holy macaroni! That must be PAINFUL! sorry... no answer for you, but I send my best wishes.

I don't think comfrey is a treatment, since avascular necrosis of bone is due to lack of blood supply deep in the bone. Comfrey is touted as an anti inflammatory used a poultice for inflammatory joint conditions, not for vascular joint problems. You may wish to avoid hip replacement, but you likely will not be able to do that.

Do not try any herbal remedies without checking with your doctor first and do follow your doctor's advice.

Here is a link that might be useful: Avascular Necrosis

The best thing is exercise. I had this condition 22 years ago. Work out at least weekly until you get to where you can work out more. Exercise bike, stretching, weight lifting,walking if you can, whatever you can sustain long enough to get cardiovascular benefits(20 minutes nonstop or more). Herbs for this are dan shen, don't take more than 5 pills of it at first or you will be fidgity for 2-3 days. It opens up blood flow. Atractyloides if the bone is infected. Eat a high fiber diet because this lowers your levels of C reactive protein, which is a marker of inflammation. After you work out, sit in the hottest water you can take and meditate. Concentrate on relaxing your body and feeling good all over. This takes time. Patience is going to be your mantra, because gains you make may be slow and hurt more than you ever thought possible for months. But your aim is to grow blood vessels around the blockage. Study what people do for heart attacks, because you are doing the same thing, just for your hip instead of your heart. I have not found most doctors to be worth even a 2.00 copay for this except for surgery. If you can get it, acupuncture is a real help. I slept better after it, and moved better, too.

Some types of exercise including those to encourage better range of motion may be helpful - others may be harmful, and immobilization of the joint is indicated in some cases. Any exercise program should be cleared with your doctor.

Thanks for the input. It was presented to me as no choice if I actually have it--could spread and cause a prosthesis to be impossible.

I am doing the exercise under supervision and will seek out some danshen and atracteloides. Not sure if a good acupuncture person is in this area or not.

eibren- if you're on the eastern side of the state, you shouldn't have to look too far for an accupuncturist - a lot of chiropractors are partnering with them now.

otherwise, it's likely to be looking in the closest city.

If you take dan shen, take only three pills at a time. You
must not over dose, especially if you have any heart problems. Take this once a day at first. Atractyloides comes
in herb mixtures for joints as well as singly. These
mixtures are made for your body type and are usually
modified from a basic formula. If you have an infection
with this, what is it, or does anyone know? If its staph
you have a real fight on your hands. If you can swim, do
that often. The doctors I had back then did't know much
about exercise, and I'm not sure that situation has improved much. What might cause yours to spread? How long
do you think you have before you must decide on a
replacement? The process of growing new blood vessels can
take around a year. If this is more time sensitive than that
you might try anyway, but you may not get there. Spiritual
help may also open up other paths for you. Good luck

I fell last fall but did not immediately remember what had happened to one leg; after I began physical therapy this spring I remembered my right leg had been jammed beneath me; I had to pry it out from under my back. It apparently messed up all my hip muscles.

When an xray was finally taken last December it revealed my femur had slightly subluxed out of my hip socket, but nobody shared with me what this meant in terms of risk to my hip, ie avascular necrosis (I found out several months later by looking it up on the internet.)

I now have no cartilage in that hip, but it doesn't feel too bad as long as I take the liquid "Drinkables" glucosamine-chondroitin-msm-collagen thing I take, as well as an assortment of vitamins (B complex, niacin, folic acid, cod liver oil, C, E with selenium).

Sometimes I sweat a lot, but other than that there is no real symptom of infection that I recognize as such. Sometimes after I walk (with canes) my hip has a burning sensation. My right leg is now shorter than the left, but I am not allowed to use a heel lift as that would increase pressure on the hip.

Now that the AVN boogeyman is in the picture, I fear I may lose my physical therapy, which I think is beginning to straighten out the hip alignment. I have to go see an orthopedic surgeon, who will undoubtedly just want to operate.

If I get operated on, I will be stuck with a 20th century hip replacement instead of the new injectable cartilage I expect to see come down the pike anytime now. Supposedly I don't have the space for this, but with the new bone positioning techniques they have for fractures I don't know why not.

I'm hoping to buy enough time to lose more weight, at the very least. My hip does limit my activity significantly.

Just to round this out, after six months of therapy and an imminent move to full-time wheelchair use, I bit the bullet and got a metal on metal hip replacement after carefully inquiring as to which surgeons in my area actually do a good job. I am hoping to eventually walk normally again.

I brought my garlic with me to the hospital, and it was not disallowed.

Although it was not a fun experience, I definitely lucked out on the surgeon and am quite hopeful for the future.

Hi eibren,I too have avn.Top of femur head,left leg.I have been in pain for over 2 yrs now.Today the Physiatry says it time for the new hip.I was wodering would I have the same movements as before?I am 49,female and live alone.How long do you think it would take to be able to walk with out a crutch?I am trying to prepare myself before I make the call to the orthopedics,That will be the call that gets me my surgery date.Thank you for your time and I hope all is good for you now.PS I am trying to put this off for 3 to 4 wks just to try and get some kind of order.