Falls and Hip Fractures

Ninety percent of the 350,000 hip fractures that occur each year in the U.S. are the result of a fall. By the year 2050, there will be an estimated 650,000 hip fractures annually; nearly 1,800 hip fractures a day.

Women have two to three times as many hip fractures as men, and white, post-menopausal women have a 1 in 7 chance of hip fracture during a lifetime. The rate of hip fracture increases at age 50, doubling every five to six years. Nearly one-half of women who reach age 90 have suffered a hip fracture.

Increased risk: The risk of hip fracture for women 5'8" or taller is twice that of women who are under 5'2." Studies show that women who have broken their arm in the past have an increased risk of breaking a hip. Among people age 50 and older who fall, women have two to three times as many hip fractures as men.

Hip fractures are very serious

• Only 25 percent of hip fracture patients will make a full recovery; 40 percent will require nursing home care; 50 percent will need a cane or walker; and 24 percent of those over age 50 will die within 12 months.
  
  
• Nearly one-in-four hip fracture patients will die within 12 months after the injury because of complications related to the injury and the recovery period.
  
  
• The cost of hip fracture care averages $33,000 per patient.
  
  
• There were 168,106 total hip replacements performed in the U.S. in 1999.

posted 4/1/2001

Orthopaedic Connection, Patient Education Web Site of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, © 2002