Broke my hip a while back and have just had the screws removed so sitting at home kicking my feet (quite gently of course) thinking how long before i should try the turbo trainer after a less than helpfull chat with surgeon about stuff like that (he was very vague). Anyone else been in the same boat?

I broke my hip about 7 years ago. 18 months later I had the screws out.

My surgeon told me to get back on the bike after about 2 weeks (once stitches were out). Although they did have to make a bigger hole than they'd made to get them in as he managed to round the head off on one of them and need clearance 'for some molegrips' – the top and bottom one int his pic are both a bit 'chewed'

I think my best advice would be to book to see a physio (mine costs £40 a visit) and get some advice tailored to your particular needs and condition, though. Worth every penny in my experience to get back full strength and mobility.

The NHS's treatement of broken hips tends to be focued on the over 60's where just being able to walk post op is a success – at 35 I needed a bit more than that.

Thanks for the reply wwaswas. Does it feel close to how it did before you broke it now your screws are out? you're the first person i've come across who was fairly young when you broke your hip so i'm interested in any problems you've encountered with flexability and movement if any,
Mark

hi mark – yes, I've got a freind who's a doctor and she said that the only time they normally see femoral neck fractures in under 40's is when there's been a car crash and the front bulkhead has forced their legs back far enought to break their hip. I guessI just got lucky doign it falling off a bike…

I've recovered pretty much full movement (slightly less 'twist' in that leg but fore-aft is fine) and full strength in that limb.

Biggest problem I had was getting aching in my thigh muslces on long car journeys and also if I didn't ride or run for 2-3 weeks I would get 'achy' in my hip and thigh. These seem to have subsided though and really now I don't have any issues with it.

I did have to have regular scans for the first 2-3 years to make sure that the bone in my hip wasn't dying off due to disrupted blood supply (which is what Floyd Landis had).

I'm 43 now so not quite sure what I'll be like in 25 yeaqrs time in terms of longer term damage and decay on that side.

Best thing was having the bolts out though – really helped with movement and general comfort – it used to hurt like buggery when I banged the bolt heads on the edge of a table with my thigh muscles trapped in between the two.

cheers Luke

when I banged the bolt heads on the edge of a table with my thigh muscles trapped in between the two

😥

Broke mine 8 years ago this week, had a dynamic hip screw fitted http://www.privatehealth.co.uk/private-operations/orthopaedic/dynamic-hip-screw/ and 4 big bolts, they are all still in there as the risk of infection or bolts snapping on removal, made me leave them in, i fell off a road bike at 10mph on a bend, i have a slight weakness in that side leg and even now with regular riding and exercise if i measure my leg around my short tan lines the one is 2 cm smaller, and i can fell slight twinges in that area, but the worse thing is if i get a cold it aches like hell as my imune system attacks the metal work…

sorry should have said i was 31 when i broke it.

just read this about femoral neck fractures on that site;

"Often sustaining a fractured neck of femur marks a watershed in an individual’s life and can mark the change between independence and institutionalized life."

really quite worrying that it's considered that severe an injury really.

Flatback, that sounds like it has quite an impact on your life. wwaswas, sounds like you had the same issues as i did. Out of interest you did you manage the muscle wastage? I wasn't able to put weight on my left leg for 16 weeks because the bone didn't heal as quickly as hoped and eighteen months down the line one side of my bum is a lot smaller than the other! reading that last bit back I wonder if thats to much detail but i'm past caring…
mark.
p.s I was 45 when i did mine, low bone density has since been diagnosed as the mine cause (was a minor accident) treatable, lucky for me.

sorry, didn't see your reply earlier.

I do still have one 'cheek' a bit smaller than the other but not enough to make me tilt when sat down. Although I can't keep my wallet in the back pocket of my jeans on the 'break' side any more as it hurts when I sit on it!

I was diagnosed with osteopenia too – solution was to take up running a bit to improve bone density – I've gone from the bone density of a 75 year old down to about 50 now.

I didn't really notice any particular muscle wastage in the leg but I did have a relatively quick return to riding (about 4 months) and only 2 weeks off post screw removal. I do have a lowish body fat percentage (about 10%) so I'd notice if I lost muscle.