During that time, pain from a hip fracture usually lessens after four to six weeks.
It can take 12 weeks for the bone to fully mend.
And by six months, some people are able to get close to their pre-injury activity level.
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That said, this will vary from person to person, and some people never regain full functioning.
Physical therapy can help to restore mobility, strength, and balance, but often to varying degrees.
A hip fracture can cause a steep decline in functioning in older people, for example.
This article discusses the hip fracture recovery process.
Your recovery begins immediately after surgery.
Controlling Pain
You will be given pain medications to help control pain.
At first, you will get intravenous (IV) medications.
The machine will not allow you to overdose on pain medication.
Other pain control methods include nerve blocks, neurostimulation, and traction.
Alternative therapies like acupuncture can also help control pain.
This is a method of exercising your lungs to keep them as healthy as possible.
Use theincentive spirometeraccording to the advice from your healthcare provider.
Mobility and therapy are priorities within the first few days after surgery.
Be sure to follow guidance from your orthopedic surgeon and healthcare team when starting your physical therapy activities.
Without an underlying cause, a hip fracture in the elderly is, by definition, osteoporosis.
For that reason, treating osteoporosis is very important to help prevent future fractures from occurring.
Immobility opens the door to the possibility of significant complications.
It is critical to get patients up and moving as soon as possible after surgery.
There are a number of ways to help accomplish this goal.
Most importantly, the surgery should be performed soon after the injury.
Another common situation is when an individual on blood-thinning medication breaks their hip.
The blood-thinning effects may need to be reversed prior to safely performing surgery.
The second step is to quickly get up and moving after the surgery.
The other half will have a decline in function when compared to their pre-injury activity level.
The good news is this number seems to be falling, meaning recovery from hip fracture is improving worldwide.
Regaining mobility, strength, and balance affects one’s ability to return to full functioning.
Mobility can be impaired by fracture healing, deformity, implanted hardware, and scar tissue formation.
Strength
Restoration of muscle strength is critical after breaking one’s hip.
Broken Hip Recovery Time
Full healing of a broken hip can take many months.
Unfortunately, however, not everyone is able to make that key in of recovery.
Most people think of aging as a steady, gradual decline in function.
A hip fracture can be an event that initiates a sharp decline.
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