h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Preventing Hip Fractures - A21242819
Author: Leo - "And Lo! The frowny one smileth." - U519437


I wrote this for something at work and it isn't going to be used. Was wondering if it has potential or if it's too thin or if it is Guide material.

One thing I know I'll have to fix is the audience. It was written for middle aged females, while there's stuff teenagers should do too. But before I waste any time...

hmm.

There's interesting stuff in here and has potential. But last time I checked my femur wasn't my hipbone. So that's wrong for starters

There actually is no hipbone, I don't think. The hip is where the pelvic bone and the femur meet, no?

Well, no. There IS a hipbone, it's called the iluem, or pelvic girdle.

You'll find most 'hip' fractures are actually refered to as fractured NOF's. That is Fractured Neck of Femur.

So, in a way, the hip fracture isn't actually a hip fracture, it's a fracture of the proxiaml head of the femur (epiphysis). It's basically prevents the ball and socket movement of the hip in the acetbulum from working properly (thus hip replacements aren't actually hip replacemeents in the true sense of the word, they more often than not just replace the NOF, and maybe the ischium).

If you want to research further I suggest looking into # NOF's

thank you, O medical man.

Can you clarify another thing for me: there is no connection between hip fractures and hip replacements, right?

that's an iffy one. I'm a paediatric nurse by trade so don't really deal with hip replacements all that much (unless looking after a kiddy with a specific bone wasting disorder).

But, as I said, a hip fracture is often what people istakenly refer to as that fractured NOF. An actual hip fracture would invlove a fracture to the pelvic girdle somewhere which would mean replacing the hip bone. These only really occur in major trauma, like having a bus drive over your midsection. Oldies can fracture their hips due to osteoporosis (?sp), but like I said, the most common 'hip' # in the older woman and obese teenage girl is the one that occcurs to the femoral head, thus why I think you're original research may have related tot that more than anything.

Of course, best asking Alex 'Tufty' Ashman - he's the medic

If you got sense from that, my spelling was atrosh, oh just really bad. sorry.

And I just realised that was a very politic answer. The simple answer would be - yes.

TUFTY OL' BOY!

Don't worry. Some of my best friends are medical students.


The only disconcerting part was when they were studying for Anatomy and Physiology, and instead of seeing me they saw the sum of my parts. We didn't shake hands - we shook filanges (or something like that), and of course this was only because my ulnar nerve was enervating something or another.

med students are *very silly people*

sorry, had to edit myself there. Insert the appropriate term.

(phalanges - but why they were shaking your fingers and not your hand (metacarpals) I don't know )

Metacarpals- I meant those!

Hope they hit your frontal bone somewhere between the Metopic Suture and the supra-orbital foramen.

Mind I don't kick you in the coccyx

Careful, young man, if you want to sit again. The one location my friends taught me well were the ischial tuberosities.

Fix the grammar in that. Maybe I should switch from the English dept to the medical dept.

Middle aged woman reporting for duty.

I'm with Matt on the fractured neck of femur.

HRT can help prevent OP and many women take it for this reason.

Hip replacements are more likely to be due to OA or joint damage I think, so no connection to fractures. There are also several hip protectors on the market - they're a sort of like shin pads that fit into pockets in underwear. Not entirely proven I believe - but in use all the same.

Good luck with this.

I saw an article about the hip protectors. Pretty funny, I thought. And considering that many falls happen in the shower, not necessarily useful.

But can you translate those acronyms into English for the uninitiated?

I assumed you were initiated.

HRT - Hormone Replacement Therapy

OP - Osteoporosis

OA - Osteoarthritis

Hope that post makes sense now.