Having hip pain means moving about or using your legs becomes challenging. This hinders your normal activities and stops you from doing the things you love – if you have a sport or a hobby that needs your leg. Fractures are one of the causes of hip pain and can present a lot of problems if not treated immediately, or treated to heal properly. Physical therapy is effective for quick healing and restoring full-motion of the hip after a fracture. Our therapists are excited to help you recover completely in the shortest time. Contact us today to get started.
A hip fracture occurs when there is a break to the upper femur (thigh bone). This is usually a result of a fall and is most common in persons above 65 years whose bones have gotten weak from osteoporosis. When they occur in younger persons it is usually as a result of a high fall or a motor vehicle accident. Every year, 300,000 persons in the US break their hip. Hip fractures are extremely painful and require urgent medical care.
This depends on where the fracture occurs in the upper thighbone. They include:
Femoral Neck
Fracture
This is a fracture just below the femoral head (the ball).
Intertrochanteric hip fracture
this occurs farther away from the hip joint itself, around the greater trochanter and the lesser trochanter.
Intracapsular
fracture
This is a fracture to the ball, socket, or both. It can cause the blood vessels going to the ball to get torn.
The femoral neck fracture and the intertrochanteric hip fractures are the most common.
Possible causes of hip fractures include:
Weakened bones in elderly persons as a result of osteoporosis
A far fall
automobile/ motorcycle accidents
Having too much weight (obese), which puts pressure on the hip bones
Fractures from repeated impacts or stress fractures, for example, distance runners, military recruits, or ballet dancers.
The risk factors for a broken hip include:
age
Older people, especially from 60, are likely to break their hip as a result of weakened bones
History of broken hips
If you had broken your hip before, you are likely to break it again
Sex
Females are more prone to osteoporosis, resulting in weakened bones and fractures
Lack of Exercise
Lack of calcium or vitamin D
The femoral neck fracture and the intertrochanteric hip fractures are the most common.
If you have a hip fracture, you might experience:
Severe pain in the hip and/or groin area
Inability to walk, stand or bear weight in your affected hip or leg
Redness, bruise, or swelling around the hip
Inflammation of the hip
The most common treatment for hip fractures is surgery. In very mild cases of non-displaced fractures, physical therapy is recommended. In non-displaced fractures, the bone breaks but doesn’t move out of position. Based on your overall health, age, location, and severity of the fracture, your surgeon will determine the best surgery for you. For very damaged hip joints, hip replacement surgery might be prescribed. After your surgery, post-operative rehab begins to get you moving as soon as possible and restore full range of motion. Your therapist will create a specific rehab program for you, and educate you on how to prevent subsequent fractures especially if you’re above 65 years old. Recovery largely depends on your state of health before the injury. Younger and healthy persons will take a shorter time to recover completely, compared to elderly persons.
