injuries and poisoning
Hip Dislocations
Treatment of a Dislocated Hip
Maneuvers to put the hip back in place Possibly bed rest or immobilization for a short time Physical therapy If hip dislocation is the only injury or the most serious injury, doctors put the hip back in place (called reduction) as soon as possible. Any delay increases the risk that bone tissue will die. Surgery is not necessarily required. Before hip reduction, people are given a sedative (usually by vein), pain reliever, and muscle relaxant, but they may remain conscious. Or they may require a general anesthetic (making them unconscious) or an anesthetic injected around the spinal cord to make them numb from the waist down. One of several maneuvers can be used to put the hip back in place. In one maneuver (Captain Morgan technique), a person lies face up, usually on a rigid board on the floor. The person's hips are held down by a sheet or belt, and a practitioner gently bends the person's knee and moves it so that it is over the hip joint. Practitioners then place their knee under the person's knee and lift up under the knee while pushing down on the ankle. For this technique, the person lies face up, usually on a rigid board on the floor. The person's hips are held down by a sheet or belt, and a practitioner gently bends the person's knee and moves it so that it is over the hip joint. Practitioners then place their knee under the person's knee and lift up under the knee while pushing down on the ankle. After reduction, computed tomography (CT) is done to check for fractures and for any debris or fragments of bone or cartilage in the joint. If any are found, doctors consult an orthopedic surgeon about whether surgery is needed. If no fractures, debris, or fragments are found, most people with a posterior hip dislocation are sent home with crutches. They are instructed that their foot on the injured side may touch the floor—for example, to help with balance—but they should not put any weight on it. Follow-up visits with an orthopedist are needed. People should not put weight on their foot until their orthopedist says they can. Most people can walk without crutches in about 1 week. People who have certain types of dislocations may need crutches longer or, rarely, permanently. Bed rest is not recommended because it increases the risk of complications such as blood clots. If there are other injuries, surgery may be needed to repair them. Right after a person has surgery for a dislocated hip, a physical therapist usually gently exercises the person's joint (called passive exercise), sometimes using a continuous passive motion machine. 