Pain after a fall
A femoral neck fracture (syn. : femoral neck fracture) often occurs after a fall on the hip or buttocks. Elderly people are particularly affected, as they have more fragile bones due to age-related remodelling processes (osteoporosis).
Women are more frequently affected than men. After the fall, patients complain of pain in the hip area and in the groin, which can be very severe. Tapping on the outside of the hip where the upper part of the thigh bone is located is also very painful for the patients.
Depending on the extent and location of the fracture, however, the pain can vary greatly. Some patients only have pain when walking, others can no longer walk at all. Some femoral neck fractures even present themselves without any symptoms at all.
A typical fracture of the neck of the femur is also a shortened and outwardly turned leg on the affected side. It can be difficult to distinguish it from a simple contusion after a fall. Therefore, a medical clarification after a fall with subsequent pain is recommended.
Pain after surgery
After an operation for a fracture of the neck of the femur, pain usually continues for some time, which is caused by the surgical treatment. Often a hip prosthesis is used, which means that the surrounding tissue is subjected to a great deal of stress during the operation. Even if the fracture has been surgically treated with screws or plates, pain can occur due to the manipulation of the tissue.
Pain after the operation can therefore be considered normal. However, if the pain does not improve over time, or even worsens, possible complications of the operation must be considered. The prosthesis, or the screws and plates, could have been colonized by bacteria and led to an inflammatory reaction.
They must then be removed, the tissue rinsed and the prosthesis/screw replaced. The prosthesis may also have loosened and thus cause pain. Sometimes new bone is also formed around the artificial hip joint.
These irregular bone protrusions can also cause pain. To prevent this complication, the hip can be irradiated once. This often effectively prevents the formation of new bone.
