A broken hip isn’t just a fracture – it represents a critical health risk, especially as we age. This post explores the severity and potential risks associated with hip fractures, shedding light on why they are so dangerous.
Discover the severity and potential risks of broken hips and learn how Wagner Reese, LLP can help protect your rights.
At What Age Is a Broken Hip Life-Threatening?
A broken hip can be a very serious injury. As you get older, the risk of suffering a hip fracture increases substantially. Studies have shown that a third of adults aged over 50 years die within 12 months of suffering a hip fracture. Older adults’ chance of dying within the first three months of a hip fracture is five to eight times higher than younger individuals.
Why Are Broken Hips So Dangerous?
The results of breaking a hip cause severe disruption to the victim’s lifestyle. They experience loss of mobility and independence, combined with severe pain. The resulting inability to socialize often leads to increasing isolation.
Broken Hip Recovery Time
Since full recovery from a hip fracture often takes six months to one year, there is a significant reduction in a person’s quality of life and an increasing dependency on others. Young adults can often see recovery times on the shorter side. For the elderly, this can end up taking much longer than usual.
Some patients are obliged to move out of their homes and into residential care facilities. The longer recovery time for an elderly person combined with decreased morale contributes to the poor outcomes of a hip fracture after age 65.
What Are the Risk Factors for Hip Fractures?
While hip fractures can occur in any individual, they are most common in individuals who meet the following criteria. Higher risk factors of a hip fracture are also associated with an increased risk of death.
Age:
Broken hips are more likely to occur to those over the age of 65. This vulnerability stems from several age-related changes. Bone density naturally declines, making bones weaker (osteoporosis). Muscle mass also diminishes, impacting balance and coordination. Falls become more likely and weaker muscles offer less protection during a fall, concentrating the impact on the hip. Additionally, pre-existing health conditions like arthritis or heart disease, more common in older adults, can further limit mobility and increase fall risk.
Broken Hip After 80
For those over 80, the risk of complications and mortality following a hip fracture escalates significantly. Here’s a short list of contributing factors:
- Frailty Syndrome: This age-related condition weakens muscles, reduces stamina, and increases fall risk.
- Weakened Immune System: The body’s ability to fight off infections diminishes with age, making post-surgical complications more likely.
- Delayed Recovery: Healing time tends to be longer for older adults, leading to increased complications from prolonged immobility.Patients with broken hips should be treated as orthopedic emergencies. Delayed surgery can lead to severe complications and higher mortality rates.
These factors combined paint a concerning picture for those over 80 who experience a hip fracture.
Increased risk of falling:
Several factors may cause falls. Poor vision, trip hazards, frailty, and medication side effects can all contribute to elderly people falling and sustaining injuries. Dementia is also often cited as increasing the risk of falls.
Bone fragility:
Osteoporosis, which is recognized as exhibiting degradation of bone tissue and low bone mass, is another factor in hip fractures, particularly in older women. One in three women and one in five men sustain fractures because of bone fragility. Because this chronic disease increases the chances of fractures and broken bones, it has been led to death in many cases.
Prior fractures:
Previous fractures are also cited as an increased risk factor for future fractures. Research shows that roughly 30% of people with hip fractures have suffered a previous fracture—the heightened chance of experiencing a second fracture after your first one persists for up to 10 years.
An Increased Risk of Death
Most people who suffer a hip fracture undergo surgery, and sometimes a prosthetic device must be implanted. This procedure will usually require weeks or even months of physical therapy. Hip fracture surgery in the United States can cost tens of thousands of dollars in the U.S.
Why Do Seniors Die From Broken Hips?
Heart disease, stroke, and pneumonia have all been shown to double the risk of death after a hip fracture. This enhanced risk remains for up to 10 years in women and 20 years in men.
In some cases, the medical team may decide not to operate as the risks are too great.
Factors that should be considered are pre-existing health conditions, the trauma of surgery, and the trauma caused by the fracture itself. Broken hip complications related to the fracture that cause death include infections, heart failure, stroke, or internal bleeding.
Issues surrounding surgery, such as hospitalization, and immobility after the fact, frequently lead to other complications. These further complications, such as sepsis, often result in death.
Ways to Improve Outcomes
Controlling post-surgery pain and symptoms, increasing independence, and providing prompt care is vital to improving patient outcomes.
Focus on mobility:
Patients should receive treatment aimed at restoring mobility. This may take the form of exercises to improve the range of motion, aquatic therapy, and strength and resistance exercises. Therapy should also include gait and balance exercises.
Even if a patient doesn’t undergo surgery following a hip fracture, therapy is necessary to get them moving and avoid the deadly complications of being immobile.
Diligent care:
Case management is also critical to achieving good outcomes. Poor surgical wound care is a significant factor in death among hip fracture patients. This can be the result of poor aseptic standards and mismanagement of soft tissues known to cause sepsis.
Timely treatment:
Patients with broken hips should be treated as orthopedic emergencies. Delayed surgery can lead to severe complications and higher mortality rates.
The Importance Of Seeking Legal Help
A broken hip caused by negligence can have devastating consequences, leading to extended hospitalization, lost wages, and even death. In such cases, seeking legal help can be critical in securing the compensation you or your loved one deserves.
An attorney can make a significant difference by:
- Establishing Liability: They’ll investigate the cause of the fall, gathering evidence to prove negligence. This might involve witness statements, video footage, or safety code violations.
- Calculating Damages: Legal professionals will accurately assess all your losses, including medical bills, physical therapy, lost wages, and future medical needs.
- Fighting for Maximum Compensation: Insurance companies often undervalue claims. A lawyer helps negotiate to secure a fair settlement that reflects the full impact of the injury.
- Going to Trial (if necessary): If negotiations fail, your attorney will represent you in court, presenting evidence and arguing for the compensation you deserve.
Overall, having seasoned injury claim lawyers by your side is critical in securing the compensation you or your loved one deserves.
Possible Compensation from Injury Claims
If a broken hip resulted from negligence, filing a personal injury claim can help recover damages associated with the injury and its aftermath. Compensation can include:
- Medical Expenses: Coverage for all past and future medical bills related to the broken hip, surgeries, rehabilitation, and any complications that arise.
- Lost Wages: Reimbursement for wages lost due to the injury and the time it takes to recover.
- Pain and Suffering: Compensation for the physical and emotional distress caused by the injury.
- Loss of Consortium: Compensates a spouse for the loss of companionship and support due to the injured person’s limitations.
Finally, in case of death, surviving family members (spouse, children, parents) may be eligible for compensation for the loss of financial support and emotional distress caused by their loved one’s death. The amount awarded in a broken hip personal injury or wrongful death case depends on the severity of the injury and the skill of your legal representation.
Consult an Attorney if a Family Member Breaks a Hip
If a family member has died due to a hip fracture, seek legal advice as soon as possible. Their death may have been avoidable. Perhaps they received the wrong treatment, or the proper treatment was not given promptly. If they did not receive the expected level of care, you might have a compensation claim.
You may also be able to file damages if their broken hip was caused due the negligence of another party.
Contact the Indiana personal injury lawyers at Wagner Reese to arrange a free consultation to discuss your case and seek support during this challenging time.