Physical therapy, the use of crutches and, rarely, surgery may be recommended. Healing can take eight to 12 weeks. Severe injuries to the pelvis that involve several breaks can be life-threatening. Shock, extensive internal bleeding and internal organs damage may be involved.
With a broken pelvis you cannot walk, sit or move well without pain. The pelvis protects the bladder, intestines and many important blood vessels. Many of the important leg muscles and abdominal muscles attach to the pelvis and allow for body motion and function.
After a hip or pelvic fracture, your doctor may advise you not to put any weight on the affected hip for six weeks or more. This allows the bone to heal. Your doctor can provide crutches, a walker, a cane, or a wheelchair to help you get around.
While lower-energy fractures can often be managed with conservative (nonsurgical) care, treatment for high-energy pelvic fractures usually involves surgery to reconstruct the pelvis and restore stability so that patients can resume their daily activities.
While your pelvis heals, you will need to keep weight off the hips. Once you are able to walk, a walker or crutches can help you get around. You can help your pelvis heal with care at home. Your doctor may prescribe medicine to relieve pain and prevent blood clots.
In terms of activity, patients can be bedbound for days or up to a week. Most patients, however, start transferring to a chair in a couple of days and start getting around the bedside with a walker in another couple of days. Final resolution of pain and restoration of function can take six to 12 weeks.
In people with surgical treatment, physical therapy starts after 1 or 2 days of bed rest. Physical therapy starts with non-weight bearing exercises. Only when the fracture is stable enough can weight bearing exercises be initiated. Walking aids will be necessary and must be reduced gradually.
The late sequel of pelvic fracture treatment can cause gait and postural disturbances, chronic pain, genitourinary dysfunction, persistent neurological deficits, and rectal dysfunction.
Symptoms of a hip or pelvic fracture include significant, sharp pain in the hip or groin and swelling, bruising, and tenderness in the skin at the site of the injury. Depending on the severity of the fracture, a broken bone may prevent you from putting any weight on the affected hip.
Major and unstable pelvic fractures are likely to cause severe pain and shock. Pain may be in the pelvis, groin, back, tummy (abdomen), or down the legs. The pelvic bones are large and have a rich blood supply, so when broken they will bleed heavily and the bleeding will not stop quickly.
Pelvic fractures usually take 8 to 12 weeks to fully heal. More severe pelvic fractures could take longer, especially if you have other injuries or medical complications from the event that caused your pelvic fracture.
In most cases, it's important to avoid sitting for long periods of time during the initial healing phase, which can last several weeks. Your doctor may recommend a period of bed rest or limited mobility to help the bones heal.
The biggest long term complication of a broken pelvis is the development of arthritis. The main reason doctors operate on these fractures is that they know from past experience that if they leave the fractures in a poor position, although they will often heal, arthritis may follow within five years.
A pubic ramus fracture describes a type of crack or break in a person's pelvis. Pubic ramus fractures are not typically life threatening and typically heal well. However, this kind of fracture can be serious for older people. A person's pelvis is a set of bones connecting their trunk to their lower limbs.
For lower extremity injuries (pelvis and legs), you can drive once you can walk smoothly with a cane (with OUT a limp). This varies by person and injury. For upper extremity injuries (arms and clavicle), this can vary but usually you may start driving by six weeks.
Normally, driving should be avoided for the first 6 weeks and even travelling as a passenger is best avoided for the first three weeks (except for essential journeys), as getting in and out of a car can risk straining the hip and stretching the healing tissues. However, you should discuss this with your surgeon.
A separated pubic symphysis can take 3 to 8 months to heal on its own. For most women with this condition, pain or discomfort lingers for about 2 months after childbirth.
Pubic ramus fractures are part of complex pelvic injuries in high-energy trauma [1]. They also occur in isolation or in combination with fractures of the posterior pelvis due to low-energy trauma.
A sacral stress fracture is a hairline crack in the pelvic bone. This type of fracture is relatively uncommon but is usually caused by repetitive stress rather than a single accident. It usually affects the bottom of the pelvis, but can affect the front joint between the two pelvic bones.
Unstable pelvic fractures typically occur as a result of high-energy injuries. Associated organ system injuries are observed commonly with pelvic fractures because of the energy imparted to the patient. Head, chest, and abdominal injuries frequently occur in association with pelvic fractures.
In severe pelvic fractures (Abbreviated Injury Scale [AIS]4), the incidence of associated intraabdominal injuries was 30.7%, and the most commonly injured organs were the bladder and urethra (14.6%).
The major cause of death in patients who sustained a pelvic ring fracture is massive bleeding [5]. Pelvic fractures are often linked to multiple associated injuries.
You can sleep in which ever position you find most comfortable but may prefer to place a pillow in between your knees when sleeping on your side. Avoid sitting on low chairs or for prolonged periods of time. Use your hands on the arms of the chair to help gently lower yourself.
This may include period products such as tampons, or any sexual activity that involves inserting something into the vagina. Pelvic rest may also include refraining from activities that strain the pelvic region, such as heavy lifting or certain exercises.
Patients with pelvic fractures experience a severe reduction in their HRQoL and functional outcomes, especially within the first 3 months after injury. Although patients recover up to 12 months after trauma, most patients do not reach their pre-injury status.