Hip fractures More than 300,000 people, most of them over 65, are hospitalized for hip fractures each year. It is considered a serious injury not so much for the break itself but for potentially life-threatening complications--like infection and blood clots--that can occur after surgery. It is also hard to fully regain mobility and activity afterwards. People with osteoporosis are at particular risk of breaking a hip during a fall, because their bones are weaker. In fact, risk factors for hip fractures closely parallel those for developing osteoporosis: female, small and thin stature, and lack of activity all increase the odds of breaking a hip. Health Tips from Dr. Healy: Video: What you need to know about arthritis pain medication Choose another disease or condition... Allergic Rhinitis Allergies, Food Allergy & Asthma Center Alzheimer's Disease Anxiety Aortic Aneurysms Arrhythmia Arthritis, Osteo- (OA) Arthritis, Rheumatoid (RA) Asthma Atopic Dermatitis Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Back Pain Brain Tumor Bones, Joints & Muscles Center Breast Cancer Brain & Behavior Center Brain Tumor Cancer Center    Brain Tumor    Breast Cancer    Cancer Prevention    Clinical Trials    Colorectal Cancer    Endometrial Cancer    Living With and Beyond Cancer    Lung Cancer    Prostate Cancer    Skin Cancer Cardiomyopathy Cataracts Cholesterol Control Clinical Trials Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Colorectal Cancer Congenital Heart Disease Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Crohn's Disease Depression Diabetes Center Diabetes, Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Digestive Disorders Center Eczema Endometrial Cancer Erectile Dysfunction (ED) Eye & Vision Center Fibromyalgia Food Allergies Gallstone Disease Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) GERD Glaucoma Hay Fever Headache Heart Center Hepatitis A Hepatitis B Hepatitis C High Blood Pressure Hypertension Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Impotence Insomnia Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Living With and Beyond Cancer Losing Weight Lung Cancer Macular Degeneration Memory Loss Osteoarthritis (OA) Osteoporosis Parkinson's Disease Peptic Ulcer Prediabetes Prostate Cancer Respiratory Disorders Center Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Sexual & Reproductive Health Center Sinusitis Skin Cancer Sleep Apnea Sleep Center Stroke Type 1 Diabetes Type 2 Diabetes Ulcerative Colitis (UC) Weight Control See the top online resources for information about bones, joints &, muscles More about osteoporosis Osteoporosis Clinical Trials-Related Information Email this page Print this section

Once the hip is broken--in the elderly, usually through a fall--there are several options for treatment, depending on the condition of the individual patient and the type of fracture. Surgery is almost always needed; if it's not appropriate because of another illness or condition, treatment involves traction and a long period of bed rest. Two types of fracture are most common.

• Femoral neck fractures: These breaks, which occur close to the "ball" part of the hip joint, account for about 40 percent of hip fractures. There is a risk of osteonecrosis, where the blood supply to the "ball" of the hip is lost and the bone cells inside the affected bone die (undergo necrosis). To avoid this, the most common treatment for elderly people is to replace all or part of the hip. Hip replacements can last for as long as two decades. Since surgery to revise a worn joint replacement can be complicated, younger patients who would be expected to wear out their replacement hip parts may instead be treated by placing screws into the bone to support the fracture site and encourage healing.
• Intertrochanteric fractures: About half of hip fractures fall into this category. The break is farther from the head of the femur ("ball" of the hip) than a femoral neck fracture. The most common treatment is surgery to place a screw through the bone and into the head of the femur and a plate along the side, which encourages the bone to knit together.

Recovery from surgery requires several months and includes intensive therapy and rehabilitation.