Is Prolotherapy Effective in the Treatment of Avascular Necrosis of the Femoral Head?

Introduction . Avascular necrosis of the femoral head (ANFH) is one of the most common diseases, accompanied by varying degrees of functional limitation and reduced quality of life, especially in younger individuals. Various conservative and operative options are available for the treatment of this disease. Methods and Results . We report a case with ANFH that occurred from long-time and uncontrolled glucocorticoid use. In the treatment of the case, we used prolotherapy injections, whose efficacy and reliability were proved in the treatment of other chronic musculoskeletal problems. After the sixth session of prolotherapy injections, the patient was able to do daily activities as the same as the previous physical and effort capacity. The WOMAC osteoarthritis index was decreased from 92 preinjections to 12; the Likert pain scale was decreased from 5 preinjections to 1 after the injections. Conclusions . We obtained successful outcomes in terms of patient satisfaction and clinical and radiological parameters with prolotherapy injections. Prolotherapy may be useful as an easily applicable and satisfying auxiliary method for the treatment of ANFH.