Yes, a child can break their hip, though it's less common than in older adults because their bones are stronger and more flexible, usually requiring high-energy trauma (like car accidents, significant falls) or specific issues like growth plate injuries (avulsion fractures) or slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE). These fractures often occur at weaker points like tendon attachments or growth plates, leading to pain, limping, or inability to walk, and require prompt medical attention for proper healing.
Symptoms of a hip fracture include:
Symptoms of a hip apophyseal avulsion fracture may include:
Weakness and pain with active contraction of the involved muscle. A limp, but can usually walk.
A broken hip causes severe pain. While some people can stand and walk, for many people, the pain is so bad that they cannot move their leg at all.
In some cases, you may not know that you have already sustained a hip fracture, but you will feel a slight pain in your groin, back, knees, thighs, or buttocks. It's common when the bone is sufficiently weak, such as in osteoporosis, where the fracture occurs with little or no warning, stress, or trauma.
An X-ray usually will confirm the fracture and show where the fracture is. If your X-ray doesn't show a fracture but you still have hip pain, your healthcare professional might order additional imaging tests. An MRI or bone scan can look for a hairline fracture.
The most common and noticeable symptom of a hip fracture is severe pain in your hip or groin. This pain usually gets more intense with movement or weight-bearing activity.
Rarely, hip fractures may be treated without surgery, typically in patients who may be too sick or in a small group of patients that have healing, non-displaced fractures that were diagnosed weeks after injury.
Most hip fractures occur in the area just below the ball of the femur (femoral neck region) and the area just below this (intertrochanteric region). A hip fracture almost always completely breaks the bone. A partial break in the bone (hairline fracture) may occur but is not as common and may not show up on an X-ray.
Symptoms of a broken hip include:
Any child can get a hip fracture. But very young children rarely do because their hip bones are more flexible. Most hip fractures in children heal without a problem. Your child will have to give up some of their regular activities for about 6 to 12 weeks.
A stress fracture is a tiny crack that forms in the bone, usually as a result of overuse or repetitive, stress-bearing motions. Most stress fractures occur in the weight-bearing bones of the foot or lower leg. They can also occur in the hip.
If you're older than 65, you lose up to 8% of your muscle mass every day you lie in bed unable to move. The longer you wait to get treatment after a hip fracture, the weaker and frailer your body becomes. This further reduces quality of life and increases the risk of a future fracture.
The signs and symptoms of a hip fracture usually come on suddenly and immediately after the fracture happens, but may also appear gradually and worsen with time. They may include: Pain – usually severe, sharp, and felt in the hip or groin. You may feel it radiating through the thigh or buttock.
Symptoms of bone fractures include:
The pain can be sharp, dull, or achy. Other symptoms include joint stiffness, decreased range of motion, and a popping or locking of the joint. For fractures and dislocations, the pain may be severe, and you may not be able to move or rotate your hip.
Unlike strains and sprains, a fracture is when a bone is cracked or broken. The joints and ligaments may also be damaged when a fracture occurs. Symptoms of a fractured bone include sudden and severe pain, swelling, and bruising, and the inability to bear weight or move the injured part of your body.
Sometimes, stress fractures of the hip may not visible or felt in the early stages even on a regular X-ray. Nevertheless, symptoms distinctive to the condition can be any or both of the following: Pain in the groin area that usually worsens with an increase in the level of activity.
Can you still walk with a broken hip? You can't stand, walk or put weight on a broken hip. Putting pressure on your hip can make the fracture worse and cause other complications and injuries. Your surgeon or healthcare provider will show you how to safely stand, walk and move after surgery and while you recover.
Most hip fractures can be diagnosed with an X-ray. Most hip fractures are visible on an X-ray. Computerized tomography (CT) scans. A CT scan will provide a detailed cross-sectional image of your hip.
You should worry about hip pain if it's sudden and severe after an injury, you can't bear weight or move your leg, you have signs of infection (fever, redness, swelling), or you experience numbness, tingling, or bowel/bladder issues, as these "red flag" symptoms need immediate medical attention, especially if pain doesn't improve with rest or interferes with daily life.
Ignoring a Hairline Fracture May Lead to a More Serious Fracture. A hairline fracture might seem like a mild problem, but ignoring the issue and putting further pressure on the bone can lead to a more serious breakage. It's best to visit a doctor and take it easy, especially if you're an athlete.
Pain in response to pressure is often the key for your doctor to diagnose a hairline fracture. MRI: The best imaging test for determining hairline fractures is an MRI. This test uses magnets and radio waves to provide images of your bones. An MRI will determine a fracture before an X-ray can.
Some patients don't need surgery because the type of fracture (meaning, where it is located in the pelvis) is not dangerous, and the fracture is likely to heal of its own accord. There are also fractures that are not severe in that the broken bones are very close together and again are likely to heal on their own.
Stress fracture symptoms can include: