Question
Sharon, I am 51 years old.  I had a hip pinning surgery May 10th for a femoral neck hip fracture.  Three screws were used.  Today my surgeon scheduled me for the removal of the screws Nov. 30th.  What is the recovery period for this?  Will I be able to place full weight on the leg right away, or will I have to go back to a walker for a while?  I am using a cane about 80% of the time now, walking with no assistance the rest of the time, but with a pronounce limp.  What is the risk of another fracture?  My doctor just said that I would have to be careful for a while.  Thanks.

Answer
Hi Mark

Unfortunately I do not know much about hip pinning.  But it makes sense to me that the recovery time for you would depend on how secure the bone is now and how much the break has healed.  My basic thoughts would be you are probably going to have pain when you weight bear, if from nothing else, than just the surgical procedure and frankly, I don't think you are going to want to put weight on the leg at first because it will hurt.

Ask your doctor if you need physical therapy.  He may tell you that you can weight bear as tolerated, or he may tell you you can only weight bear 50%. Without knowing the extent of the damage and the extent of the operation, I really can't tell you what you can do insofar as weight.  As your doctor, he's the best resource you have.

As far as the risk of another fracture, I would think that unless the bone has healed completely, you would be at risk for further damage if you are not careful in what you do.     Your doctor has already told you, as you mention in your letter, that you have to be careful, so ask him or her what limitations you have in physical activities.  Bone normally takes 6 to 8 weeks to heal completely and as we get older, it can take up to 6 months.

Ask for post operative directions from your doctor.  That should keep you on the right track.

Good luck to you.

Sharon   

Ask your doctor about the amount of pressure