Hip Pain Relief: Patient with Avascular Necrosis Avoids Surgery and Walks Without Cane After Chiropractic Care

The podcast features Dr. Sten Ekberg and his patient, Bradford Edge, who suffered from avascular necrosis in his hip for 17 years following a military injury. Despite two previous surgeries and a prognosis of inevitable total hip replacement, Bradford experienced debilitating pain, requiring a cane or walker, and significantly impacting his quality of life. The core argument presented by Dr. Ekberg is that traditional orthopedic approaches often focus solely on structural issues visible on X-rays, leading to interventions like surgery or pain medication, without addressing the underlying functional deficiencies. A crucial distinction is drawn between the orthopedic focus on "what it looks like" (e.g., a crumbling femur head due to avascular necrosis) and the chiropractic focus on "what sort of malfunction led to that." Dr. Ekberg explains that a joint's function is entirely dependent on the stabilizing muscles, which in turn are controlled by signals from the brain. Therefore, a problem in the hip joint, even one as severe as avascular necrosis, is fundamentally a problem with the brain-to-muscle signals. The chiropractic approach aims to identify and correct these functional signal issues, rather than just treating the structural damage. Bradford's experience serves as a powerful testament to the chiropractic philosophy. After just one adjustment, he reported immediate pain relief, was able to tie his shoes, and play with his children pain-free, something he hadn't done in years. Within six weeks, he could walk without a cane and enjoy a significantly improved quality of life. The practical insight is that even long-standing, severe conditions with grim prognoses from conventional medicine can respond dramatically to an approach that addresses the body's innate ability to heal and restore function by optimizing neurological and muscular communication. This case highlights the broader implications of a functional, holistic approach to health, challenging the prevailing biomedical model that often prioritizes surgical intervention or pharmaceutical management for chronic conditions. It suggests that many chronic pain conditions, even those with visible structural damage, may have a significant neurological and biomechanical component that is overlooked. The podcast implicitly advocates for exploring alternative or complementary therapies like chiropractic care, especially when conventional treatments offer limited hope beyond invasive procedures or symptom management.

"I have avascular necrosis which is a degeneratinging of the bone."

"I pretty much been with pain every single day over the past 17 years."

"I've never felt this good in the past 17 years I'm able to move and get out and enjoy my family that I could not do 17 years."

"after the first adjustment I could even me I was pain free immediately."

"just one session I saw years come right back to my life in one session."

"the only hope and prognosis they had was a total hip replacement."

"whenever they see something on an x-ray that's their reality... we try to look more at the function."

"a hip joint can only... any joint only works as well as the muscles that are stabilizing it."

"if there is a problem with a hip joint then there's something wrong with the signals from the brain to the muscle."

"you break down how the body supposed to be and how the body can naturally heal itself."