Signs of a Hip or Femur Fracture
Hip fractures most often follow a fall in older adults. Femur shaft fractures usually follow a higher-energy injury.
Groin or hip pain
Pain in the groin or outer hip after a fall, often with trouble standing or walking.
A shortened or turned leg
The injured leg may look shorter or be turned outward.
Thigh pain and swelling
Severe thigh pain and swelling after a car crash, sports collision or fall from a height.
Pain just above the knee
Fractures of the lower femur can involve the knee joint.
Where the Femur Is Broken Matters
The location of the break guides which operation is used.
Breaks just below the ball of the hip joint, treated with screws or a partial or total hip replacement depending on the fracture and the patient.
Breaks a little lower, between the bony prominences of the hip, usually fixed with a nail or a plate and screw.
Breaks just below the hip, usually fixed with a rod inside the bone.
Breaks along the length of the femur, usually fixed with an intramedullary nail.
Breaks just above the knee, fixed with a plate or nail to restore the knee joint.
Fracture care for the ankle, tibia, humerus and children's fractures.
Fracture care →Getting Patients Up and Moving
For most hip and femur fractures, surgery is what lets a patient sit up, stand and begin walking again.
Prompt Evaluation
Examination and imaging, with medical conditions and medications reviewed before surgery.
The Right Fixation
Screws, a nail, a plate, or a hip replacement, chosen for the fracture pattern and the patient.
Early Movement
Getting out of bed and walking with help as soon as it is safe, which helps prevent complications of bed rest.
A Defined Recovery Plan
Therapy, weight-bearing, and follow-up visits planned before discharge, with bone health addressed after a fragility fracture.
What to Expect at Your Evaluation
Your first visit is focused on understanding the injury and outlining clear options.
Wound check, X-rays, and review of how walking and therapy are progressing.
Follow-up X-rays are reviewed with the patient and family to confirm healing.
Weight-bearing, therapy, and the next milestones explained to the patient and the people helping at home.
Questions Families Often Ask
- When the patient can bear weight
- Whether rehab is at home or in a facility
- How to make the home safer
- Bone health after a fragility fracture
- When the next X-ray is due
From Conservative Care to Surgical Options
Treatment depends on the fracture, your age and activity, and your overall health.
Nonoperative Treatment
- Rarely used for hip and femur fractures
- Considered for some very stable fractures
- Considered when the risks of surgery are too high
- Pain control and supervised mobility
Surgical Treatment
- Screw fixation for some femoral neck fractures
- Partial or total hip replacement for some femoral neck fractures
- Intramedullary nail or plate and screw for intertrochanteric fractures
- Intramedullary nailing or plating for femoral shaft and distal femur fractures
This page is educational and does not replace an individual evaluation. Recovery after a hip or femur fracture depends on the fracture, the operation, and the patient's health before the injury.
Read More Before Your Visit
In-depth guides written to help you understand your diagnosis and recovery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Almost always. Surgery is the usual treatment because it lets the patient sit up, stand and walk again. Nonoperative care is considered only for some very stable fractures or when the risks of surgery are too high.
Surgery is usually done promptly, once the patient has been evaluated and is medically ready.
It depends on where the bone broke. Some femoral neck fractures are treated with a partial or total hip replacement, while fractures lower on the femur are usually fixed with a nail, plate or screws.
Recovery varies with the fracture, the operation, and the patient's health and mobility before the injury. Walking with help usually starts soon after surgery, and therapy continues after discharge.
Patients go home or to a rehab facility, depending on their needs, and return to the office for a wound check, X-rays and a review of progress.
Call (484) 526-1735 during office hours and say it is a new fracture. Same-day appointments are available for new fractures. Please ask for Dr. Hendel by name, because the same number schedules several St. Luke's orthopedic physicians. You can also schedule online through St. Luke's.
Referral requirements vary by insurance plan. Many plans allow direct access to orthopedic specialists, while others require a referral from your primary care physician. Office staff can verify your plan's requirements when you call to schedule.
Questions About a Hip or Femur Fracture?
Follow-up visits are at 153 Brodhead Road, Rear Entrance, Bethlehem, PA 18017, for patients from Bethlehem, Allentown, and across the Lehigh Valley. New fracture? Same-day appointments. Call (484) 526-1735.
Call (484) 526-1735Schedule Online at St. Luke’s