STAFF REPORTER Mumbai

It was highly unnatural for 32- year- old Seema Sundhe to experience constant shooting pain in the groin.

By the look of it Sundhe in her thirties should have been able to run around umpteen number of times to the market for her daily chores, but that was not to be the case. Three months ago, a degenerative bone condition, Avascular Necrosis ( AVN) hit her out of the blue. " The pain was so intense that all my movement stopped. I was carried on a wheel chair to visit the hospital by my folks as I was completely immobile," lamented Sundhe.

Sundhe who had earlier been advised a hip replacement surgery costing a whopping Rs two lakh is now better off without actually undergoing one.

" After intake of regular medication, the pain has gradually reduced. I am being able to move with ease now," said Sundhe.

A team of Indian doctors from a city- based private hospital, after a ten- year follow up study of 53 cases who were administered with oral medicines of bisphosphonate group instead of making them undergo an arduous surgical procedure, have vouched for the effectiveness of the wonder drug.

Busting myths about the drugs side effects, Dr Sanjay Agarwala, chief surgeon of Hinduja Hospital who headed the study stated, " Bisphosphonates are not steroids. These group of drugs are used for treatment of osteoporosis and their efficacy in AVN treatment has now been established." He further added, " The cost of treatment works out to be Rs 150 a month and it prevents a surgery costing Rs 1 - 2 lakh. Taken over three years, the medicine halts degeneration, by which time new bone layers start forming leading to normalisation of patients health." Avascular Necrosis strikes close to 20,000 persons in India each year aged between 20 - 50 years.

Persons in their twenties and thirties are the most affected as opposed to Osteoporosis or Arthritis which hit elderly patients. Doctors suggest that intake of alcohol or steroids are one of the causes for this condition.

" This disorder occurs due to interruption of blood supply to the bone.

Alcohol intake plays havoc with liver function, which then does not break fat effectively.

Thickening of blood leads to irregular supply and later to AVN," explained an orthopaedic surgeon Dr Kaushal Malahan, who sees at least ten cases of youth inflicted by such bone degeneration per month.

A team of doctors, after a ten- year follow up study of 53 cases, have vouched for the effectiveness of the wonder drug