Fracture of the neck of the femur is one of the most common fractures in trauma. People over 60 years of age have more difficulty moving around and are often victims of falls and fractures. These accidents cause serious health consequences and compromise the patient’s autonomy for years to come. However, there is a solution to avoid this accident and not make a fracture of the neck of the femur inevitable in the elderly.
What is a femoral neck fracture?
The fracture of the neck of the femur is actually a fracture of the hip that occurs after an impact or a fall from its own height. This accident is unfortunately very frequent among seniors, and more particularly among women, who are 4 times more exposed than men. Bones tend to break more easily in women after menopause, due to osteoporosis. Made fragile, the slightest shock can have an impact on the hip and serious after-effects.
Indeed, there are many risks of falls after a certain age: bone fragility due to osteoporosis, visual impairment, loss of balance, neurological problems, malaise, loss of muscle mass, and calcium and vitamin D deficiency. Far from being trivial, a femoral neck fracture can have serious and irreversible consequences on your general health.
During the fall, the clinical signs will be intense pain and the inability of the patient to move the leg. An X-ray will confirm the diagnosis and medical management.
The consequences of a femoral neck fracture
It is difficult to talk about femoral neck fractures without mentioning the statistics related to death. Unfortunately, 1 out of 3 men and 1 out of 5 women die within a year of a femoral neck fracture. This has a direct impact on life expectancy and is life threatening. The accident can be even more serious if it occurs in the home of an isolated person who is unable to get up.
In addition, a loss of autonomy and a rapid deterioration of the general health of the elderly person can occur. In order to avoid total immobilization, surgery and the installation of a hip prosthesis are often recommended following this accident to consolidate the bones. This is followed by a long and painful re-education of the patient in order to relearn how to walk and regain joint mobility. The challenge is obviously to regain autonomy in order to be able to perform daily activities such as sitting down, getting up, lying down or even washing. It is frequent that a mechanical aid and an adaptation of the living space are necessary following these falls. In some cases, the elderly person may be placed in a non-medicalized retirement home or in an EHPAD to deal with this new dependency.
The solution to avoid femoral neck fracture
The prevention of falls among seniors is a major public health issue. Apart from maintaining physical activity, a balanced diet rich in vitamins and minerals, and eliminating risks at home, seniors can now turn to an innovative solution to no longer fear this fate.
Airrbelt has developed an inflatable lumbar belt that is triggered in the event of a fall by an integrated electronic sensor. This ingenious system ensures optimum safety and protection of the neck of the femur in the event of a fall to the ground.
Comfortable and light, you can wear it at hip level to feel reassured. You become less vulnerable and fragile in the event of a fall, with this belt capable of absorbing the shock on impact and protecting your bones.
Airrbelt, to put an end to femoral neck fractures
The revolutionary idea is to integrate two airbags that inflate on each side of the hip, in order to protect the elderly person in case of a fall and upon impact on the ground. Thanks to the fall detector, the belt inflates automatically in a few seconds, to avoid the worst scenario.
Seniors can thus find serenity and autonomy in complete safety.
