Question:My mother-in-law had a hip fracture two months ago. She has been on
Fosamax for abut six months, and Calcimar & Calcitonin before that.
But now her orthopedic surgeon says "the bones are not healing" and
so the Dr. has ordered extensive blood work.
What % of elderly hip fractures have "no bone change" after 2 months?
She is 78 years old, Swede-Finn extraction.
Why does this occur? What can be done?
Answer:This might explain what is going on, although I am not fully aware of all
the finer details.
The femur (thigh bone) is attached to the pelvis by a kind of socket and
a ligament that connects the inside of the pelvic joint to the head of the
femur (as well as many other ligaments & muscles). In most people there is
an artery that runs in this ligament. In older people this artery may not
be patent due to atherosclerosis or other complications.
For any tissue to regrow, an adequate blood supply is needed. Now, if
your mother-in-law broke the neck of her femur (right at the top, below
the head), then there may not be an adequate blood supply coming from the
rest of the bone below. If there is poor blood supply from the top then
that bone in the isolated region may only slowly grow, or never get
better. If this is the case then a hip replacement might be better - metal
doesn't need blood to keep it healthy.
I hope that helped
