A hip fracture is when the femur thigh bone breaks in the upper quarter. The hip is a ball-socket joint which allows a bend and rotation in the upper leg at the pelvis. When the top of the thigh bone is pushed out if its socket in the hip it is called a hip dislocation. Articular cartilage covers the surface of the ball-socket which makes friction that helps the bones glide smoothly across each other. A hip fracture can be a life threatening injury. The older a person becomes the more the possibility of a fracture rises. Bones become weaker as people age which makes the elderly at higher risk for hip fracture. Tripping and falling could cause a hip fracture and most of the time tripping and falling comes from poor balance and taking many different medications. Most of the time fracturing a hip requires surgical repair or replacement of the hip which is a hip arthroplasty. Plenty of physical therapy comes with getting a repair or replacement. A hip dislocation is when the hip pops out of place. The most common result of a hip dislocation is a motor vehicle collision. The dislocation happens if the knee hits a dashboard. A fall from a decent height causes a hip dislocation. When the dislocation happens there are other related injuries that can occur such as fractures in the …show more content…
When dealing with a hip fracture there may be an inability to move after falling. A fracture can cause extreme pain in the hip or groin. Sometimes putting weight on the side were the hip fracture is located is hard to do. When dealing with a hip dislocation the symptoms of it can be swelling in the spot or location of the joint. There can also be a lot of discoloration when it comes to a hip dislocation. The dislocation can cause out of placement of the joint and can be very immovable. A hip fracture is when the bone is out of its socket and a hip dislocation is when the joint is out of