ESWhen to See Your Orthopedic Surgeon About a Knee Injury
Getting injured is just a fact of life and knee injuries are no different. There are dozens of ways to injure your knee, through blunt traumas, twists and awkward movements. Even a seemingly innocuous movement can have significant consequences.
As kids, we often shake off these injuries. Our bodies are growing, bones are still relatively soft, and joints are able to withstand significant force. So, while we may get bruises or even fractures, they tend to heal quickly and often times completely with no long-term effects, even when surgery is necessary. However, as we get older, recovering from these injuries becomes more difficult and a complete recovery is not assured. Of course, there is also that time in our lives – usually in our 30s and 40s – where we believe we can still perform activities without consequences. It is during this time that many patients come in with significant injuries to various joints around the body, particularly the knee.
What Happens If I Fracture My Hip?
Patients who suffer from a hip fracture usually end up in an ambulance and taken to the nearest hospital. With over 300,000 hip fractures occurring in the United States every year, this likely means that whatever hospital we go to has good experience at treating hip fractures. Like all orthopedic injuries, every fracture is slightly different. But overall, they fall into two categories. Those that can be fixed with internal fixation – using metal plates or rods and screws to fix the bones and those that need to be replaced by either partial hip replacement or full hip replacement. No matter what the fixation strategy, the goal of surgery is to allow patients to start mobilizing and ambulating immediately without restrictions.
Know Your Risk for Hip Fracture
Today we want to discuss one of the most important orthopedic and health issues facing much of our population today. Each year in the United States, more than 300,000 men and women over the age of 65 will fall and break their hip. This causes a huge burden to the patient themselves, their families and the medical system as a whole.
By all research and accounts, this number will continue to grow to be almost half a million patients in year 2050. So, as you can see this is a pandemic of its own, if you will, that needs to be addressed and discussed. 3/4 of the patients who fall and break a hip are women, who seem to suffer much more from osteoporosis. Most of these are due to falls in and around the house; but some are due to sidewalk falls, and a small portion due to traumatic accidents.
Swimming – Spotlight on Great Orthopedic Exercises
Whether you have experienced orthopedic injury or not, performing regular, low impact exercises is critical to maintaining muscle mass, bone health and ultimately avoiding overuse and long-term impact injuries. One of the best exercises to achieve this is simply swimming.