"Two hospitals said Stage 4 AVN, hip replacement urgent. Orthosist's panel re-read my MRI and said early Stage 2. They saved my hip."
— Rajinder Singh, 58 · DLF Phase 4, Gurgaon
Before Orthosist
"I'm a finance director in a Cyber City firm. In late 2023 I started having groin and front-of-hip pain. By March 2024 it was bad enough that I limped to my car. I went to a senior orthopedic surgeon at a large hospital in Sector 14. He ordered an MRI."
"The MRI report mentioned 'femoral head AVN'. The surgeon told me it was Stage 4 — bone collapse imminent. Total Hip Replacement was needed, and soon. Quote: ₹4.5 lakh."
"My wife pushed me to get a second opinion. We went to another hospital in DLF Phase 1. Same MRI, same Stage 4 verdict, same recommendation. They wanted to book me for the following week. Quote: ₹4.8 lakh."
"I'm a numbers person. Two doctors agreed. I was ready to schedule the surgery. Then a colleague mentioned Orthosist. He said 'they don't do surgery, they just give you a written opinion'. I had nothing to lose. I WhatsApp'd them my MRI on a Saturday morning."
The Orthosist Council Verdict
Diagnosis: Avascular Necrosis (AVN), femoral head, right hip. Ficat Stage 2A — NOT Stage 4. Femoral head shape preserved. No subchondral collapse.
Surgery required? No — joint preservation possible.
Recommended path: Hip-preserving conservative care — strict no-weight-bearing for 6 weeks, image-guided steroid injection, structured hip mobility physio at 8 weeks, bisphosphonate trial, Ayurveda anti-inflammatory protocol. Re-MRI at 4 months.
After 4 months
"The first 6 weeks were the hardest — strict cane-only walking, sleeping on my back, no driving. But the pain came down within 3 weeks of starting medication and the injection."
"At week 8 the home physio sessions started. By week 12 I could climb stairs normally. By month 4 I was symptom-free."
"We did the follow-up MRI at month 4. The Orthosist council reviewed it — femoral head shape was unchanged, no progression. They re-confirmed: no surgery needed. I've been pain-free for 8 months now, doing my normal 10-hour work days."
Looking back
"If I'd done that surgery, I'd have a metal hip at 58. The recovery, the risk of infection, the second surgery 15 years later when the implant wears out — all of it avoided because four specialists actually read my MRI carefully. The first two looked at it for 30 seconds and quoted a price."
"What scares me is — how many people don't have the curiosity to seek that fourth opinion? How many implants are walking around inside people who didn't need them?"
- • Senior Orthopedic Surgeon, MS Ortho (specialty in hip preservation)
- • Pain Management, MD Anesthesia, Pain Fellowship
- • Senior Physiotherapist, MPT
- • Ayurveda Practitioner, BAMS
- • Free Council Assessment
- • 3-Month Care Program (Premium · ₹24,999 — included image-guided injection + bisphosphonate)
- • Follow-up MRI review at month 4 (free)