Hip Fractures

My friend Charlene Bell was recently in the hospital because of a broken hip. She had been hiking in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve in Alaska and tripped over a rock. It was quite an ordeal getting her out of there by air rescue.

Once in the hospital emergency room, Charlene found out that she had a comminuted subcapital fracture of the left hip. Fortunately, she did not break her ankle as well.

She had surgery that afternoon and is back home now. She is even beginning to hike again. But. she still owes $11,424 on her hospital bill.

Fortunately, these days, most histories of people with a broken hip end up the same way. They get some new hardware in their hips and get on with their lives. However, it would be nice if that broken hip could be prevented! You would sure save a lot of money and pain.

The good news is that you can do a lot these days to prevent hip fractures. That is because most hip fractures happen because the bone is weak. In fact the bone will often break because it is weak and the person will fall because of the broken bone. The weakness or thinning of the bone is called osteoporosis.

Factors That Increase Osteoporosis

One of the things that we all tend to do as we get older is become less active. Unfortunately for those of us who are couch potatoes, the bones get more fragile when we are not on our feet as much. So, they fracture more easily. In fact, most hip fractures occur after the age of 65.

Women get two to three times as many more hip fractures as men. That is because after menopause, the change in the hormones makes it more likely to get osteoporosis.

If others in your family tended to have fractures late in life, you have a higher risk of getting them also.

What you eat and your personal habits affect your bone strength. A diet low in calcium causes weaker bones. Also, you can be taking in enough calcium, but if you are taking it in with lots of meat and milk, you actually need more, because those foods make it harder for your body to absorb it. Smoking and alcohol use also contribute to thinner bones. Nutrition. A low calcium dietary intake or reduced ability to absorb calcium. Vitamin D is also necessary to absorb and use your calcium.

Preventing Osteoporosis and Hip Fractures

Weight bearing activity causes a tiny electric current to stimulate the cells on the outside of the bone to make your bones more durable. Exercise will also strengthen the muscles that support your joints. An exercise program will therefore increase your bone strength.

Helpful medications are made that your doctor can recommend that will increase your bone strength. Your doctor can do a bone density test to see if you need specific medicines such as hormone replacement therapy and calcitonin to help your bones.

Some things can make you fall more easily and break your hip even if it is not weakened by thinning. Some medicines can cause dizziness. If you need different glasses or you have trouble walking, you can fall more easily. You should compensate for these problems with a walker or changes in glasses.

Finally, avoid those things that make your bones thin like smoking and excessive alcohol intake.

Try using these methods and you will greatly make your bones stronger and minimize your chances of ever getting a subcapital hip fracture.