Typically, a hip fracture is acutely painful. The pain is usually localized to the groin and the upper part of the thigh. With most hip fractures, you will not be able to stand, bear weight, or move the upper part of your leg or knee.
A broken hip is a serious injury that is very painful and can keep you from walking. People with broken hips may be at risk for other problems, such as pneumonia, blood clots, and muscle weakness. Some problems can be life threatening.
Severe pain in the hip or groin. Inability to put weight on the leg on the side of the injured hip. Bruising and swelling in and around the hip area.
Pain: Usually, hip pain is severe and sharp. But it can also be mild or achy. Most people feel pain in the thigh, outer hip, pelvis and groin area. Pain may radiate down your buttock to your leg (sciatica).
Broken hip recovery can take a full year. During that time, pain from a hip fracture usually lessens after four to six weeks. It can take 12 weeks for the bone to fully mend. And by six months, some people are able to get close to their pre-injury activity level.
Serious complications can result from a hip fracture. Blood clots can happen in the veins, usually in your legs. If a clot breaks off, it can travel to a blood vessel in your lung. This blockage, called a pulmonary embolism, can be fatal.
Recovering from a broken hip
A broken hip usually takes several weeks or months to heal, but it can take longer. You'll usually spend around 1 to 4 weeks in hospital. Soon after surgery you will start having regular physiotherapy to help you start standing and moving again.
If you break your pelvis, it can be painful and hard to move, but a broken pelvis isn't nearly as dangerous or as common as a hip fracture. The pelvis is the ring of bones that sits below your belly button and above your legs. You usually won't need surgery to fix a break unless it's a severe one.
Excess mortality after hip fracture may be linked to complications following the fracture, such as pulmonary embolism [5], infections [2,6], and heart failure [2,6]. Factors associated with the risk of falling and sustaining osteoporotic fractures may also be responsible for the excess mortality [1,7].
Some people with hip fractures can still walk. They might just complain of vague pain in their hips, butt, thighs, groin or back. If your doctor thinks you've got a broken hip, they'll ask questions about any recent injuries or falls.
Importance Patients undergoing surgery for a hip fracture have a higher risk of mortality and major complications compared with patients undergoing an elective total hip replacement (THR) operation.
According to a 2019 study in Acta Orthopaedica, the one-year mortality after a hip fracture is 21% for those whose fracture is surgically repaired. If the fracture is not repaired, the one-year mortality is about 70%.
You may feel slight pain in your groin, back, knees, thighs, or buttocks and be unable to identify the cause. If you have an asymptomatic hip fracture, you may be able to bear weight and walk without too much discomfort. This type of fracture may not even show up on an X-ray.
Osteoarthritis, the most common type of hip arthritis is the general wear-and-tear of the cartilage in the hip joint. When the cartilage is worn away, bones rub against bones, resulting in severe pain.
You will be encouraged to start moving and walking as soon as the first day after surgery. Most of the problems that develop after hip fracture surgery can be prevented by getting out of bed and walking as soon as possible.
Hip fractures are the worst for the elderly. The broken hip bone may need to be replaced, which requires major surgery. Also, recovery is long. The long period of inactivity can lead to blood clots, muscle weakness, and other post-surgical complications.
One in three adults aged 50 and over dies within 12 months of suffering a hip fracture. Older adults have a five-to-eight times higher risk of dying within the first three months of a hip fracture compared to those without a hip fracture. This increased risk of death remains for almost ten years.
The average age of people who break their hip is 83 years old – three-quarters are women, one-in-five live in residential care and many have other health problems.
Australian soul singer Renee Geyer has died aged 69. A statement released by her family and record label Mushroom Group on Tuesday said Geyer “passed away from complications following hip surgery.” During the procedure it was discovered she was also suffering from inoperable lung cancer.
Most hip fractures in older adults require surgery to restore mobility and to manage pain. This puts patients at risk for a range of post-surgical complications, including infection, blood clots in the lungs or legs, bedsores, urinary tract infection and pneumonia.
Femoral hip fractures
The term "broken hip" usually refers to a fracture of the ball side of the hip joint, that is, a break in the upper femur, generally in one of three areas: the femoral neck (just below the femoral head) – called an intracapsular fracture (most common)
Physical therapy may also help a fracture heal more quickly than immobilization alone. Exercise increases blood flow, which delivers more oxygen and nutrients to injured parts of the bone, aiding in healing.
Treatment for hip fracture usually involves a combination of prompt surgical repair, rehabilitation, and medication to manage pain and to prevent blood clots and infection.
Your nurse may also give you medicines and exercise instructions to help prevent clots. Most people spend 2 to 4 days in the hospital.