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My father broke his hip and barely complained of pain but I know that it can be very painful. Was he just being stoic for our benefit?

A broken hip is generally quite painful; however, not everyone feels pain in the same way. Some people do "tough it out," while others truly can stand a higher level of pain than others.

This being said, older people who have painful conditions, such as a broken hip, should be monitored closely for signs of pain. While they may not be saying that they have it, they may be showing it through their facial features, posture, or body movement. When someone is in a lot of pain, they may not be eating as well or moving as well, and this can cause other physical problems.

Reference: 

Remy Morello, et al. A scale to measure pain in non-verbally communicating older patients: The EPCA-2 Study of its psychometric properties. In PAIN. December 2007. Vol. 133. Issue 1-3. Pp. 197-209.


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