Hip fractures are especially common in old age. The main danger is that an injured hip can lead to a number of complications and in some cases even endanger the patient's life. In order to completely get rid of the consequences of an injury, it is required to observe bed rest for at least six months - often for the elderly this is tantamount to death. Of course, it should be noted that modern medicine is very successful in treating hip fractures, but this does not eliminate the problem of the number of injuries. By the way, there are practically no problems with the hip bones in children - a young age, as a rule, is characterized by the strength of bone tissue.
Varieties
Hip fractures are divided by specialists into three groups. The first includes injuries to the upper end of the thigh, the second - problems with the body of the femur, and the third - a fracture of the lower end of the femur. Each of the groups is characterized by a specific mechanism of damage, clinical manifestations and, accordingly, a treatment method.
Thigh bone
Fractures of the body of the femur are considered to be very serious injuries. As a rule, theyaccompanied by pain shock and entail severe blood loss. As the main cause of this kind of injury, doctors cite bumps and falls, as well as car accidents and all kinds of sports injuries. It is therefore natural that such hip fractures are usually observed in people of young and middle age.
Symptomatics
Determining the presence of a fracture is easy: victims usually complain of unbearable pain in the injured area; after some time, the damaged area swells, the limb may be deformed.
First aid
At a hip fracture, help should be provided immediately, without waiting for the arrival of an ambulance. First of all, fix the injured limb and give the person pain medication. If the fracture is open, a tourniquet should be applied just above the wound; however, do not forget that it is allowed to keep it for no more than one and a half hours - otherwise necrosis of the limb may occur.
Treatment
In addition to applying a plaster cast, treatment must necessarily include procedures such as dealing with traumatic shock and blood transfusion (if necessary). In addition, in some cases, the doctor may prescribe skeletal traction, wearing external fixation devices, and even surgery.
Closed hip fracture
In this case, the cause is most often a fall or a blow to the knee area; a closed fracture is often accompanied by displacement. Symptoms include severe pain in the areakneecap. In order to verify the correctness of the diagnosis, the patient usually undergoes an MRI of the knee joint. Treatment usually begins with pain relief; if the victim has hemarthrosis, an additional puncture of the joint is prescribed: with the help of a special needle, stagnant blood is sucked out. After that, the area from the groin to the ankles is fixed with a plaster cast. Wearing it can take four to eight weeks. If bone fragments have shifted, they are preliminarily compared, and screws are used for fixation.
