Elderly people are more likely to be injured. This is primarily due to a decrease in bone strength due to age-related changes in the skeleton. The most common and at the same time the most insidious injury is
a hip fracture in the elderly. It not only requires complex treatment and lengthy rehabilitation, but also causes severe suffering to patients. A fracture can be accompanied by a variety of complications, which leads to poor bone fusion. In addition, against the background of a fracture, various diseases can aggravate. All this often leads to the fact that the patient is bedridden, weak and in need of round-the-clock care. Sometimes a hip fracture in old age leads to death. Types of fractures:
- median (it is also called medial), when the integrity of the bone is violated above the place where the joint capsule is attached to the hip;
- lateral (or lateral), when the integrity of the bone is broken below the place where the joint is attached to the hip.
All lateral fractures are extra-articular, and the median are intra-articular.
Fracture of the femoral neck in
old age: the main symptoms
Immediately after the injury, the victim begins pain in the groin area, at the time of movement they intensify. The limb, which is damaged, turns slightly outward, which can be seen by looking at the foot. Even though there is a fracture, a person can walk, unbend and bend his leg. The only thing he cannot do is to keep his leg on the weight in a straightened position. In addition, the injured limb becomes somewhat shorter, since with this type of damage the muscles begin to contract in a different way. Another sign of a fracture is that if the victim is lightly tapped on the heel of the injured leg, the pain will intensify.
Fracture of the femoral neck in old age: first aid
Of course, the treatment of such an injury requires hospitalization. Before an ambulance arrives, the victim can be helped by moving him to a flat surface and fixing the limb with a splint so that both the knee and hip joints are captured . Do not try to give the displaced leg a normal position.
Fracture of the femoral neck in old age: methods of treatment
Due to the patientโs age, treatment is often difficult. This is due to long bone fusion (from 6 to 8 months), inadmissibility for a long time to adhere to bed rest. The most optimal way to treat a hip fracture is surgery. In this case, surgery may consist of ostiosynthesis or endoprosthetics. In the first case, bone fragments are fixed with metal screws, thus helping them to grow together favorably. Unfortunately, such a method is often not suitable for people over the age of sixty, in which case the joint replacement - endoprosthetics - will be allowed. It also happens that both types of surgical intervention pose a threat to the patient's life. Then the therapy is non-surgical and is directed to the comparison of bone fragments without violating the integrity of the skin and exercise therapy.