treatment of choice but has downsides such as long recovery times, short lifespan of the hip joints (artificial ones). Medical treatment is not so conclusive of effect.

Panchakarma and medicines/herbs work well to pain control and stopping further damage to the bone/joint

Case Primer - 29 year old female with severe pain in the hip joint; started all of a sudden. X-ray and MRI revealed that both the joints were affected (50-60% cell death in the right joint & 40% cell death in he left joint).

Pain was intense causing disability mentioned and symptoms match well

Treatment given –

Panchakarma: To initiate the bodys innate healing capacity and also render the body clean

Medicines/Herbs: Herbs which enhance blood circulation and relieve pain were used as concoctions and pills

Results - About 95% of the pain relieved soon after the initial medicines/herbs were given; Panchakarma therapy was done at the end of 6 months to stop recurrence.