Which is worse, a broken hip or pelvis?
Asked by: Marques Jaskolski | Last update: August 15, 2025Score: 4.7/5 (46 votes)
Is the pelvis the worst bone to break?
A fracture in the pelvis can be life-threatening, just like hip fractures. The pelvis connects the spine to the hips. The kidneys, intestines, bladder, and genitals are within the pelvic ring. Broken bones can cause injury to these organs.
Are the pelvis and the hip the same?
The hip is the area on each side of the pelvis. The pelvis bone is made up of 3 sections: Ilium. The broad, flaring portion of the pelvis.
How long do you stay in hospital with a broken pelvis?
In most cases, these are fixed with plates and screws. A combination of large and small incisions are used to fix these injuries. Surgery usually takes 1 to 3 hours. Most patients stay in the hospital for several days after surgery.
What is the hardest bone to break in your body?
The femur is the longest, largest, heaviest, and strongest bone in the body. It makes standing and walking possible. Because of the femur's strength and size, femur fractures tend to occur only when the thighbone comes under significant force.
Pelvic Vs Hip Fracture. What’s The Difference?
What are the three most painful bones to break?
- Femur.
- Tailbone.
- Ribs.
Is a broken femur the same as a broken hip?
A hip fracture is a break in the thighbone (femur) of your hip joint.
How do you go to the bathroom with a broken pelvis?
A raised toilet seat and toilet arm rests may be recommended to help you use the toilet. Make sure the toilet paper is within easy reach. Back up until you feel the toilet touch the back of your legs.
What is the most common complication after a pelvic fracture?
The biggest long term complication of a broken pelvis is the development of arthritis. The main reason doctors operate on these fractures is that they know from past experience that if they leave the fractures in a poor position, although they will often heal, arthritis may follow within five years.
What is the average mortality rate of a patient with a pelvis fracture?
Consequently, open pelvic bone fractures generally have poor outcomes, with a mortality rate that can range widely, from 6% to 58% [7–9]. This rate is notably higher than the mortality of all pelvic bone fractures, which ranges from 5% to 10% [10–12].
What is the difference between a broken hip and a broken pelvis?
A hip fracture is a break in the upper thigh bone (femur) that forms the hip joint. A pelvic fracture can happen anywhere in the pelvic bone. Fractures of the hips and pelvis are not often seen in children unless a severe injury (such as a car crash) has occurred.
What organ is above your left hip?
Organs in the left upper quadrant include the stomach, spleen, left portion of the liver, main body of the pancreas, the left portion of the kidney, adrenal glands, splenix flexure of the colon, and bottom part of the colon.
How to get into bed with a broken hip?
- Back up until you feel the bed behind your knees. ...
- While holding onto the crutches with one hand, reach behind with the opposite hand to find the bed surface. ...
- Sit and slide your buttocks backward on the bed.
- Pivot on your buttocks as you lift your legs onto the bed.
What is the hardest fracture to recover from?
The reason scaphoid fractures have a hard time healing is due to the anatomy of the blood supply to the bone. The blood supply is what keeps the bone alive and allows it to heal.
Is walking good for a fractured pelvis?
Doctors often recommend additional physical therapy after the bone has healed and you can walk again to further strengthen muscles in the legs, back, and abdomen. Physical therapy can increase flexibility in muscles that were immobile while the bone was healing.
What is the most painful injury in the world?
Tibial Compound Fracture: Something about the combination of the high-force fracture of one of our main weight-bearing bones and then having the sharp bone end tear through the muscle and skin is enough to leave even the strongest stomach quivering.
Is sitting bad for a fractured pelvis?
In most cases, it's important to avoid sitting for long periods of time during the initial healing phase, which can last several weeks. Your doctor may recommend a period of bed rest or limited mobility to help the bones heal.
What is the best pain relief for a fractured pelvis?
The primary treatment of patients with pelvic fracture seeks to relieve pain with narcotic analgesics. Avoid nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs until hemorrhage has been excluded, as this is the most common cause of mortality in patients with pelvic fracture.
How long does it take to walk normally after a pelvic fracture?
If a person has a fractured pelvis, they should use crutches or a walker for some time until the fracture has healed. A doctor will often suggest avoiding full weight bearing activities for up to 12 weeks . This means someone should initially avoid: walking without crutches or a walker.
What does the hospital do for a broken pelvis?
A broken bone in the hip or pelvis needs to be set and stabilized in order to heal fully. Reduction is the process of setting the bone or reassembling the bone fragments. Fixation is a procedure used to prevent bone fragments from moving while new bone tissue grows, and fuses the pieces into one solid bone.
What organ is damaged in a pelvic fracture?
After a pelvic fracture, there may be injuries to organs within the pelvic ring such as the intestines, kidneys, bladder or genitals. A minor fracture is usually treated with bed rest and medication. Severe fractures often require extensive surgery.
How long is bed rest for a pelvic fracture?
The length of bed rest can range from a few days to several weeks or even months, depending on the individual's overall health and age, the severity of the fracture, and the treatment plan. In some cases, surgery may be required to stabilize the pelvic bone, and the recovery period may be longer.
What is a red flag for hip pain?
Ask someone to drive you to urgent care or the emergency room if your hip pain is caused by an injury and includes any of the following: A joint that appears deformed or out of place or a leg that appears shortened. Inability to move your leg or hip. Inability to bear weight on the affected leg.
Why is a broken hip so bad for the elderly?
Recovery for adults who are older or frail can take months. This often leads to further loss of muscle mass, which then increases the risk of a subsequent fall. Due to the length of recovery, a hip fracture also often leads to a decrease in independence.
What is the most common cause of death in a hip fracture?
A recent systematic epidemiologic review, however, showed that patients are at increased risk for premature death for many years after hip fracture [4]. Excess mortality after hip fracture may be linked to complications following the fracture, such as pulmonary embolism [5], infections [2,6], and heart failure [2,6].