You may have been strong and healthy prior to your motorcycle accident, but have found out firsthand how an injury can affect you in so many ways—even the health of your hips. Strong hips are needed to do even the simplest tasks such as standing, sitting, and walking. So when you suffer a hip injury, it can dramatically change your life.

While most of us take our hips for granted, hip injuries can actually be debilitating and cause injured motorcyclists the inability to walk, ride their bikes, or even work. Unfortunately, some of the most common motorcycle accident injuries are lower extremity injuries, including hip injuries.

Here is a list of six different types of hip injuries and their symptoms:

  1. Hip pointer. This type of injury may also be referred to as a hip bruise. When an accident occurs, a hip can suffer a bruise to one of the bones or to the tendons, cartilage, and muscles surrounding the hip. Some of the symptoms of a hip pointer include swelling, bruising, pain, tenderness, weakness in the affected area, and reduced range of motion.
  2. Hip strain. When a motorcyclist attempts to break his or her fall, it is possible a muscle in the hip may tear by stretching it beyond its capacity. As a result, a motorcyclist may suffer swelling, pain, and possible loss of strength.
  3. Hip bursitis. When trauma occurs to a fluid-filled sac in the hip (known as a bursa), bursitis can be the result. With this type of injury, an injured motorcyclist may suffer intense pain initially that turns into an achy pain. This pain often gets worse at night and with use of the affected hip. Other symptoms may include swelling and a red color in the affected joint.
  4. Hip dislocation. When a person falls on a hip or a hip suffers trauma, the head of the femur may dislocate and slip out of the socket. When this happens, the injured person may suffer intense pain and difficulties moving the affected leg. When hip dislocations occur, it is likely that damage to ligaments around the hip also takes place.
  5. Hip labral tear. When the cartilage covering the socket in the pelvis is damaged, a hip labral tear can occur. This can cause pain in the groin area, joint stiffness, and a clicking sound or locking sensation in the hip. Another symptom is often the feeling like the affected hip and leg will give way.
  6. Hip fracture. When a motorcyclist falls onto the hip bone or on the upper thigh bone in a traumatic motorcycle crash, it can result in a hip fracture.  When this type of injury occurs, the injured person will experience excruciating pain in the upper thigh area and groin. Other symptoms of a hip fracture include swelling, bruising, the inability to move the injured hip, and the inability to put weight on the affected leg.

Treatment for Hip Injuries

Many of these hip injuries need time to heal on their own. This is why the R.I.C.E. (rest, ice, compress and elevate) method is often prescribed. However, many hip injuries require crutches, medications, and physical therapy to alleviate pain. Before trying to treat your hip pain at home, it is important to see a doctor in order to get an accurate diagnosis. Typically, X-rays and an MRI scan will need to be performed to determine the extent of the hip damage.

In the case of a hip dislocation, an emergency room doctor will likely be able to move the head of your femur back into its socket without surgery. However, arthroscopic surgery may be necessary in the case of a labral tear. In addition, surgery is always necessary to repair a hip fracture. When surgery occurs, patients typically need medications and physical therapy to heal completely.

Injured motorcyclists who undergo hip surgery and physical therapy may be unable to work or even drive for months. As a result, they often lose wages and miss out on the things they enjoy. For these reasons, it is important that motorcycle accident victims make sure they pursue a legal claim for damages. To learn how to get the maximum compensation possible in your case, please call us at (301) 942-9118 for a free initial consultation or click the live chat button to the left of the screen.

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