A pelvic fracture is a break in one or more of your bones in your pelvis. Pelvic fractures are an uncommon type of fracture that can range from mild to severe. While mild pelvic fractures usually don't require surgery, severe fractures have to be fixed with surgery.
Most pelvic fractures happen during high-speed accidents (such as car or motorcycle crashes) or falls from great heights. Pelvic fractures can also occur spontaneously or after minor falls in people with bone-weakening diseases such as osteoporosis.
Anterior to Posterior Compression injuries (AC)
First, there is damage to the symphyseal ligaments at the pubic symphysis. This is followed by disruption of the ligaments of the pelvic floor, that is the sacrospinous and sacrotuberous ligaments. And finally, there is disruption of the posterior sacroiliac complex.
Complications following pelvic fractures include urological injury (more common in men), venous thromboembolism (DVT in ~60% and PE in ~25%, therefore prophylaxis is essential), and long-standing pelvic pain.
Pelvic injuries are usually caused by significant trauma, such as road traffic collisions, falls from height or a crush injury. Due to the location of the pelvis, injuries to other structures, such as major blood vessels, the bladder and/or the bowel may occur.
You may walk with a limp for several months if damage has occurred to the muscles around your pelvis. These muscles may take up to 1 year to become strong again. Future problems, such as pain, reduced mobility, and sexual dysfunction, may result from damage to nerves and organs that is related to the pelvic fracture.
Symptoms of a hip or pelvic fracture include significant, sharp pain in the hip or groin and swelling, bruising, and tenderness in the skin at the site of the injury. Depending on the severity of the fracture, a broken bone may prevent you from putting any weight on the affected hip.
Most pelvic fractures cause considerable pain, even when people are sitting or lying down. Severe pelvic fractures can result in life-threatening bleeding and may be accompanied by serious injuries to other organs. X-rays can show most pelvic fractures, but computed tomography is usually also done.
Bruising and swelling over the pelvic bones. Numbness or tingling in the genital area or in the upper thighs. Pain which may also be present on sitting and when having a bowel movement.
Your pelvis is home to many nerves that can become damaged during a fracture. These nerves may never recover, and you can experience pain many years down the road.
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.
Common causes of injury include direct trauma, heavy lifting, childbirth, and gynecologic and urologic surgeries. Patients may also have connective tissue disorders that affect the overall quality of the ligaments such as EDS. The ligaments can be stretched, partially torn, and completely torn.
What is pelvic girdle pain? The pelvic girdle is a ring of bones around your body at the base of your spine. PGP is pain in the front and/or the back of your pelvis that can also affect other areas such as the hips or thighs. It can affect the sacroiliac joints at the back and/or the symphysis pubis joint at the front.
Take shorter steps, slow down the pace and try and walk without waddling. The waddling walk puts a lot of pressure through 1 leg and then the other as you waddle. If you can walk more smoothly it tends not to aggravate your pain. Walking with a good posture can be very helpful.
PGP affects everyone differently. Some people find that cycling causes no pain, while walking is very uncomfortable. Others say that swimming or aquanatal exercises are fine but certain yoga positions make their symptoms worse. If you can, try different exercises until you find one that works for you.
A broken pelvis may need a few months to heal. You may have had surgery to repair your pelvis, depending on where it was broken and how bad the break was. Your doctor may have put metal screws, pins, or a rod in your pelvis to fix the break. In some cases, surgery is not needed.
After the fractured bone has been reduced, a surgeon uses one or more fixation devices to keep the bone fragments in position while the bone heals. Most of the time, surgeons use internal fixation, a technique involving stainless steel screws, plates, wires, and rods to permanently fix the bone fragments together.
Pelvic fractures usually start to heal about four weeks after the fracture. Some patients may notice less pain as soon as a few days after a fracture, depending on the severity of the fracture, but most patients take pain medication for four to six weeks after the injury.
They can go undetected. Osteoporotic pelvic fractures, often following one or more relatively trivial traumatic incident, is relatively common among persons over age 60 .
Physical Examination
The Destot sign, a superficial hematoma above the inguinal ligament, in the scrotum, or in the thigh, can indicate a pelvic fracture. The examiner should look for a rotational deformity of the pelvis or lower extremities. Leg-length discrepancies may also be present with pelvic fractures.
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.
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.
With a broken pelvis you cannot walk, sit or move well without pain. The pelvis protects the bladder, intestines and many important blood vessels. Many of the important leg muscles and abdominal muscles attach to the pelvis and allow for body motion and function.
The late sequel of pelvic fracture treatment can cause gait and postural disturbances, chronic pain, genitourinary dysfunction, persistent neurological deficits, and rectal dysfunction.