If your bones are strong, chances are these accidents will leave you with nothing worse than some bumps and bruises. But for older people with fragile bones, falls can result in a broken hip. Add fragile health to the picture, and a fractured hip can fracture the lives of patients and the family members who love and depend on them. A doctor confirms the diagnosis of hip fracture with a physical exam and x-rays, which will also show how many breaks the bone has sustained and the position of the fragments. The two main treatments for hip fracture are internal fixation and partial joint replacement.
Internal fixation starts with surgical realignment of the bone.
The orthopaedist then uses screws or metal plates to hold the pieces of the bone in place during healing. In hip replacement, the orthopaedist resurfaces the injured area with parts called prostheses, which may be made of a combination of metal and plastic. Orthopaedists describe successful recovery from a hip fracture as a patient's ability to return to all the activities he or she participated in before the injury. About 40 percent of hip fracture patients recover fully, but breaking a hip can be a devastating event for many elderly people. Those who do not often need help from a home caregiver or relative to carry on with daily activities, and many remain permanently dependent on canes or walkers to get around.