Femoral Neck Fractures: Causes & Treatment Options

The fracture often occurs due to rotational stress, rather than direct trauma to the hip, so much so that the subject, by slipping or incorrectly placing the lower limb, causes a sudden rotation, which leads to a fracture of the neck and, only subsequently, a fall due to lack of support.

Severe hip pain, inability to walk or bear weight on the affected limb, with the limb appearing shortened and externally rotated.

Diagnosis is made via clinical examination and confirmed with X-rays. Sometimes MRI is needed for occult fractures. In young patients, internal fixation is preferred. In elderly patients, prosthetic replacement (partial or total) is often chosen to reduce recovery time and complications.

Given the particular vascularization of the femoral head (terminal type, meaning it receives blood supply only from the neck, so a fracture of this can interrupt the blood flow), these fractures can often evolve into pseudoarthrosis (failure to heal) or bone necrosis, infections and loss of autonomy, especially in the elderly.