Broken hips can be a debilitating ““ and dangerous ““ injury. When a person breaks a hip and loses mobility, she is at risk for additional complications, like pneumonia. Since these complications are potentially fatal, it is important to quickly repair the hip fracture and restore the person to good health and an active lifestyle.
The anatomy of a hip fracture
The procedure to repair a broken (fractured) hip is called hip hemiarthroplasty. The hip is a ball-and-socket joint; the top of the upper leg bone, or femur, has a ball at its top. That ball fits into a socket in each side of the pelvis, or hip bone. In many hip fractures, the femur breaks near the head or ball, and blood supply is disrupted to that head. Without adequate blood supply, the head of the bone quickly begins to weaken and could crumble. During the surgery, the head of the femur is removed and replaced by an implant, which then fits into the socket in the patient’s pelvis.
The surgery
Because of the nature of a hip fracture, hip hemiarthoplasty is usually an emergency surgery. You may not have much time to plan and prepare, but ideally a family member or caregiver can help make arrangements for your return home. The surgeon and care team will communicate with your caregiver to coordinate arrangements that need to be made while you are in the hospital so you can return home and begin your recovery.
The surgery itself involves an incision on the side of the hip, through which the surgeon will remove the head of the femur. The surgeon will then insert an implant into the femur, replacing the portion that has been removed. This implant has a ball on top designed to fit smoothly into the existing socket in the patient’s pelvis. Once the implant is in place, the surgeon will fit the ball into that socket and make certain the hip moves and works properly.
Recovery
Following surgery, hip hemiarthroplasty patients normally stay in the hospital for four to seven days. During this time the patient is given breathing exercises to reduce the risk of pneumonia, and physical therapy and exercises, including walking, beginning the day of or day after the surgery. Once a patient can demonstrate the ability to safely get in and out of bed, walk up to 75 feet with a walker or crutches, and consistently remember to use hip precautions given to them by their care team.
Physical therapy will continue for a period of time to provide the best possible recovery for each patient. The patient may have to avoid some strenuous activities, but hip hemiarthoplasty usually results in a good recovery for the patient, allowing them to return to an active lifestyle.
