All of you folks old enough to remember that classic TV advertisement are at risk for a hip fracture. Hip fractures in folks our age are displaced and painful enough that we would not be able to crawl over to our cell phone a few feet away.
Some rare hip fractures in people younger than 50 are non-displaced and can be walked on with mild to moderate pain. One type is a stress fracture of the femur neck, thigh bone, near the hip.
These can heal by using crutches but most require placement of three screws through small incisions.
A 26-year-old developed a stress fracture by jumping out of his garbage truck 120 times a day, always landing on his left foot. His hip required three screws.
He’s doing fine and now he steps out of his truck. These stress fractures are found by x-rays, a CT scan, a MRI or a bone scan. Please be concerned with any bone or joint pain that is not 50 percent better in one week and demand it’s carefully evaluated again!
Dr. Walker Wynkoop, MD, is a resident of Los Banos, and a Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon with 30 years of experience. He serves at Memorial Hospital and Rural Health Clinic working about 20 days a month. His email is Questions@wwynkoop.com.
