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Hip Fractures

What is a hip fracture?

A hip fracture is a break in a bone or bones of the hip or pelvis.

In a growing child’s hips and pelvis, the most common place for a fracture is the attachment point, where the muscles attach to bone. The attachment point is not fully formed yet, and so it is a weak point.

If a child moves his legs very suddenly and forcefully — for example, during a fall or while playing sports — the muscles that attach to the hip or pelvic bones can pull away and break the bone.

Fortunately, most hip fractures in children heal without a problem. Your child will have to give up some of his regular physical activities for about six weeks. Some children may need surgery to repair a hip fracture.

How do you evaluate a hip fracture?

If your child has a mild injury around his hip or pelvis, the pain usually goes away after a few days. If the pain does not go away, your child should be evaluated by an orthopedist, and probably should have X-rays.

If your child has severe pain or pain that prevents him from taking part in his usual activities, we will take X-rays to look for fractures.

If we do not see an injury on the X-rays, we may ask your child to have a bone scan to see if we can find a subtle fracture.

We will also look for other problems that can cause pain such as a bone or joint infection, Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease or a slipped capital femoral epiphysis. Some problems that can cause pain can become serious if they are not found and treated early.

Who gets hip fractures?

Any child can get a hip fracture. For children, hip and pelvic fractures usually are associated with injuries that occur during automobile accidents, or during snowboarding or bicycling.

What is your experience with hip fractures?

Because the hips are the body’s connection to the legs, it is important to diagnose and treat injuries to them correctly. At Children’s Hospital, hip fractures make up about 10% of the total number of fractures we see each year.

We have a wide range of experience in treating children with all types of pelvic and hip injuries and fractures.

Many fractures that require surgery in adults can get better without surgery in children. Pediatric orthopedists have the experience to know when it is necessary to operate on a child’s fracture.

Our experience with these injuries enables us to choose the treatment that will lead to a good recovery with few complications.

How do you treat hip fractures?

Major fractures require surgery or a cast, and sometimes both, to prevent the bones from shifting and causing permanent damage.

We perform both open and minimally invasive procedures to treat these problems. In these procedures, the doctor manipulates your child’s bones into their normal position and then uses screws or plates to hold them in the right place until they are healed.