BC Personal injury claim lawyers serving Langley, Abbotsford, Surrey, Chilliwack, Maple Ridge, and Aldergrove.
We use our hips every time we bend, walk, twist or sit. They’re incredibly important for general mobility. As a result, hip injuries can cause serious difficulties in your life by making many tasks very painful or even impossible to accomplish. The injury and the measures you take to try and cope and heal can limit or change your work and leisure activities.
The impact on your work can include changes to your tasks or work environment as well as not going to work for a few days or long term disability, depending on the type of job you have and the nature of your injury. Your leisure activities can be similarly restricted by having to change or limit your hobbies or sports you participate in or, for example, not being able to do certain types housework or self-care.
What are hip injuries from trauma?
An injury from trauma specifically refers to one that is caused by a harmful event, like a hit or a twist, and not damage from genetic abnormalities or long-term wear and tear. Wrist injuries from trauma include:
- Broken or fractured hip
- Hip dislocation
- Hip strain
- Bursitis (inflammation of the fluid filled sacs that protect the joint)
- Cuts, burns, or bruising to the skin in the area
- Muscle tears to the area
The injury can be on one or both sides and several injuries may happen at the same time.
The pain can be sudden and sharp or could start as a nagging pain that develops into something more serious and noticeable over time. The pain may be constant, whether or not you’re applying pressure to the area or moving it, or it may only be felt when you’re doing certain activities like sitting or walking. Common symptoms, depending on the nature of the injury, include:
- Immediate sharp pain at the time of injury
- Swelling
- Redness
- Bleeding
- Tenderness when touched
- Throbbing pain
- Pain when you try to stand
- Pain when you try to sit
- Inability to move your hip joint
- Bruising to the skin
What causes hip injuries?
Hip injuries can be caused by direct impacts, over-extension or pulling of your leg or back, or twisting or bending outside the joint’s normal range of motion. For example, a common way to fracture your hip is to fall on it or to have it hit in the impact of a car accident.
What should you do if you have suffered an injury to your hip?
The first thing you should do if you think you have injured your hip is get medical help. A doctor can examine you, take x-rays, and do other tests to find out what the damage is and set up treatment for your recovery. This is particularly important with your hips because if injuries are left untreated they can reduce your mobility over time and start to cause damage to your back and knees as your body tries to compensate and move around the injury.
Getting medical help is also important legally. If you think the injury is from a car accident or is otherwise someone else’s fault, the doctor’s opinion will be important if you go ahead with seeking damages. You will need to show that your hip injury was caused by the accident as well as the extent of the injury and its impact on your activities.
Get legal advice from a personal injury lawyer if you think it was caused by an accident or someone’s careless or reckless behaviour.
What if I already had hip problems, but now it’s worse?
You should go see your doctor if the pain or lack of mobility in your hip has changed or gotten worse, even if you had a pre-existing injury or condition before the traumatic event. If the event made your condition worse or caused new injuries, you can still seek damages.
How are hip injuries treated?
Your doctor will set up a treatment plan for you. This can include seeing other specialists like physical therapists, medication to help the pain and inflammation, protective measures like a brace, a cane or crutches, antibiotics to prevent infections, limitations to your work and leisure activities. In very serious cases, treatment may lead to surgery to repair or replace your hip.
Most hip injuries get better with treatment and you can get back to your regular activities in due time. How long this takes depends on the injury, but can range from days to years. Unfortunately, in some cases the injury never heals completely and becomes a life-long problem.
Speak with one of our BC personal injury claims lawyers
Schedule a free consultation with one of our BC personal injury claims lawyers if you’ve suffered hip injuries from trauma such as a car accident or other type of motor vehicle accident.
BC Personal injury claim lawyers serving Langley, Abbotsford, Surrey, Chilliwack, Maple Ridge, and Aldergrove.