The hip joint is the largest ball and socket type joint in the body. The joint consists of the head of the femur, or thighbone, which joins with a socket in the pelvic bone that is called the acetabulum.
About 20 percent of patients who incur a hip fracture die within a year. Male nursing home residents over the age of 75 have the highest mortality rate during the year following a hip fracture, according to the National Library of Medicine. Hip fractures can be classified according the location of the fracture on the femur.
Transcervical Neck Fracture
The neck of the femur narrows as it branches medially from the main length of the femoral bone and ends in the femoral head. Wisc-Online, the digital library of the Wisconsin Technical College System, states that fractures of the femoral neck are most common in women over the age of 60. A transcervical neck fracture can occur within or outside the capsule that encloses the hip joint. This type of fracture is commonly complicated by a diminished blood supply to the area that hampers treatment and healing.
Intertrochanteric Fracture
Merck explains that trochanters are bony protuberances that are located lateral to the femoral neck on the thighbones. Muscles of the leg and buttock attach to the trochanters, thus providing for movement of the hip. There are two trochanters on each femur. The greater trochanter is the hard, bony protuberance that can be felt on the lateral side of the hip. The lesser trochanter is more medial on the femur and smaller. An intertrochanteric fracture extends between the two trochanters. This type of fracture less frequently compromises blood supply as it is outside the joint capsule.
Subcapital Fracture
A subcapital fracture occurs within the joint capsule, when the femoral head itself fractures. Wisc-Online notes that this type of fracture is often complicated due to the subsequent decrease in blood supply. A prosthetic replacement for the femoral head is sometimes necessary depending on the degree of bone displacement.
Subtrochanteric Fracture
Subtrochanteric fractures are another type of extracapsular, meaning outside the joint capsule, fracture of the femur. They occur at the level of the lesser trochanter, or below it. This type of fracture receive less blood supply than intertrochanteric fractures, thus requires a longer healing time, according to the National Library of Medicine. Muscle attachments on the lesser femur can pull on the bone, emphasizing any displacement that may occur because of fracture. This type of hip fracture occurs most commonly due to direct trauma to the hip.
