Ambulance 912HAP 9252
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General health information

Broken hip

A broken hip usually means a fracture of the upper thigh bone close to the hip joint. Older people are particularly at risk after a fall, but a major accident can affect anyone. Groin or hip pain, inability to stand and a shortened leg turned outwards raise suspicion. Keep the person lying down, do not try to straighten the hip, and arrange immediate medical assessment and safe transport.

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  • A broken hip usually means a fracture in the upper thigh bone, not the pelvis itself. Particularly in older people, it is a serious fragility fracture after a fall from standing height.
  • Typical signs include groin or hip pain, inability to stand and a leg that looks shorter or turned outwards. A small or undisplaced fracture may be less obvious.
  • Keep the person lying down and warm, and never try to put the hip back into place yourself. Contact a professional immediately for assessment and safe transport; do not ask the person to put weight on the leg to test whether it is really broken.
  • Hospital care includes pain relief, blood tests and imaging. Most patients have surgery and then start supervised movement and rehabilitation as soon as possible.
  • Outside office hours, call the out-of-hours GP service (HAP) on 9252 for urgent GP care. Ambulance 912 is only for immediate danger to life, such as shock, severe difficulty breathing or unconsciousness.

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Further reading

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B
Broken vertebraA broken vertebra, one of the bones of the spine, may result from a serious accident, but also from osteoporosis after a small movement or fall. Some fractures are stable; others may threaten the spinal cord or nerves. Keep someone as still as possible after major trauma, and have new weakness, loss of sensation, breathing problems or loss of bladder or bowel control assessed immediately.
H
Hip inflammation in childrenA child with hip pain or a limp may have temporary hip inflammation, also called irritable hip or transient synovitis. This is usually harmless and often gets better on its own. However, a bacterial joint infection, called septic arthritis, must also be considered: this is a medical emergency. Fever, being unwell and refusing to stand on the leg make prompt assessment especially important.
P
Preventing fallsFalls often result from a combination of reduced strength or balance, dizziness, vision, foot problems, medicines and obstacles. Individual assessment and strength and balance training work better than simply being careful. Prompt help is needed after a fall involving head impact, blood thinners, severe hip or back pain or loss of neurological function.