8. References
“Diseases and Conditions- Hip Fracture”. (n.d.). In Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hip-fracture/basics/definition/con-20021033
Shier, D., Butler, J., & Lewis, R. (2012). Skeletal System. In Hole’s Essentials of Human Anatomy and
Physiology (11th. Ed.). New York: McGraw Hill. Retrieved from http://campus.ctuonline.edu
“What Are The Different Types of Hip Fractures?”. (2015). In The University of Chicago Medicine. Retrieved
from http://www.uchospitals.edu/online-library/content=P08957
Notes de l'éditeur
Illustration retrieved from Microsoft Clip Art.
Hip Fractures are most common in people 65 and older, and more so in people over 80. As we get older our bones naturally weaken and this is called osteoporosis. Other factors that can aid in hip fractures are medications that cause dizziness, vision problems, and balance problems (“Disease and Conditions”, n.d.). There are two most common types of hip fractures, Femoral Neck Fracture, and Intertrochanteric Hip Fracture.
The Femoral Neck Fracture is a fracture that happens about 1-2 inches from the hip joint and is most common among older adults who have Osteoporosis. This can be a particularly dangerous break because it cuts off the blood supply to the Femur bone which is the large bone of the thigh (“What are the”, 2015).
Image retrieved from: The University of Chicago Medicine website
The Intertrochanteric Fracture happens about 3-4 inches from the hip joint. This kind of break is easier to treat than Femoral Neck Fracture, and does not interrupt the blood supply to the femur bone (“What are the”, 2015).
Image retrieved from: The University of Chicago Medicine website
Some of the causes of hip fractures can be through car accidents, where the driver gets slammed into the dash and their knee hits the dash at such an impact that it causes the femur bone to break at the hip. Falling is another way to break your hip, if you land on it wrong, or just the impact of hitting your hip on something as you are falling. People with problems of balance need to be extra precautious so they don’t fall. Some medicines can cause you to be dizzy effecting your balance, if your doctor prescribed this medicine let them know if you are having problems with dizziness and they can prescribe you another medicine. If its medicine that you have to have just make sure you take your time getting up from the sitting position, walk slowly (preferably with someone at your side that you can grab onto if you start to fall), or walk with a cane or walker. Osteoporosis is one of the leading causes of hip fractures because of falling on the already weakened bones of the hip. When we get older our bones naturally weaken, and this weakening is called Osteoporosis or “porous bones”. It is more prevalent in women that are going through menopause because the hormone that helps to rebuild bone called estrogen is no longer there, and this accelerates the bone loss. There are drugs that you can take to help fight osteoporosis but you have to be careful of the side effects. Inactivity is another cause of hip fractures in that if you don’t exercise and build up the muscles in your body, it will make you weak, it will cause you to lose your balance more easily, and causes you to be over weight or obese which accelerates bone loss because the cells osteoblasts that help build bone are more active when you are exercising, so if you are not exercising then the cells osteoclasts start taking over and destroying your bones(Shier, Butler, & Lewis, 2012). This building up and weakening is a process that our bodies go through all our lives, so “if you don’t use it, you lose it”, is talking about your bones and this process. So get up and exercise!
Some risk factors for hip fractures could be your living environment. Look around where you live and make sure you don’t have any rugs that move easily or slide when you walk on them. Look for any cords that are in walk ways, or some place where you might trip on them and tuck them away. Hormone changes mostly in women going through menopause can be a risk factor for hip fracture because the loss of estrogen which helps bone building is gone and you must make sure that you make it up some how. Osteoporosis is a big factor in hip fractures in that it weakens the bones, and sometimes even without falling you can fracture your bones because of the weakness. Chronic diseases like Multiple Sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease can be a risk factor because each of these diseases effect your balance, and muscles.
There are ways to prevent hip fractures and most of it can be controlled through proper nutrition and exercise. A healthy diet is important because as we get older and our bones start weakening we loose important nutrients that are needed to build and maintain strong bones. Vitamin D is especially important because it is needed to process the calcium in our bodies. Without calcium our bones get weak and break. There are supplements that you can take everyday to help with vitamin D and calcium, be sure to read the label to make sure they have the proper daily allowance of these vitamins. And most importantly exercising will ensure that you get and keep bone health. Just doing 20 minutes of weight bearing exercises a day, which is walking, light aerobics, walking up and down the stairs, lifting light weights, or dancing is enough to keep your bones healthy and fracture free. So lets all get up and move our bodies because we want to “Use it, not lose it!”