[Closed] Broken hip

Remember to tell your dad that its an old persons injury then duck when he trys to gives you a clip round the ear for calling him old at 52 😀

It hurts a lot, and he will be on a morphine drip for a while, just hope it doesnt get an infection, ensure you and all visitors use hand gel at the hospital.

Best wishes to him.

i don't think you can call it an "old" persons injury when it's the result of falling from a horse. Shetland Pony maybe but not a horse.

p.s. hope he gets better soon.

'broken hip' covers quite a few injuries. It is probably (if being plated) an extracapsular fracture which is the better option if you are young (less risk of problems down line).

In time he should recover and do well, but if it is this fracture type it will collapse as part of the normal healing process to a certain degree. In some (far from all) people this will leave them with weak hip abductors and possibly walking less well than previously. Equally many patients of his age group in time make a full recovery, but bargain on three months plus before normal again.

Despite the rubbish in the press it can be a straightforward ish procedure with low complication rates but this is dependant on the fracture pattern - there is a broad spectrum from stable 2 part fractures to highly unstable 4 part plus fractures.

I didn't enjoy the experience much. Sounds like it might be a different flavour of fracture- mine was bolted rather than plated. Mine was a fairly neat nondisplaced extracapsular fracture.

I don't have full mobility, but I've got good function, I can run a bit, ride a bike almost completely normally, act like an absolute c**k in moshpits at bands, etc. Some pain... Apparently more surgery could reduce that but for now it's perfectly liveable with and I'd sooner not have time off the leg.

I was given the distinct impression that recovery was largely down to the patient- for instance when I was checked out they were very definate about making sure I partially weighted the leg and stayed active, to ensure it collapsed together properly. It was definately along the lines of "That's us done all we can, now it's over to you, don't **** it up"

He'll be fine - 52's nothing...

Wouldnt think that he'll be off his feet for long.

"Plate" possibly a Richards Screw plate (if an intertrochanteric fracture), which is two elaborate pins plus a plate and two or more screws. The surgeon will not want to alarm your father too much about the amount of metal that will be used, surgical steel.

The mobility question depends on the amount of physiotherapy he gets and how soon he gets hydrotherapy. Splashing about in the water is incredibly effective, even though getting in and out of the water is horrible.

But crutches for a few weeks does mean that it is very easy to forget how to walk. Which is why the hydrotherapy is so important, he will get to walk in the pool.

The surgeon will / might labour the point about only an 80% success rate etc etc.... poor blood supply the the hip etc etc.... but the point about infection is very important. In general let what the surgeon says just wash over your and your fathers head, they are used to dealing with hip fractures is much older and less active people who smoke and will inevitably have complications.
Having the operation as soon after the break is big factor on the success of the operation.

Do not have a look at pictures of Jewett nail plates or even the Richards Screw, they are big and ugly.

while all the hip experts are in the house anyone have any experience about hip replacements/resurfacing in young patients? (ie me I'm 37)

Your dads not called Phil by any chance ?

I broke my hip 5 weeks ago, and i'm 24!

BTW, when i say hip, i mean hip socket. Not the most fun of fractures, but he'll be fine. Doubt he'll get full motability back, maybe about 90pc, which is plenty enough.

Hi Mr Pilot,
Sorry to hear about your dad's accident - hope he wasn't showing off for Mr Lacey's benefit? When these old guys get together, anything can happen.

Hope he makes a full recovery, sounds like a fit guy. Really, 52 isn't very old.

(feeling a bit like a stalker....)

Hope your dad makes a speedy recovery

I broke mine in seven places including across the socket 25 years ago as a result of riding m' Vespa into the side car that pulled out from a side junction

I was in hospital for 6 weeks/off work for 5 months - had a job as a maintenance engineer at the time...with a desk job I'm thinking I could have gone back allot sooner

nothing has stopped me since recovering - I can cycle 100k enduro events with no issues - only my own general fitness limit's me rather than my existing hip injury

Ahh.... "StuE" - just figured it out!!

I broke my hip in January of this year - the neck of the femur though. I was in hospital for a week but have recovered fine. Hurt like hell mind but as someone else has said, I honestly think its down to the patient's mentality. If you want to get better, you will.

I even managed to race Whinlatter in the March!