August 7, 2022

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Did you know that every year, more than 300,000 older adults (age 65+) break their hips and get hospitalized? Ninety-five percent of these breaks—also called fractures—are caused by falls.

Of people who experience hip breaks/fractures, three-fourths are women. Mature women tend to fall more than men, says the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and women also have a higher incidence of osteoporosis (a bone-weakening disease) than men.

What do these statistics mean for you?

Obviously, you don’t want to become one of the numbers contributing to the statistics. But here’s what to know if you do.

At the Hospital

After your fall, you may get to the hospital by ambulance or by car. You’ll be admitted to the emergency room first and then to a hospital room.

Because a hip break is not generally a life-threatening event, surgery may not happen immediately. Instead, it may be scheduled for later in the day or the next day. Usually, surgery to repair a hip fracture occurs within 24-48 hours. Before surgery, pain is managed with medication.

Hip repair surgery usually takes two to four hours. You will undergo general anesthesia for the procedure, after which you’ll rest in a recovery room for an hour or so, and then move to a hospital room.

You may have a catheter to drain urine, an IV tube in an arm vein to receive fluids and medications, and stockings or pneumatic compression sleeves around your legs to prevent blood clots from developing.

The hospital’s physical therapy team will visit you within 24 hours and get you moving both legs. That may feel too early to you, but it’s the usual protocol. During your stay at the hospital (usually two to four days after surgery), the physiotherapists will get you walking and help you learn how to get out of bed, get up from chairs, and go up and down stairs.

How well you’re able to move around independently will determine whether you go home or transfer from the hospital to a rehabilitation center.

At the Rehab Facility

If you go to a rehabilitation facility, it’s because your healthcare professionals have determined that you need more therapy before you move back home.

At the rehab facility, the therapy team will have you continue the treatment and exercises you started in the hospital. They will come in once or twice a day to work with you. Between those visits, you can do exercises on your own.

The rehab facility staff will conduct assessment/evaluation meetings with you to look at your progress and determine when you’ll be ready to go home. It could be as soon as a few days after your arrival or as long as several weeks.

At Home After Surgery and Rehab

When you get home, you will have weeks or months of recovery before you feel back to normal. Talk to your doctor and therapy team to get their specific instructions.

They will give you a version of the following advice/instruction points:

• Nap when you need to, but don’t lie in bed for hours during the day
• Use crutches or a walker for four to six weeks
• Take short walks often
• Sit in chairs with arms so you can support yourself when you stand up
• At night, don’t sleep on the repaired hip
• Drive and have sex only when your doctor says either activity is ok
• Don’t lift heavy things
• Eat food that is good for you and try not to overeat
• Drink lots of water and fluids
• Take the medications that your doctor recommends
• Exercise as your physical therapist recommends

Avoid a Hip Injury with These Actions

It’s all about prevention! Some of the following tips are basic and won’t take much effort. Other tips will take time and intention.

Ramp Up the Safety of Your Home

Look with a scrutinizing eye at anything that could be a trip hazard.

• Duffel bags on the floor with floppy handles (move the bags or tuck the handles inside)
• Legs or stands that protrude on the floor (move the pieces or flag the legs)
• Rugs with corners that flip up (replace the rugs or tape the corners down)
• Any smallish item tossed on the floor to “deal with later” (deal with them now!)
• Uneven surfaces or steps (run a strip of brightly-colored duct tape along the edges)

Do Exercises to Improve Core & Leg Strength

Having strong legs and a strong core increases stability and helps to reduce the chance of falling.

• Talk to your doctor about the best exercises to do at home
• Do you work out at a gym? Consult a trainer for the best machines to use the build your core and leg strength
• Are you comfortable doing online research? Search for “exercises for seniors to build core and leg strength”

Make Sure You’re Seeing Well

Is your glasses prescription up to date? If not, get yourself to an eye-care provider.

Also, pay attention to the glasses you wear when out walking or moving around the house. Do the lenses distort distances? Talk to your eye doctor about the best glasses to wear when you’re walking around.

Do You Have Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis weakens bones and makes bone breaks more likely when people fall. Osteoporosis affects all people of all races, but women are the most prone to developing this disease, especially white and Asian women past the age of menopause.

Bone damage from osteoporosis can’t be reversed but it can be curbed by doing strength-training and weight-bearing exercises, taking calcium and Vitamin D, taking certain medications, avoiding smoking, and limiting alcohol consumption.

See a Doctor

Talk to your doctor about ways to reduce your risk of falls. Have him or her check the medications you take that make you feel sleepy or dizzy. Perhaps there are alternative medications.

Wrapping It Up

Take good care of yourself to avoid falls and breaks and to speed recovery if the unexpected happens.

Falling and breaking a hip significantly impacts a person’s life. However, hip bones do heal. You can recover completely and enjoy life just as you did before the break.

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