Q: I am suffering from Perthe's disease. At the age of 14 I had a limp in my walk. Now I am 41 years old and my left femoral head is destroying and causing pain. My movements have become more and more restricted. I can't sit cross legged or walk for long. What is the remedy for it? Will you advise me to go for a surgery to replace the femoral head or any other solution to recover from the pain?

A:This is a natural progress of Perthes disease. There is no medication except pain-killers off and on. The only way you can retard the progress of the disease, the secondary osteoarthritis, is by bringing whatever life-style change you can bring to reduce loading on this joint. Your doctor can advise you in detail about this. At some stage you will have to opt for surgical options. I say, patient should ask for surgery in these cases, which means that he should think that his life-style is severely affected by disability.