Hip Fracture Basics: Types and Causes of Broken Hips
Hip fractures are serious injuries that often want surgery to repair. Every year in the United States alone over 300,000 population suffer broken hips and want hospitalization. Of that number, over half of those population suffering a hip fracture are over the age of 80.
Bone density, age, and other healing conditions can all conduce to the likelihood of a broken hip, but ordinarily a fracture occurs because of some sort of trauma to the area, like a fall. Most hip fractures in the elderly are caused by falls, while in younger patients - car accidents and other high impact injuries are the most likely causes.
Elderly women and other patients with osteoporosis are at a greater risk of suffering a broken hip in the event of a fall. Because osteoporosis weakens the skeletal law by causing loss of bone mass - bones and joints are at a greater risk of fracturing in the event of trauma.
Hip fractures are of course the breaking of the femur (the bone that extends from the pelvis to the knee) inside or near the hip joint. Hip fractures are ordinarily placed into 2 main classifications - a Femoral Neck Fracture or an Intertrochanteric Fracture. Both of these types of fractures are very serious and in most cases will necessitate surgery to fix the fractures.
Femoral Neck Fracture
The femoral neck is just below the head (top) of the femur. A femoral neck fracture ordinarily occurs within 1 to 2 inches from the end of the femur.
Intertrochanteric Fracture
This fracture occurs within 3 to 4 inches of the head of the femur and commonly requires the use of a metal plate and screw to hold the bone in place while it heals - allowing the head of the femur to continue inviting commonly in the hip socket.
Though hip fractures are ordinarily caused by a serious trauma - a fall or a high impact injury - other factors can conduce to the risk of sustaining a broken hip.
Age
Statistics show that age is a large factor. The majority of hip related injuries and fractures occur in population over 80. There are two main reasons why this may be true: bone density loss and the proximity of other healing conditions affecting balance and mobility. But also effecting elderly patients are normal aging issues like loss of foresight and a decreasing or weakening sense of balance.
Medical Conditions
Osteoporosis puts patients at an even higher risk for breaking a hip naturally because it reduces bone density. There are a number of other healing conditions that will also lead up to and growth chances of developing osteoporosis which in turn can lead to increased risks for hip fractures.
The development of other diseases and conditions like Parkinson's disease which effect a person's mobility and balance can conduce to an increased risk of falling and breaking a hip as well. Diabetes, arthritis, and similar diseases can also effect a person's action levels which in turn increases risk.
Physical Inactivity
Because corporal inactivity can lead to the weakening of bones, tendons, and muscles - it can also conduce to a higher risk of fracturing vital bones and joints. corporal inactivity can in turn lead to other conditions such as obesity and weight gain which can put a larger strain on a weakening bone structure. Maintaining a quarterly corporal action program will often sacrifice a patient's risk of hip fracture.
Mortality Rates and base Problems related with Hip Fractures
Hip fractures are serious injuries that want immediate healing concentration because there are a number of problems and conditions that can arise because of the broken bone. Studies have shown that mortality rates following a hip fracture can be rather high for a number of reasons which consist of the development of other serious healing conditions (blood clots and infections) as well as the age of the patient at the time of the injury (since the majority of fractures occurs among seniors).
A study published in the British healing Journal places mortality rates within one year of suffering a fractured hip at 20%. And this number only increases with the age of the patient - as many as 33% of patients over the age of 80 die within a year of breaking a hip. The 30 day mark following surgery for a fractured hip is high in this population also - advent in at about 10%.
A number of factors conduce to these high numbers. Post-operative complications like infections (i.e. Pneumonia or bronchitis) are hazardous factors. The normal health of the patients involved in the study also contributes to the high mortality rates. Because as we talked about, a number of other conditions can growth a patients risk of breaking a hip. These same conditions (obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, Parkinson's, and others) can also make rescue more difficult.
Mobility factors growth risk as well. Because a broken hip makes it even more difficult for patients to get allowable exercise, the total deterioration of the body due to inactivity can bring about other health problems or exasperate existing conditions like heart disease. For patients that are bedridden following surgery, pressure sores and infections become an increased risk.
Overall, the normal health of a patient prior to the sustained injury and following surgery is going to play extremely in determining the likelihood of the patient's unblemished recovery. This is why younger patients tend to recover more fully and swiftly as they are less likely to have preexisting healing conditions that are going to be worsened by the injury.
Mortality rates and other complications decrease significantly in patients that work hard at maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle regardless of age. Often for these folks - a broken hip is a temporary setback, though it is still a serious injury. rescue though will often be a lot simpler if the patient has maintained normal good health prior to fracturing their hip.
How Hip Fractures are Treated
In most cases, a hip fracture is going to want surgery. In cases where surgery is not possible because of an illness or other factor - traction may be used. In those cases without surgery - the main medicine for a broken hip relies generally on pain reduction.
Both types of hip fractures - the femoral neck fracture and the intertrochanteric fracture - want surgery. The exact procedure is slightly dissimilar for each type.
Intertrochanteric Fracture Surgery
When the break is lower on the femur as in an intertrochanteric fracture (occurring 3 to 4 inches from the head of the femur) a dissimilar procedure is ordinarily used. Doctors will attach a metal plate to the side of the femur and insert a metal hip compression screw into the femur. This compression screw and plate allows the bone fragments to compress together and mend themselves.
Femoral Neck Fracture Surgery
With a femoral neck fracture, surgery will ordinarily involve one of three types of procedures: metal screws, replacing part of the femur, or total hip replacement.
Using metal screws, the surgeon will align the bones and fix them in place with three long metal screws which will remain in place and not be removed. These screws serve to allow the bones to mend back together as well as strengthen that section of the femur.
If the doctors are unable to align the bones in a way that will allow them to heal properly, they will commonly effort a procedure known as a hemiarthroplasty. This involves removing and replacing the damaged head and neck of the femur with a metal prosthesis.
Total hip exchange is the most invasive of the three options. If for some reason, the socket joint in the hip is damaged - total hip exchange might be the best option. In this procedure, the surgeons will not only replace the top quantum of the femur, but also the joint section of the pelvic bone. One of the benefits of total hip exchange is that it allows patients to become mobile again sooner after the surgery than other options. This can help to preclude other complications related with major surgery from developing.
Hospital stays after surgery for a hip fracture can vary in length - although the mean stay in the hospital ordinarily lasts a week. The majority of patients will want corporal therapy for a long period following the surgery to recover completely. Older and less mobile patients may even have to look to a long term care premise if they don't have available help or care at home.
Help With rescue and arresting of Hip Fractures
Exercise and corporal action is a key in helping with both rescue from a hip fracture and arresting of those fractures. Because mobility is miniature following surgery for hip fractures, the use of a rolling walker is often a good idea for elderly patients as it will help them get the practice to speed up healing and also help to preclude other fall from aggravating the injury further.
Everyday tasks will probably become a miniature more difficult for a patient recovering from hip fracture surgery. Things like bending over to tie shoes or getting dressed in the morning will want a miniature bit of extra effort. Lifting the affected leg into bed or onto the couch will also become more difficult at times during the recovery. There are quite a few products like extended shoe horns and leg lifters which can ease the pain and strangeness of recovery.
Often times, simple tasks that are taken for granted become more complicated. Bathing for example is an daily thing that becomes tough following hip surgery. A toady on an extended handle or a bath bench become tools which can of course help.
To make rescue easier, the purchase of a "hip kit" is a small venture for quite a bit of help. base items that you'll find in a hip kit include:
- Long Handled Sponges
- Long Handled Shoe Horn
- A Dressing Stick
- Extendable Reachers or Grabbers
- Leg Lifters
Mobility and corporal therapy are both important factors in helping to speed up recovery. Full use of the hip will take some time, but in patients that were healthy prior to the surgery, a full rescue is possible and likely.
Exercise is a major factor in rescue as well as the arresting of other complications arising because of the surgery. Any help that a patient can enlist - either from house or considerable healing practitioners is going to aid them in recovery.
Prevention Tips
Learning how to preclude falls is other factor that is going to seriously limit the likelihood of breaking a hip.
* building railings or ramps to help with stairs around the home is a good idea.
* Installing rails next to the toilet and in the bathtub or shower is other preventative measure. They're also great ideas to help somebody who is trying to recover from hip surgery since their mobility will be more miniature for a time.
* Rearranging furniture to allow for clear paths.
* Check rugs and carpets for slippage or places somebody could trip.
* think the use of a hip protector - a low profile pad that you wear below your clothing and over your hip to help dispell any impact from a fall.
* Keep cords stowed safely away.
* Place used items in easy to reach places - avoid step stools and ladders where balance might be lost.
* Make sure areas of the home and yard are well lit. Being able to see a hazard is half the battle.
* Wear practical shoes that are non-slip.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can also decrease your risk of breaking a hip. Not only exercise, but allowable food is important.
* Weight Bearing practice - Helps to fight bone density loss and works to speak the force of tendons and muscles that support the joints. Not only that, but commonly walking or exercising will help to speak your sense of balance and agility - development the likelihood of a fall less likely.
* Smoking - Believe it or not, smoking of course works to sacrifice your bone density. So not only can it cause cancer - but it can weaken your bones.
* Calcium and Vitamin D - allowable food and watching levels of calcium in your diet (through foods or supplements) will work to speak your bone density so that in the event of a fall, you are less likely to fracture your hip. Vitamin D is also a key component of this process as it helps your body dispell and process calcium.
Other Hip Fracture Resources
There are a ton of available resources on the web these days that can help you in the arresting of or rescue from a hip fracture. The following is a listing and review of some great web sites and articles if you would like more facts on hip fracture prevention, treatment, and recovery.
The Mayo Clinic
The Mayo Clinic is a extremely respected non-profit society and clinic that maintains clinics in Minnesota, Arizona, and Florida. They also have a very informative web site that is a great resource for countless healing conditions. The section of the web site on hip fractures is very in depth and organized in a way that you can find facts very of course on arresting of hip fractures or help with rescue from hip surgery.
Care.com
Care.com is an inviting web site in that it deals with the care of patients following surgeries like total hip replacement. On this web site you'll find questions and tips related to helping patients or parents who are going through a difficult hip surgery recovery.
Advice on how to deal with the healing health is provided, as well as guidance on how to help the patient mentally get through the rescue is discussed.
This web site also provides way to a network of caregivers and aid providers in your area if you need additional help with recovering from hip surgery. You can find providers for any level of help that might be needed, from full time care to part time help with housework and chores. The great thing about this aid is that you can post your needs and interview possible caregivers as well as look at a background check.
EveryDayHealth.com
Maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle are the best preventative measures that you can take towards avoiding a hip fracture. Working as an online society and resource, EveryDayHealth.com is a great resource and web site to use to speak that active and healthy lifestyle.
Nutrition facts and tools like their 'meal planner' and 'weight tracker' are great ways to make sure you are doing everything you can to stay healthy. Participating in the society forums is also a great way to meet other population facing the same issues or working towards the same goals.
Hip fractures are a base injury, especially among the elderly - so reaching out to a society like EveryDayHealth will give you the chance to find comprehension support of what it is you might be going through following hip surgery.
Finding the allowable support, healing care, and tools to aid in the rescue from hip fracture surgery is a key component to reducing the strangeness and likelihood of complications from a broken hip. either you have experienced a hip fracture or are just curious in the arresting of a future injury - there's a myriad of online resources available to help you in that quest.
Surgery Journal:Hip Fractures - A Guide For saving
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