Avascular Necrosis: Case Study (37 Years Old Male )
Baseline Condition
A 37-year-old male employed with a public sector undertaking in Vadodara, with no comorbidities of any kind, led a completely normal and unrestricted life until April 2021, when he was admitted for thirteen days with COVID-19 and treated with steroids. Pain in the right hip began that July.
For months he took the pain for muscular stiffness. When it worsened, MRI was advised and avascular necrosis of the right femoral head was diagnosed — already at Ficat stage 3, with a subchondral fracture through the weight-bearing surface. He remained on conventional medication from July 2021 onward, but the joint went on deteriorating, and an orthopaedic surgeon in Vadodara advised core decompression or total hip replacement, describing surgery as unavoidable and the only option left.
By the time he arrived at Sukhayu Ayurved Hospital, Jaipur in October 2022, he had constant pain in the right hip, groin pain referring to the knee, stiffness after prolonged sitting, restricted hip movement, a visible limp, loss of stairs, squatting and cross-legged sitting, and curtailed working capacity — he had stopped walking deliberately, out of fear that the head would collapse under him.
Treatment Comparison
Before Treatment
- Deliberately not walking, for fear of collapse
- Limping while walking
- Hip movements restricted
- Regular pain in the hip, stiffness after prolonged sitting
- Groin pain referring to the knee joint
- Stairs, squatting and cross-legged sitting all compromised
- Working restricted
- Ficat stage 3 with subchondral fracture, marrow oedema and joint effusion
- On continuous conventional medication
After Treatment
- Walking normally, travelling without restriction
- No limp
- Movements restored to normal
- No pain, no stiffness
- Groin pain - Resolved completely
- Doing everything; squatting still advised against
- Working normally
- Stage II, no subchondral fracture, no oedema or effusion, femoral head spherical
- Off all medication since January 2024
Panchakarma Protocols
- Patrapinda Swedana
- Ksheera Dhara
- Kashaya Seka
- Lepana
- Kashaya Basti
- Anuvasana Basti
Improvement Details
- Full functional recovery of the hip, with progression halted and no deterioration at any point since
- Off all medication since January 2024, with core decompression and hip replacement no longer under consideration
- The necrotic lesion is still present on imaging, and squatting remains advised against
- Walking, working and travelling without restriction, sustained across the two and a half years since medication stopped
- The fear of joint collapse that had stopped him walking has resolved entirely
Treatment Timeline
Dr. Pardeep Kumar Sharma M.D. (Ayurveda)
Sukhayu Ayurved, Jaiour
Sukhayu Ayurved is an Ayurveda hospital where we are treating patients of Neurology, joint problems and autoimmunity since last 20+ years. We are fully NABH accredited Institution of Ayurveda.
Frequently Asked Questions
Outcome Summary
Through a structured combination of Patrapinda Swedana, Ksheera Dhara, Kashaya Seka, Lepana, Kashaya Basti and Anuvasana Basti across four courses between October 2022 and August 2023, the patient achieved complete recovery of gait, hip mobility, pain and daily function. Despite a diagnosis made only at Ficat stage 3, with a subchondral fracture already through the weight-bearing surface and a standing recommendation for core decompression or total hip replacement, he regained unrestricted walking and working capacity and has maintained it without any medication since January 2024. This case demonstrates the strength of classical Panchakarma in relieving Raktāvrita Vāta of the Vātaja and Gambhīra type, restoring flow through Medas, Asthi and Majjā dhātu and their srotas, and reversing the pathology at its root — Vāta constricting the passage of blood — rather than managing the pain it produces.
Results vary by individual. No False Claims.
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