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Injury Facts: What is an Intracapsular Hip Fracture?

Hip fractures and other bone fractures can be more than painful inconveniences – they can significantly impact a person’s life and can even bring on early death. Read on to learn more about one particular type of hip fracture – intracapsular hip fractures – and then contact The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker if you have been involved in a car accident or other type of accident in which someone else is responsible for your fracture.

There Are Several Types of Hip Fracture

As is true of other bones in the body, the hip is divided into several parts. There are many types of potential hip fractures including intertrochanteric, subtrochanteric, and intracapsular. This last type can lead to long-term issues.

Learn the Signs and Symptoms of Intracapsular Hip Fractures

When an intracapsular hip fracture occurs, there is an injury at the neck of the femur, which is just beneath the head of the femur. This can affect the capsulate, which holds fluid that is used to lubricate the hip to prevent pain and friction. This is why the injury can be so serious. Symptoms of this type of hip fracture can include:

  • Legs appearing unequal in length due to muscles pulling on the bone fragments of the femoral neck;
  • Significant bruising around the injury site.

The truth is that many who suffer this injury do not realize they have broken their hip – they simply believe they are injured. This is why this can be such a dangerous injury.

Lost Blood Can Be the Real Danger in This Injury

Another reason that this can be such a dangerous injury is that it can lead to a serious loss of blood supply to the neck. If the neck of the femur bone is broken, it could result in a blood vessel tear in the area. These blood vessels are responsible for moving oxygen and nutrients to the femur, the capsule, and all the rest of the hip. This is why doctors will generally check the blood supply to this area of the body after a hip injury.

This is generally done by looking at a serious of images. It could be as simple as an x-ray or an MRI may be required to look at the blood vessels. This gives the surgeon information if they must repair the hip surgically.

Have You Suffered a Hip Injury in an Accident?

If someone else caused an accident that led to your hip injury then you may have legal options to sue them and recover your damages. You can get the facts about your case and whether or not you have a case by contacting The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker at 800-333-0000 for a free legal consultation.