A stress fracture in the hip is a severe injury to the ball of the ball-and-socket hip joint. You may relate broken hips only with older people, but stress fractures can occur at any age.
Stress fractures are bone injuries due to overuse. This type of fracture occurs because of recurrent micro-trauma to the bones. Over a period, the body cannot repair the repetitive damage to the bone, leading eventually to a fracture. It may require orthopedic surgery to treat the condition.
A stress fracture differs from fall-related hip fracture or a pathological fracture because of tumors, osteoporosis, or infections. Southern California Hip Institute (SCHI), led by board certified orthopedic surgeon Dr. Tigran Garabekyan, provides hip stress fracture treatments to patients in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, and surrounding communities across the horizon.
Location of the Fracture
In the event of a stress fracture, repetitive bone injury eventually causes the failure of the bone or a fracture. The bone continually undergoes a turnover cycle where the old bone is reabsorbed by the body, and new bone is generated. If this process is not able to keep up, the bone may fracture eventually.
A stress fracture in the hip occurs most often just beneath the ball of the ball-and-socket hip joint. This region of the bone is known as the femoral neck. Stress fractures can also happen in other locations of the pelvis and hip. However, the femoral neck is the most common and concerning area for such a fracture.
Common Causes
Stress fractures frequently result from an increase in the intensity or amount of an activity too rapidly. The bone adapts slowly to more loads via remodeling. This is a routine process that works more rapidly when the load on the bone rises. In remodeling, bone tissue if initially destroyed (resorption), then reconstructed.
If the bone is subjected to an unusual force without giving it sufficient time to recover resorbed cells more rapidly than the body can restore them, it may render the individual more vulnerable to stress fractures. Specific factors that increase the risk of stress fractures include:
Certain Sports
Stress fractures occur more frequently in individuals who engage in sports such as basketball, gymnastics, track and field, tennis and dance.
Increased Activity
People who make a sudden shift from a sedentary lifestyle to a vigorous training routine or individuals who quickly increase the duration, intensity or frequency of their training sessions are more prone to stress fractures.
Sex
Women, specifically those who experience irregular or absent menstrual periods, are at an increased risk of stress fracture development.
Foot problems
Individuals with high, rigid arches or flat feet are at a higher risk of developing stress fractures. Using worn out footwear adds further to the problem.
Weakened bones
Various conditions including osteoporosis can weaken the bones leading to a higher risk of developing stress fractures.
Previous Stress Fractures
Previous stress fractures increase the risk of such fractures in the future.
Lack of nutrients
Vitamin D and calcium deficiency or eating disorders can make bones more susceptible to stress fractures.
Experienced orthopedic surgeon Dr. Tigran Garabekyan receives patients from North Hollywood, Los Angeles, and other towns and suburbs in The Golden State for hip stress fracture treatments.
Dr. Tigran Garabekyan is a board certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in hip preservation. To learn more about Southern California Hip Institute or to schedule a consultation, click here to contact us or call:
North Hollywood: 818.755.6500
Century City / Los Angeles: 310.595.1030
Serving patients in Encino, Sherman Oaks, Van Nuys, North Hollywood, Burbank, Glendale, West Hollywood, Century City, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, and other neighboring cities in the greater Los Angeles, California area.
Also visit http://www.drgorthopedics.com/
