Hip fractures are a fairly common type of fracture to experience. About 300,000 people in the U.S. sustain hip fractures per year. They’re more commonly experienced in older adults, such as those who are aged 65 years and older. A hip fracture typically occurs upon impact during falls, trips, and slips and can also occur when playing sports or from a car accident.
This type of fracture can cause serious pain when doing daily movements like walking, sitting and standing. Pain from a hip fracture can make even the simplest of activities feel like cumbersome chores, especially if left untreated. That’s why finding the right treatment for your hip fracture pain is so essential. It has the potential to improve your quality of life and help get you back on your feet with as little delay as possible.
What are the benefits of using physical therapy to help alleviate hip fracture pain?
You may be considering physical therapy if you’ve recently suffered a traumatic slip and fall resulting in a fractured hip. Physical therapy is a treatment method that can provide a number of benefits, such as:
- Decreased pain — Physical therapists can use intentional exercise to reduce inflammation and swelling around an area of injury, like a hip fracture. Reducing inflammation and swelling can help alleviate some of the pain that someone with a hip fracture may feel.
- Improved mobility — Injuries like fractures can seriously limit mobility if they’re not properly cared for. The pain from the fracture and any abnormal healing can quickly limit the movement you can get from your hips. Fortunately, physical therapy can reduce pain and support healing in your hip bones to improve your long-term mobility.
- Improved stability — You use your hips every day to walk, sit, stand and more. When you fracture your hip bone, the stability of each of these basic activities is affected. PT can be used to improve stability and balance through the use of carefully guided exercises and movements.
What are some physical therapy techniques that can be used to alleviate pain caused by a hip fracture?
If your hip fracture pain is causing you so much discomfort that you can’t even get a full night’s rest, you’re due for a visit with a physical therapist. They’ll help you reduce your pain levels to start feeling better while improving your hip function. Here are some types of physical therapy techniques that can be specifically used to alleviate your hip fracture pain:
- Muscle stimulation — One physical therapy technique that can be used to alleviate pain from a hip fracture is muscle stimulation. Your therapist may use an electronic muscle stimulator to strengthen your muscles and bring blood flow to the area of injury.
- Functional mobility training — During physical therapy, you may undergo what’s called functional mobility training. This type of training is designed to help you transition back into performing the daily activities that you used to do with less difficulty and pain.
- Weight-bearing exercises — Another type of exercise that you may be asked to perform during PT sessions after a hip fracture is weight-bearing exercises. These are designed to strengthen your body, improve your mobility and promote bone healing.
Alliance PTP can connect you with the physical therapy practice you need to treat your hip fracture pain
Ready to try in-person physical therapy for your injury or condition? You’ll find plenty of options to choose from among the Alliance Physical Therapy Partners practices nationwide.
Our team can quickly put you in touch with one of our partner clinics near you, and their friendly and knowledgeable local staff can address your hip fracture pain.
Don’t have the time to see a physical therapist in person, or is a lack of mobility making it hard to get around? Not a problem. An Alliance PTP partner can also see you virtually in nearly every state.
Still have questions about what we and our partners can do for you? We’re ready to answer them and help you find the physical therapy you need.
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