Hip dislocations account for 5% of all joint dislocations. Many people often experience hip pain and the sensation that the hip joint is out of place, but it is not always a dislocation. Dislocated hip symptoms are more severe, including immobility and severe acute pain. The affected hip would be shortened and have an abnormal resting posture.
This is usually due to accidents or falls from heights. Read the complete article and find out what hip dislocation means.
What Is A Hip Dislocation?
A hip dislocation occurs when the hip’s ball pops out of its socket. It typically results from a severe traumatic injury. It is an urgent medical situation when the limb becomes severely painful and immobile until it is fixed. It may also result in subsequent harm to the nearby blood vessels, nerves, ligaments, and other soft tissues. If the hip joint has not been in place since young, the patient has a condition known as hip dysplasia. Hip dysplasia is frequently referred to as developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). Hip dysplasia patients have shallow hip sockets that do not adequately support the hip joint.
Types Of Hip Dislocation
There are two types of hip dislocation:
Posterior Dislocation
In a posterior dislocation, the thigh bone is forced out of the socket towards the back of the body. This is usually sustained with a force directed from the front of the knee, for eg in a car accident where the knee hits the dashboard in the front. The affected leg would appear shortened, with the knee brought across the front and midline of the body. There is also a high risk of concurrent knee injuries in such cases.
Anterior Dislocation
In an anterior dislocation, the hip is moved out of its socket towards the front of the body. The leg will rotate outwards and away from the body’s centre with only a minor bend in the hip.
What Are The Symptoms Of Hip Dislocation?
Hip pain and trouble bearing weight on the affected leg are the two most common signs of hip dislocation. The leg on the affected side may appear shorter and rotated inwards or outwards, and the hip cannot move normally. Some patients may also experience numbness and weakness. The dislocation will place your leg in an unnatural posture. Your knee and foot will be turned toward your body’s midline if you have a posterior dislocation, and they will be turned away from the midline if you have an anterior dislocation.
Common dislocated hip symptoms are
- Severe intense pain.
- Hip joint swelling or discolouration (bruising)
- Inward or outward rotation of the leg.
- Difficulty moving the leg.
- Unable to support weight on your leg.
- Hip deformity or the legs appearing shorter
- Loss of sensation in foot or hip.
For better hip evaluation, one must consult a doctor.
What causes hip dislocation?
Hip dislocations are usually caused by high-energy traumatic injuries. The hip joint (compared to other joints in the body eg the shoulder) is intrinsically a stable joint. Thus to cause your hip joint to be pushed out of its socket requires a large force. It may result from a serious work-related accident or sports injury. A car accident is one of the most frequent causes of traumatic hip dislocations. Upon a collision, the knee hits the dashboard, and then the femur’s ball head is forced out of the hip socket by this force, which also forces the hip backwards.
An industrial accident or a fall from a height can exert enough force to dislocate a hip. Hip dislocations frequently are accompanied by other injuries, such as heel and pelvis fractures, and back, stomach, knee, and head injuries. A common fracture that may occur with hip dislocation is when the femoral head (the ball of the socket) hits the back of its socket during the injury, causing a break in the wall of the socket (also known as the acetabulum). This is also known as a posterior wall acetabular fracture-dislocation.
Consequences of Unreduced Hip Dislocations
Hip Dislocations need to be dealt with on an emergent basis, as delayed treatment would cause injury to the sciatic nerve behind the hip joint (in posterior hip dislocations) or compression on the femoral nerve and artery (in anterior hip dislocations). Prolonged unreduced hip dislocations could also cut off the blood supply to the femoral head (ball of the hip joint), resulting in avascular necrosis or bone death. This can result in this patient requiring a hip replacement at a younger age. What are the first signs of needing a hip replacement.
Do Not Hesitate To Ask For Help!
If you suspect that you might have a hip dislocation, you should seek help immediately from an accredited orthopaedic specialist. Hip pain doctor in Singapore helps you with all hip-related problems and assures you of complete and satisfactory treatment. Contact us right away and let us facilitate you with the most up-to-date treatment options.
