In the last blog we looked at the impact of falls, how they affect the elderly and how physiotherapy can really make a difference in firstly reducing the occurrence of falls and secondly in recovering from the effects of a fall. In this blog I thought we would continue in the same theme and look at one of the major effects of a fall which is a hip fracture and how physiotherapy and in particular our home visit physiotherapy service can really help with the recovery from having a hip fracture. We see a lot of patients in Lichfield, Sutton Coldfield, Tamworth, Rugeley, Cannock and Walsall who have had a hip fracture and are able to help them make the best possible recovery.

Before looking at the effects of a hip fracture and how physiotherapy may help I think it is important for those reading who aren’t well versed in hip anatomy to have a brief look at what the hip joint is. The hip is a ball and socket joint comprised of the femur which forms the ball and the pelvic bone which forms the socket (acetabulum). Depending upon where the fracture occurs a patient with a hip fracture will either have it replaced (usually a total hip replacement) or will have it repaired with pins and plates or a screw. Hip fractures occur commonly in older patients who have had a fall due to reduced bone density and are more prevalent amongst elderly female patients. Hip fractures are extremely serious and repairing a hip fracture requires major open surgery with significant risks (especially for elderly frail patients). Hip fractures are the commonest cause of accident related death in the elderly (approximately 20% of patients will die within 4 months and 30% within a year!!). So, as discussed in our last blog it would be hugely better not to fall in the first place and physiotherapy can make a huge difference in reducing this risk. Some more statistics make very sobering reading: there are approximately 76,000 hip fractures a year, 76% of which are female and only 50% of people make a full recovery.

There is ample evidence out there about the help that physiotherapy can provide to patients who are recovering from a hip fracture and I will put a link at the bottom for anyone wishing to read more. Certainly my experience as a physiotherapist and that of all our physios is that physiotherapy really does make a difference to the speed of recovery and the level of recovery that patients make. Our home visit physiotherapy service is ideal for patients recovering from a hip fracture, our physios are able to visit them at home at a time that is convenient ad remove the need for them to get transport to a physical clinic which is often extremely painful. We also find that patients need to be assessed in their home environment to determine which rehabilitation exercises are safe and most appropriate. As mentioned above we see many patients across Staffordshire and the West Midlands with hip fractures and our physiotherapists are able to visit a range of areas including Lichfield, Burntwood, Cannock, Rugeley, Sutton Coldfield, Tamworth and Walsall to name but a few.

One of the most rewarding things as a physiotherapist is to be able to identify early on a patient at a risk of falls and then work with them to reduce this risk and thus prevent them having a hip fracture. Physiotherapy in these situations really does make a difference and I cant emphasise enough the importance of gaining access to high quality physiotherapy if either yourself or an elderly relative is beginning to struggle with their balance or mobility. If you would like more information about this topic please follow this link: https://www.csp.org.uk/publications/physiotherapy-works-hip-fracture

Okay, I hope you have enjoyed reading about how our hip fractures and how our home visit physiotherapy service based in Lichfield and serving Sutton Coldfield, Tamworth, Rugeley, Cannock and Walsall can help.