A post pandemic surge in avascular necrosis of the hip joint is observed among young adults in India. Experts at the 2nd DELHI HIP 360 Conference, discussed and warned that there is an increase in hip joint damage and need for joint replacement therapy among adults in their 30s and 40s who have survived the pandemic.
The main reason according to the experts is the excessive and prolonged use of corticosteroids during the pandemic. Steroids were life saving during the pandemic period though the prolonged use comes with its own additional set of problems like these.
Several studies published recently have found that prolonged use of steroids during COVID 19 has started to show its effect on especially osteonecrosis of the femoral head.
The main reasons why hip joint is affected the most are:
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Blood flow: the femoral head has a very narrow ball head and hence limited blood flow making it highly sensitive to any blood flow distrubances.
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Tiny Blood Clots: Microvascular thrombosis triggered by the hyper coagulable state triggered by covid 19 infection blocked small arteries feeding the hip joint.
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Steroid usage: Prolonged use of steroids can lead to fat embolisms in bone marrow and damage cellular lining of the blood vessels.
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Weight Bearing Joint: As hip joint is one of the main weight bearing joint minute changes in the blood supply can affect the functioning of the joint.
According to the experts in the 2nd DELHI HIP 360 Conference, early detection and diagnosis is the key for better treatment outcome. So do you or anyone who you know show unexplained pain, stiffness and restriction in movement around the hip joint? Is it always better to get it checked?