What To Expect

Right after surgery for a hip fracture, you will have medicine to control pain and perhaps medicine to prevent blood clots. You may have a urinary catheter so you don’t have to get out of bed to urinate. You may also have a compression pump or compression stocking on your leg, which squeezes your leg to keep the blood circulating and to help prevent blood clots. And you may have cushion placed between your legs to keep your hip in the correct position. It is not unusual to have an upset stomach or feel constipated, so talk with your doctor or nurse if you don’t feel well.

Your doctor may teach you to do simple breathing exercises to help prevent congestion in your lungs while your activity level is low. You may also learn to move your feet up and down to flex your muscles and keep your blood circulating. And you may begin to learn how to keep your hip in the right position while you move in bed and get out of bed.

Moving around

It is very important to start moving around soon after surgery. This will speed recovery and reduce complications.

In general, most people get out of bed with help on the day of surgery or the next day. You will most likely be moved into a chair for a short time. Over the next few days, you will likely begin light exercises and learn how to walk with a walker or crutches.

You will likely stay in the hospital for about 2 to 7 days after surgery. You may be moved to an extended-care facility for rehabilitation (rehab) before going home. At rehab, you can get help with daily activities, such as bathing on a bath stool. You will likely need a walking aid—a walker, cane, or crutches—for several months. And full recovery may take up to a year.

After hip surgery

There are many issues to consider after hip surgery. Older adults often need extensive care, including physical therapy and help with cooking, taking medicine, and personal care. Blood-thinning medicines are prescribed to reduce the risk of blood clots and associated stroke, pulmonary embolism, or thrombophlebitis.

After hip fracture surgery, your doctor will encourage you to participate in a rehab program. Following a rehab program is very important, because it will speed up your recovery and allow you to return to daily activities sooner.

How Well It Works

Surgery usually works well, but you will need to be patient. Getting better will likely take a long time. And you may never be able to get around as well as you could before.

Surgery is usually the best choice after a hip fracture, because it stabilizes the bone so you can move around sooner.^{footnote 1} This helps prevent other problems such as pressure injuries and weakness. Surgery also makes it more likely that the bone will stay in place so the fractured leg is not a little shorter than the other leg after it is healed.^{footnote 1}

What To Think About

Reduction (getting the bone lined up correctly) and internal fixation (stabilizing broken bones) often are done on younger, active people. Hip replacement surgery often is done on older, less active adults. One long-term study compared older adults who had a hip replacement to others who had a hip repair. Those who had hip replacement were able to be more active and were less likely to need the surgery redone.^{footnote 2} In deciding which of these methods to use for repairing a hip fracture, your surgeon will consider the type of fracture, your age and activity level, and also the possible trade-offs.