[Medical Q&A] Is glucosamine effective in treating femoral head necrosis?

Planner: Chinese Medical Association

Reviewer: Wang Jian, Chief Physician, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University

Glucosamine has little effect on the treatment of femoral head necrosis.

The following is an explanation from the perspective of the mechanism of action of glucosamine and the pathological mechanism of femoral head necrosis. Glucosamine is mainly used for the prevention and treatment of osteoarthritis. The smooth, thin layer of white cartilage covering the joint surface of patients with osteoarthritis often has obvious wear and tear. Glucosamine, as a raw material for cartilage synthesis, has a certain nutritional effect on cartilage. The main cause of femoral head necrosis is local ischemia caused by blood supply disorders and abnormal bone metabolism. Therefore, the etiology and pathology of the two are different. Therefore, glucosamine is not only of little significance in the treatment of femoral head necrosis, but will increase the burden on the gastrointestinal tract.

Although osteonecrosis of the femoral head cannot be completely cured, standardized treatment can allow patients to return to normal work and life. Patients with early-stage osteonecrosis of the femoral head can receive appropriate treatment to relieve pain, stop the disease from progressing, and restore hip joint function to normal. Late-stage patients can also return to work and life after hip replacement surgery.