A hip joint is a pretty stable joint, which means that to suffer a hip injury, an individual probably had to have taken a pretty nasty fall or been in a serious accident.
If you ever sustain a hip injury, regardless of circumstances, you will need to seek medical attention. You may not know the full extent of your injuries, and failing to see a doctor could lead to an even bigger problem.
Hip Trauma
The hip is surrounded by muscles, tendons, cartilage, and ligaments, all of which can be injured in the impact of any sort of accident, including:
Slip and fall accidents
Workplace injuries
Car accidents
Trucking accidents
Trauma to this region can cause a variety of different types of hip injuries, including:
Hip Fracture
A broken or fractured hip is one of the most serious types of hip injuries. These are usually sustained in car accidents that occur at higher speeds (leading to more impact on the hip region). Symptoms can include:
Severe pain in the hip or groin
Inability to put weight on the injured hip
Bruising and swelling
Bursitis
Bursae are the fluid-filled sacs that cushion the bones, tendons, and muscles of the hip. This painful condition occurs when the bursae become inflamed or irritated, leading to:
Swelling
Debilitating joint pain
Inability to move
Hip Dislocation
This can occur if the femoral bone detaches from the hip and then immobilizes the joint. A dislocation usually causes additional complications such as damage to the surrounding tendons, muscles, ligaments, and nerves.
Treatment Options
If treated improperly, injured hips can become so painful that they can interfere with daily activities and even be debilitating. Ultimately, damage to the hip bone and the surrounding tendons, ligaments, nerves, and muscles will most often require some type of surgery.
Depending on the actual injury and its severity, a medical provider may recommend a certain type of surgery, such as:
Hip pinning. The use of pins, screws, or plates to hold the broken bones together so they can heal properly.
Hip replacement. A procedure where the hip bone is replaced by a prosthetic implant, that is, a hip prosthesis.
Joint reduction. Placing the ball of the bone back into the socket to fix a hip dislocation.
Future Complications
It’s important to remember that there are risks and complications for these types of surgeries, including bone death, infection, deep vein blood clots, and arthritis.
Because many hip injuries require major surgeries, the recovery time is often a long and arduous process. Individuals may suffer from extreme physical and emotional pain before and after surgery. In addition, they may also require:
Immobilization
Rehabilitation
Physical therapy
Medications
Specialist consultations
If you or a loved sustained a hip injury in any type of accident, do not hesitate to reach out to Kornfeld Law. These types of injuries can have devastating, long-term impacts, and we believe that negligent parties should be held accountable for their actions. You can trust that we will fight hard on your behalf to ensure you receive the full compensation you deserve.
Contact our firm at (425) 657-5255 to schedule your free case review. You can also fill out our online contact form and we will get back to you as soon as we can.