Many times patients who fall and break their hip wonder, Did I fall and then break my hip? Or Did I break my hip and that's why I fell? There is some new evidence that many patients fall and break their hips -- and the reason they fell was because they were having a silent heart attack.

Health care for seniors is taking a decided turn in other countries. In Italy, for example, hospitals that focus on the care of older adults are being developed. With the special needs of this population being addressed, problems like hip fracture can be treated with a geriatric-orthopedic multidisciplinary approach. This article reports on efforts to use an immediate weight-bearing early ambulation (IWB-EA) program after surgery to repair a hip fracture.

Surgeons are faced with many decisions when approaching surgery for patients with a hip fracture. Is the patient in good health? If so, then there's a green light for going ahead with the procedure. Does he or she have a heart health history? If that's the case, the patient needs cardiac testing before going into surgery. Studies show that patients with pre-existing heart problems have an increased risk of heart attack and even death after hip surgery for a hip fracture.

For older adults with osteoporosis (brittle bones), it's not bad enough when there's a hip fracture that needs repair. But added complications from poor health, from being in the hospital, and from the surgery can be deadly. Pneumonia, heart failure, infections, and pressure ulcers (bed sores) head the list of problems that some seniors face when a hip fracture occurs.

Hip resurfacing arthroplasty is a type of hip replacement that replaces the arthritic surface of the joint but removes far less bone than the traditional total hip replacement. Because the hip resurfacing removes less bone, it may be preferable for younger patients who are expected to need a second, or revision, hip replacement surgery as they grow older and wear out the original artificial hip replacement.

After surgery, your hip will be covered with a padded dressing. Special boots or stockings are placed on your feet to help prevent blood clots from forming. A triangle-shaped cushion may be positioned between your legs to keep your legs from crossing or rolling in.

These days if you want to know how other patients feel about their orthopedic procedures, all you have to do is go on-line and look up their blogs (weblog). There are many postings to suggest that, for example, having a hip joint resurfacing is better than a total hip replacement. Recovery is faster, there's less risk of a dislocation, and range of motion is improved quickly.

It is possible to perform a total hip replacement from an anterior (front) approach as well as from the side lateral or posterolateral (halfway between the back and side). But over the years, studies have shown the best results and easiest access is from the posteriolateral direction.

With every new surgical procedure come refinements and improvements in the technique by surgeons who have the experience and expertise to try something different. In a recent study, one orthopedic surgeon from the Cincinnati Orthopaedic Research Institute took on hip joint resurfacing as his project. He worked diligently over a two-year period of time to reduce the size of the incision required for this operation until it could be considered minimally invasive.

With every new surgical procedure come refinements and improvements in the technique by surgeons who have the experience and expertise to try something different. In this study, one orthopedic surgeon from the Cincinnati Orthopaedic Research Institute takes on hip joint resurfacing as his project. He worked diligently over a two-year period of time to reduce the size of the incision required for this operation until it could be considered minimally invasive.