About this topic
A hip fracture is also called a broken hip. It is a break in the upper part of the thigh bone or femur. This is where your thigh bone connects to your pelvic bone. Most people have surgery to repair or replace a broken hip. You may have had to spend 5 to 7 days in the hospital after your broken hip. You may have been working with a physical therapist to help you get stronger. The therapist may also have helped you walk with a cane or walker. ‚
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What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do.
- Some people can go home after a broken hip. Others may need to go to a rehab facility or nursing home for a few weeks until they are strong enough to go home.
- For mild pain or swelling, place an ice pack or a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel over the painful part. Never put ice right on the skin. Do not leave the ice on more than 10 to 15 minutes at a time.
- Prop your leg on pillows to help with swelling.
- Wiggle your toes often. This will help blood flow and healing.
- You may need to take a drug to prevent blood clots. This drug will thin your blood. You may also need to wear special stockings to help blood flow in your legs.
- Talk to your doctor about when you may go back to your normal activities like work, driving, or sex.
- If you had surgery:
- Keep your wound clean. Always wash your hands before touching your wound.
- Talk to your doctor about how to care for your cut site. Ask your doctor about:
- When you should change your bandages
- When you may take a bath or shower
- If you need to be careful with lifting things over 10 pounds
What follow-up care is needed?
- Your doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your progress. Be sure to keep these visits.
- An x-ray may be taken to make sure that your bone is healing normally.
- If you have stitches or staples, you will need to have them taken out. Your doctor will often want to do this in 1 to 2 weeks.
- You will probably need to continue physical therapy for a while. This will help you regain strength and full use of your hip. Your doctor will let you know how much weight you can put on your injured bone.
- If you are on drugs to thin your blood, you may need a special blood test every so often to make sure your blood thinner is working.
What drugs may be needed?
The doctor may order drugs to: ‚
- Help with pain and swelling
- Fight an infection
- Prevent blood clots
Will physical activity be limited?
- It may take 3 to 6 months for your broken hip to heal. Often you will slowly get back to being able to move as you did before you broke your hip.
- Your doctor will encourage you to move around as much as you safely can to return to normal activity. The physical therapist will also be very helpful.
- You should not do physical activity that makes your health problem worse. Talk to your doctor if you run, work out, or play sports. You may not be able to do those things until the fracture is fully healed. Ask your doctor when it is safe to do so.
- Most patients will regain much of the mobility and independence they had before the injury.
What problems could happen?
- Infection
- Bleeding
- Weakness or a fall
- Problems with wound healing
- Blood clots in the legs
What can be done to prevent this health problem?
- Always wear a seat belt. Drive safely. Obey speed limits. Do not drink and drive.
- Exercise regularly. Stay active to keep your muscles strong and flexible.
- Warm up slowly and stretch before you work out. Slowly increase how far you walk or run. Do not work out if you are overly tired. Take extra care if working out in cold weather.
- Keep a healthy weight so there is not extra stress on your joints. Eat a healthy diet with calcium and vitamin D to keep your bones healthy.
- Wear the right equipment when playing sports.
- Avoid falling. Be careful when on ladders, step stools, or icy surfaces.
- Keep your home free of clutter and well lit to lessen the chance of falling.
- If you have osteoporosis, talk to your doctor about drugs that may help.
When do I need to call the doctor?
- Sudden shortness of breath or a sudden onset of chest pain, more pain or swelling in your leg, pain in the calf. These could be signs of a blood clot. Go to the ER right away.
- Signs of infection. These include a fever of 100.4 ‚ °F (38 ‚ °C) or higher, chills, cough, more sputum or change in color of sputum, pain with passing urine, wound that will not heal.
- Signs of wound infection. These include swelling, redness, warmth around the wound; too much pain when touched; yellowish, greenish, or bloody discharge; foul smell coming from the cut site; cut site opens up.
- Cast or splint is too tight or too loose
- Toes of injured leg turn cold, blue, and numb or have no feeling
- You are not feeling better in 2 to 3 days or you are feeling worse
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my fracture.
- I can tell you how to care for my injured area.
- I can tell you how to care for my cut site.
- I can tell you what I will do if my toes are cold, blue, numb, or have no feeling.
Where can I learn more?
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons ‚
http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00392 ‚
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ‚
http://www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/Falls/adulthipfx.html ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
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Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚