Case history
Case history
A 72-year-old woman presents with a history of a fall from standing height and an inability to bear weight afterwards. She reports pain in her right hip. There were no preceding syncopal episodes and no loss of consciousness or chest pain. Physical examination reveals that her right hip is painful and sore to palpation with some ecchymoses over the greater trochanter. There are no breaks in the skin, and the right leg is shortened and externally rotated. The pelvis is stable clinically, and there is no pain along the spine and no deformity along the femoral shaft, knee, or tibia. The distal neurovascular status is intact. Cardiac and pulmonary examination is normal.
Other presentations
Usually occurs in patients aged over 65 years or in those who have osteopenic conditions of bone or osteoporosis. They are generally due to low-energy injuries in this patient group. However, hip fractures may present in younger patients with high-energy injuries such as motor vehicle accidents and falls from a height; these fractures can then be associated with other fractures of the femur and other injuries consistent with poly-trauma. Hip fractures may also be related to metastatic bone disease or rarely a primary bone tumour.[8][9]
Use of this content is subject to our disclaimer