The main symptom of a pelvic fracture is pain in the groin, hip or lower back, which may get worse when walking or moving the legs. Other symptoms may include: Abdominal pain. Numbness or tingling in the groin or legs.
After a hip or pelvic fracture, your doctor may advise you not to put any weight on the affected hip for six weeks or more. This allows the bone to heal. Your doctor can provide crutches, a walker, a cane, or a wheelchair to help you get around.
Symptoms. These include low back pain, pain in the buttocks, tenderness around the pelvis, and pain can also be felt in the hip or groin; this becomes worse with exercise but can also affect you while you are resting. You may also have weakness and restricted movement in the pelvis.
Your doctor may suggest using a splint or crutches to minimise strain on the injured area. Non-weight bearing activities such as swimming or cycling can be particularly helpful, stimulating recovery without worsening the injury. Hairline fractures normally heal fully within six to eight weeks.
With a minor fracture, the most common treatment is bed rest, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications or prescription painkillers. Physical therapy, the use of crutches and, rarely, surgery may be recommended. Healing can take eight to 12 weeks.
Pelvic fractures may be recognised by tenderness, pain, bruising, swelling and crepitus of the pubis, iliac bones, hips and sacrum. Other presenting factors are: haematuria, rectal bleeding, haematoma and neurological and vascular abnormalities in the legs.
Pelvic fracture signs and symptoms can include: Experiencing pain in your groin, hip and/or lower back. Experiencing more intense pain when walking or moving your legs. Experiencing numbness or tingling in your groin area or legs.
They can go undetected. Osteoporotic pelvic fractures, often following one or more relatively trivial traumatic incident, is relatively common among persons over age 60 .
In most cases, it's important to avoid sitting for long periods of time during the initial healing phase, which can last several weeks. Your doctor may recommend a period of bed rest or limited mobility to help the bones heal.
The most noticeable symptom of a hairline fracture is pain. The pain is usually worse when you're active and better when you rest. The longer you continue using the affected area, the worse your pain may be. Other symptoms can include visible bruising, swelling, and tenderness when you touch the area.
Pelvic fracture recovery may involve surgery, prolonged immobilization, or long periods of relative inactivity. Athletes should avoid all sport activities until their pain has resolved.
When a patient with blunt trauma is admitted to an emergency department, a CT scan is usually ordered. However, if emergency physicians suspect that a patient has a fractured pelvis or acetabulum, and it is not identified by CT, a pelvic x-ray exam should be ordered.
Hairline fracture is characterized by pain in the affected area that tends to become extreme with time. Consider visiting an orthopedic specialist if you experience pain that becomes intense when exercising, but reduces when you rest. The affected area may also feel tender and appear swollen.
The main difference is that a fracture results in a break in the bone, while a bone bruise creates tiny cracks in the bone. Healthcare providers can tell the difference by using X-rays and MRIs.
Diagnosis of Pelvic Fractures
Doctors suspect a pelvic fracture when people have pain in the groin or have had a major injury. X-rays are then taken. X-rays can show most pelvic fractures. Computed tomography (CT) is usually done to identify all the broken bone fragments and to check for other injuries.
A stable pelvic fracture is almost always painful. Pain in the hip or groin is usual and is made worse by moving the hip or trying to walk - although walking may still be possible. Some patients find if they try to keep one hip or knee bent this can ease the pain. Other symptoms will vary with the severity.
Minor pelvic fractures in older adults involve either low energy mechanisms or repetitive stresses in osteoporotic bone (insufficiency fractures). These fractures may be either displaced or nondisplaced and generally involve both anterior and posterior elements of the pelvis.
Ignoring a hairline fracture can lead to a more serious fracture or break occurring, which is more difficult to treat. If not treated or ignored, the hairline may not heal, resulting in a non-union fracture.
Doctors often use X-rays to diagnose fractures, but many early stress fractures are too small to appear on an X-ray. If an X-ray looks normal but symptoms suggest the presence of a stress fracture, your doctor may recommend another imaging test, such as an MRI scan.
A stress fracture is a small crack in the bone that often happens from overuse. This type of break usually affects the weight-bearing bones of the leg, such as the shinbone or thighbone. A hairline fracture is a very thin break in the bone. This type of break may not show up on an X-ray right away.
An urgent care center can help you if you have a minor fracture, such as a stress fracture or a break in an extremity. But if you have a more severe fracture, such as an open or complete fracture, you should go to the ER.
In terms of activity, patients can be bedbound for days or up to a week. Most patients, however, start transferring to a chair in a couple of days and start getting around the bedside with a walker in another couple of days. Final resolution of pain and restoration of function can take six to 12 weeks.
You can sleep in which ever position you find most comfortable but may prefer to place a pillow in between your knees when sleeping on your side. Avoid sitting on low chairs or for prolonged periods of time. Use your hands on the arms of the chair to help gently lower yourself.