Hip condition
Hip fractures are rarely just broken bones. In an older adult, a break from a simple fall is also a statement about bone strength, balance and general health — and the treatment has to answer all of it. Two things shape the outcome more than anything else: how quickly the fracture is fixed, and how quickly the person is back on their feet afterwards. Almost everything on this page follows from those two facts, including the one that surprises families most — that surgery is usually the safer choice, not the riskier one.
Tap any that apply — this is guidance, not a diagnosis, but it tells you how quickly to act.
Treat that as urgent — go to an emergency department now. A shortened, outward-turned leg after a fall is a hip fracture until proven otherwise. And note the third item: some fractures still allow walking, which is exactly how they get missed for days. If the X-ray is normal but the pain and the story persist, an MRI is what finds the hidden ones.
Good — that does not read like a fracture. Hip pain without a fall usually comes from the joint or the tendons around it, and there are several possibilities worth sorting out properly. Book an assessment rather than waiting to see whether it settles.
Most hip fractures in older adults come from a fall from standing height onto bone that has quietly weakened. In younger people it takes far more force — a road accident or a fall from a height. Where the bone breaks then decides the operation:
Two clocks start running the moment a hip breaks. The first is time to surgery. Fixing the fracture promptly — generally within a day or two, once the person is medically fit — is associated with fewer complications and a better chance of walking again as before. Sensible delay for a correctable medical problem is right; drift is not. The second clock is time spent in bed, and it is the one families underestimate. Lying still after a hip fracture invites chest infections, pressure sores, clots and a loss of strength that is difficult to win back. That is why standing on the day after the operation is standard care rather than heroics: the operation exists to make early movement possible, and everything is chosen with that in mind. There is also a conversation worth having early, because it comes up in almost every family. The question is rarely whether an older person is well enough for surgery — it is whether they can survive the immobility that comes without it. For all but a small number of people, the operation is the safer path.
The right information depends entirely on the stage — tap yours:
Get to an emergency department rather than waiting for a clinic appointment. Do not try to walk on it, and do not give food or drink until they have been seen, since that can delay an operation. Bring the current medicine list — blood-thinning treatment in particular affects timing.
Useful questions to ask: which operation, and why that one for this fracture. The answer follows the location of the break — replacement for most displaced neck fractures, fixation for breaks below. Ask what the plan is for standing afterwards, and what happens to bone health once the fracture is dealt with.
The work now is walking distance, strength and preventing the next one. Most of the gain in mobility comes over the first three months, but improvement continues for a year. This is also the moment for bone-strengthening treatment and fall-proofing at home — second-fracture risk is highest in the first two years.
Hip fractures treatment runs on a pathway rather than a single decision:
Tap each card to reveal the truth:
A break in the upper end of the thigh bone, just below the ball of the hip joint. Where the break sits matters enormously. A fracture through the neck of the bone sits inside the joint capsule and can interrupt the blood supply to the ball, which often means replacing it. A break lower down, through the bony ridge below, keeps its blood supply and is usually fixed with metalwork. Both are called hip fractures; they are treated quite differently.
Generally within a day or two of admission, once the person is medically fit for it. Prompt surgery is associated with fewer complications, less time in bed and a better chance of returning to previous function. Occasional delay is appropriate when a treatable medical problem needs correcting first, because operating on someone who is unwell carries its own risk. What is avoided is drift — waiting without a reason.
Hip fractures treatment is surgical for almost everyone. Displaced fractures of the femoral neck in older adults are usually treated by replacing the ball, either alone or with the socket as well. Undisplaced neck fractures and fractures in younger patients may be fixed with screws to preserve the natural head. Breaks below the neck are fixed with a nail or a plate-and-screw device. Non-surgical care is reserved for the small number too unwell for an operation.
Standing and walking with support usually begins the day after surgery — that early movement is treatment, not bravado. Most of the recovery in walking happens over the first three months, with continued gains for up to a year. How far someone gets depends heavily on how they were before the fall: mobility, strength and general health at the time of the fracture predict the outcome more reliably than the fracture pattern does.
Treat both halves of the problem: the bone and the fall. A hip fracture from a simple fall is a strong signal that bone strength needs assessing and, usually, treating — the risk of a second fracture is highest in the first two years. Alongside that, strength and balance training, a review of medicines that cause dizziness, an eye check, sensible footwear, and making the bathroom and lighting at home safer.
Same-day appointments are usually available. Call or book online — our team will take it from there.
