Last Updated: 11/9/2023
Hip injuries commonly occur in car accidents and work injuries. There are several different types of hip injuries including:
Hip dislocation
This is when the top of your thigh bone comes out of the socket which is known as a dislocation. This usually causes severe pain and will usually require a procedure to put the bone (femur) back into your hip socket. This can cause significant damage such as a labral tear, hip fracture, inflammation, etc. Sometimes, the hip will get better on its own with time and treatment and other times surgery is required to pin or replace the hip socket.
Hip strain
This is usually when your stretch and/or tear muscles and/or tendons in your hip. This can happen from repetitive use of the hip like lifting at work, a fall or other traumatic event. Treatment for a hip strain usually involves rest, restrictions, physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medications and sometimes injections. Most hip strains will get better with time, but it can put you at a higher risk of developing arthritis later on in life.
Arthritis
This is when the hip joint is inflamed and sometimes builds up calcium deposits in an attempt to protect the joint. Arthritis can occur as we get older, from overuse and/or from a traumatic event like a car accident, fall or work injury. Keep in mind that many people have arthritis, but if your work injury or other personal injury accident makes your condition worse, then you should be compensated for it. Some people have arthritis without any symptoms until after a traumatic event and the law contains provisions to protect you under these circumstances. Treatment for arthritis often depends upon the severity of it. Usually, anti-inflammatory medications and injections are tried before going through a hip replacement (also known as hip arthroplasty) surgery. Keep in mind that if you do have to undergo a hip replacement, there are newer minimally invasive hip replacement procedures that are available to many patients which will reduce the healing time considerably. Be sure to ask your orthopedic surgeon if they have been trained in the newer procedure and if you are a candidate for it.
Bursitis
This is similar to arthritis but involves swelling and inflammation in the tissue that cushions the joint which is known as the bursae. Bursitis can be caused by overuse, a car accident, falls, other traumatic injury or the degenerative process of the body.
If you would like to learn more about hip injuries and how they are treated in workers compensation and personal injury cases then we recommend that you request a copy of our Iowa injury book entitled "Iowa Work Injuries, Car Accidents, Personal Injury and Wrongful Death" which includes 8 Common Costly Mistakes and How You Can Avoid them. We offer our book at no cost or risk to you because we have seen hundreds of Iowans make costly mistakes before they knew how Iowa laws applied to them and their case. Finally, you can learn about Iowa injury laws in the comfort of your own home. If you would like immediate assistance call or contact us to schedule your no-cost injury consultation and evaluation call (641) 792-3595.
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