What is a hip fracture?
A hip fracture is a break in the femur (thigh bone), near where it connects to the pelvis at the ball-and-socket hip joint. Bone fractures of the hip can occur in the head, neck, or upper shaft of the femur, the body’s largest bone. The break may be non-displaced (the bone is broken but stays in place) or displaced (the bone moves out of place).
Hip fractures are treated by orthopaedic surgeons. At Penn Orthopaedics, our specialists treat all types of hip pain, including hip fractures, and are experts in treating injuries affecting the bones, soft tissues, nerves, muscles, and ligaments.
Hip fracture symptoms
Hip fracture symptoms can vary depending on the type and extent of the fracture. You may not experience every symptom, which may include:
- Inability to move after a fall
- Severe hip, groin, or leg pain
- Inability to bear weight on the affected leg
- Low back pain
- The affected leg appears shorter and positioned at an odd angle
What causes a hip fracture?
It usually takes severe trauma to break a hip, but hip fractures can occur for many reasons.
The extreme forces from traumatic accidents, such as car or motorcycle collisions, significantly increase the risk of a broken hip. A broken hip can cause pain, swelling, and difficulty walking, often preventing you from working or performing daily activities. Prompt evaluation and treatment improve your chances of a better outcome. Penn Medicine Trauma and Fracture division diagnoses and treats hip fractures caused by traumatic accidents.
While hip fractures are more common in older adults, they can also occur in young adults during sports and physical activity.
High-impact sports like running, gymnastics, and soccer place significant stress on the hip joints. These activities involve frequent sprinting, jumping, and, in contact sports like football and hockey, collisions with other players. Over time, the repeated forces absorbed by the hip joint can result in a stress fracture.
Our team includes surgeons who specialize in both fractures and Sports Medicine. We work together to provide the most appropriate treatment for your hip fracture.
A hip fragility fracture occurs when a minor fall—from standing height or less—or lifting something very light causes a break in the hip bone. These fractures are often due to weakened bones from an underlying condition, like osteoporosis.
Hip fractures are more common in older adults because, with age, bones can become weak and brittle—a condition known as osteoporosis. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, approximately one in two women and up to one in four men aged 50 and older will break a bone due to osteoporosis.
If osteoporosis runs in your family, talk to your doctor about your risk and whether a bone density test is right for you.
Hip fractures in older adults often require more complex care due to additional health issues like weakened bones, muscle loss, and balance problems. Even a low-impact fall in an otherwise active older adult can result in a serious fracture.
Timely treatment is critical, as delays increase the risk of complications. At Penn Orthopaedics, when an older adult is diagnosed with a hip fracture, a system-wide alert notifies our specialized team through the Geriatric Hip Fracture Program. This efficient process minimizes delays and reduces the risk of further complications.
Diagnosing hip fractures
Your care provider may diagnose a hip fracture based on your symptoms, such as an abnormal alignment of the leg and hip. They may order imaging tests to confirm the fracture and identify its location. If you have hip pain but imaging tests don’t show a break, your provider may recommend a bone scan to look for a hairline fracture.
Treating hip fractures
Treating a hip fracture typically involves hip surgery followed by physical therapy. While not all hip fractures require surgery, bone fractures that are displaced usually won’t heal properly without it. Treatment options depend on the fracture’s severity and location, your overall health, and age. They may include securing the bone with hardware or performing a partial or full hip replacement.
Preventing hip fractures
You can lower your risk of fracturing a hip by following these strategies:
- Exercise regularly to maintain muscle strength
- Remove obstacles to create a safer home environment
- Eat a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D
- Avoid smoking and alcohol, as both can weaken bones
- Get a bone density test to check for osteoporosis
Expert care for hip fractures
Penn Orthopaedics is highly experienced and widely recognized for its expertise in treating hip fractures, offering a wide range of treatment options for both common and complex cases.
Certified by the International Geriatric Fracture Society, our Geriatric Hip Fracture Program provides expedited surgical care for older adults with hip fractures, where timely treatment is crucial. This hip fracture alert protocol quickly assembles a system-wide team of specialists ready to provide treatment. Penn Orthopaedics’ alert system is the only one of its kind in the region. Patients initially admitted to another hospital’s emergency department may request to be transferred to Penn Medicine for hip fracture care.
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