A fractured pelvis is almost always painful. This pain is aggravated by moving the hip or attempting to walk. Often, the patient will try to keep their hip or knee bent in a specific position to avoid aggravating the pain. Some patients may experience swelling or bruising in the hip area.
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.
Most pelvic fractures cause considerable pain, even when people are sitting or lying down. Severe pelvic fractures can result in life-threatening bleeding and may be accompanied by serious injuries to other organs. X-rays can show most pelvic fractures, but computed tomography is usually also done.
Pelvic fractures usually start to heal about four weeks after the fracture. Some patients may notice less pain as soon as a few days after a fracture, depending on the severity of the fracture, but most patients take pain medication for four to six weeks after the injury.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Mild and stable pelvic fractures can usually heal without medical intervention such as surgery. However, if you have a mild pelvic fracture, you must limit the amount of pressure you put on your pelvis and legs and get enough rest so your fracture can heal properly.
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.
A broken pelvis may need a few months to heal. You may have had surgery to repair your pelvis, depending on where it was broken and how bad the break was. Your doctor may have put metal screws, pins, or a rod in your pelvis to fix the break. In some cases, surgery is not needed.
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.
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.
The diagnosis of pelvic fracture has a relatively high associated mortality rate (6.4%-30%). The deaths among these patients are not usually a direct result of the fractures themselves but are a result of concomitant injures and complications.
Most people who have surgery for a severe pelvic fracture require three to four months of recovery time. As the pelvic injury heals strengthening exercises and a conditioning program are prescribed to facilitate their return to work and other daily activities.
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.
Pelvic fractures take many weeks to heal, and patients can expect to have limited mobility for at least 3 months. Full recovery will often take 6 months, and sometimes up to 12 months depending on the severity of the injury. Physiotherapy will usually be prescribed.
Unstable pelvic fractures can cause significant complications, such as severe bleeding, internal organ damage, and infection. However, if doctors can treat these injuries effectively, these fractures usually heal well. During recovery, a person should avoid bearing their full weight for around 12 weeks.
Altogether, 29 patients (73%) underwent non-surgical management of their pelvic fracture. The average hospital stay was 25 days. There were five in-hospital deaths and one death 10 months after discharge.
Compared with younger adults with pelvic fractures, older adults with this injury are at increased risk of long-term physical impairment and mortality. People may find that their quality of life decreases after a pelvic fracture. This is particularly true when other bone injuries develop due to pelvic fracture.
“Pain may be worse at night as a result of swelling that occurred during the day or just from whatever activity you did,” Dr. Schultz said. Elevating your injury and decreasing swelling can significantly control pain.
A force between 2,000 and 10,000 newtons is required to disrupt an adult pelvic ring [1]. Such high forces are generated in traffic accidents, crush traumas, and falls from great heights. Very often, soft tissues inside the small pelvis and around the pelvic ring are also disrupted [2].