What is the Difference Between Avascular Necrosis and Osteoarthritis

The key difference between avascular necrosis and osteoarthritis is that avascular necrosis occurs when the bone does not get enough blood supply and dies while osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage wears thin and degrades. 

Avascular necrosis and osteoarthritis are two conditions that affect the skeletal system of the body. However, avascular necrosis and osteoarthritis are two different conditions. This is because avascular necrosis affects the bones while osteoarthritis affects cartilage.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Avascular Necrosis 
3. What is Osteoarthritis
4. Similarities – Avascular Necrosis and Osteoarthritis
5. Avascular Necrosis vs. Osteoarthritis in Tabular Form
6. FAQ – Avascular Necrosis and Osteoarthritis
7. Summary – Avascular Necrosis vs. Osteoarthritis

What is Avascular Necrosis?

Avascular necrosis is also known as osteonecrosis. This condition occurs due to temporary or permanent loss of blood supply to the bone. Avascular necrosis can be caused by injury, fracture, damage to blood vessels, long-term use of medicines like corticosteroids, excessive long-term use of alcohol, and specific chronic medical conditions. The risk factors for avascular necrosis are injury, steroid use, Gaucher disease, Caisson disease, alcohol use, blood disorders, radiation treatments, chemotherapy, pancreatitis, decompression disease, hypercoagulable state, hyperlipidemia, autoimmune disease, and HIV. Moreover, the symptoms of vascular necrosis may include minimal early joint pain, increased joint pain as bone and joint begin to collapse, and limited range of motion due to pain.

Avascular necrosis can be diagnosed through physical examination, X-ray, CT scan, MRI, radionuclide bone scan, biopsy, and functional evaluation of bone. Furthermore, treatment options for vascular necrosis are pain medications, assistive devices, core decompression, osteotomy, bone graft, and joint replacement.

What is Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is a condition associated with the breakdown of the cartilage. This condition can be caused by heredity, obesity, injury, joint overuse, and other diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. The risk factors for osteoarthritis are increasing age, and underlying reasons such as joint injury or repetitive joint stress from overuse and sex (women are affected more).  Moreover, the symptoms of osteoarthritis may include joint aching and soreness, pain after overuse or after long periods of inactivity, stiffness after periods of rest, bony enlargement in the middle and end of the joint of fingers, and joint swelling.

Osteoarthritis can be diagnosed through description of symptoms, location and pattern of pain, physical examination, and X-ray. Furthermore, treatment options for osteoarthritis may include exercises, weight loss, pain medications, physical therapy, muscle strengthening exercises, hot and cold compresses, removal of joint fluid, injection of medications to the joints, use of supportive devices (crutches and canes), and surgery.

What are the Similarities Between Avascular Necrosis and Osteoarthritis?

• Avascular necrosis and osteoarthritis are two conditions that affect the skeletal system of the body.
• Both conditions may cause complications.
• They can be diagnosed through physical examination and imaging tests like X-rays.
• They can be treated through specific medications and therapies.

What is the Difference Between Avascular Necrosis and Osteoarthritis?

Avascular necrosis occurs when the bone does not get enough blood supply and dies, while osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage wears thin and degrades. Thus, this is the key difference between avascular necrosis and osteoarthritis. Furthermore, avascular necrosis is a bone problem while osteoarthritis is a cartilage problem.

The infographic below presents the differences between avascular necrosis and osteoarthritis in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

FAQ: Avascular Necrosis and Osteoarthritis

What is the best treatment for avascular necrosis?

The best treatment for avascular necrosis is the core decompression. During that, the inner layer of bone is removed to reduce pressure and allow for increased blood flow, often to treat avascular necrosis.

How long does core decompression take to heal?

To heal fully, core decompression may take 6 to 12 months.

What are the most common bones for avascular necrosis?

The femoral head, knee, talus, and humeral head are the most common sites for avascular necrosis.

Summary – Avascular Necrosis vs. Osteoarthritis

Avascular necrosis and osteoarthritis are two conditions that affect the skeletal system of the body. Avascular necrosis is a bone disease that may cause pain or limit physical activity. Avascular necrosis is also common in people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s. Osteoarthritis is a cartilage or joint disease. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis and is more common in older people. Moreover, avascular necrosis occurs when the bone does not get enough blood supply and dies while osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage wears thin and degrades. So, this summarizes the difference between avascular necrosis and osteoarthritis.

Reference:

1. “Avascular Necrosis (Osteonecrosis).” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
2. “Osteoarthritis: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment.” Cleveland Clinic.

Image Courtesy:

1. “X-ray of pelvis with idiopathic avascular necrosis of the femoral head” By Mikael Häggström – Own work (CC0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Osteoarthritis” By BruceBlaus – File:Osteoarthritis.png (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia