I am in my mid 40s and have this aching hip pain that radiates to my knee. Someone told me that I might have femoral osteonecrosis. How is this detected? How do they determine how bad it is?
An MRI is the gold standard for femoral osteonecrosis detection. Surgeons determine the stage of the disease progression by location, size, and amount of swelling present.
Reference: Charalampos G. Zalavras, M.D. and Jay R. Lieberman, M.D. Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head: Evaluation and Treatment. The Journal of American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery. July 2014. Vol. 22, No. 7. Pp 455-464.