How do you repair a broken pelvis?

When it comes to broken bones, one that you really don’t want to mess with is the pelvis. If you’re unlucky enough to have sustained this type of injury – maybe from a car accident, falling off a horse or just being plain clumsy – then fear not! We’ve got your back(side).

Here’s everything you need to know about repairing your broken pelvis (and hopefully keeping your wits intact in the process)!

Getting a Diagnosis

First things first, how do you even know if you’ve broken your pelvis? Here are some of the telltale signs:

Extreme pain around the hip area
Difficulty walking or standing
Bruising and swelling around the affected area
Pain when trying to move legs apart

Okay, so chances are these aren’t exactly ‘tell-tale’ signs since they’re pretty obvious but still! If any combination of these symptoms sounds familiar then get yourself down for an X-ray ASAP.

The Different Types of Pelvic Fracture

Believe it or not (we wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t), there’s more than one way that someone can break their precious pelvic bone. Doctors categorize these breaks into four different types:

Type 1: Stable Fractures

These fractures occur when only one part of the pelvis is cracked but overall it remains stable. Think breaking just one puzzle piece out of an entire jigsaw puzzle.

Type 2: Unstable Fractures

The opposite end of the spectrum involves multiple fractures on different parts which make up the pelvic ring.

Type 3: Avulsion Fractures

Aka “I stubbed my toe” equivalent fractures. This happens when tendons and ligaments attach themselves onto bones at certain points; too much pressure combined with high intensity movement results in the organs giving up and bone detachment .

Type 4: Acetabular Fractures

This one’s mind-blowing. This is the rarest form of pelvic fracture, phew. But also really bad since
it occurs when the socket part of your hip joint dislocates from its original position.

Note to self: don’t do the Macarena without proper warm-up.

Treatment Options

If you’re lucky enough to have a stable fracture you might not require any surgery at all! However in some cases, surgical intervention may be necessary as it gives best long term results. If you’ve got an unstable or acetabular fracture then there’s no getting around it – surgery is being eyed as we speak.

Non-Surgical Interventions

These are interventions that will help alleviating any major symptoms whilst promoting efficient recovery, so things like:

Pain medicine
Rest & hydration (afterwards u can catch up on Netflix’s Tiger King)
Physical therapy

Surgical Intervention

Alternatively if surgery falls within recommendations among experts , minimizing further friction between bones by open reduction internal fixation would be done with screws wiring system . And this stabilizes properly after sometime but this one could take
more than six months or even extended longer depending on if surgery exposes soft tissues…

When Might Surgery Be Recommended?

Before opting for any treatment option though, doctors need to determine just how badly damaged your pelvis has been fractured/exposed thus Xrays looking into depth analyse occur before careful choice-making begins .

However, instability fractures normally require surgical restoration away from non-surgical approach. Also noteworthy situations requiring surgical reparation may include complications during healing process. For example:

1) Bone fragments interfering with blood vessels and nerves

2) Failure in connecting both sides via “open-book” pelvic injuries;

3) Aggressive movement leading possible displacement/fracture years later

Lol imagine being discharged, falling in your shower and breaking the other leg.

The Road to Recovery

Everyone’s body is different but rough estimated recovery time seems between 8-12 weeks where immobility should be maintained once you hit home especially for those on crutches as it takes a while to gain strength back. Physical therapy always gets adds incentive(s) because professional support help speed healing and ensures steady progression by include stretches that slowly re-introduce flexibility using proprioceptive . Nurses also encourage pain management techniques, appropriate medications at regular intervals to ease off severe symptoms thus reinforcing positive internal milieu.

Tips for Speedy Recovery:

Motivation: oh this ones harder than we thought! Seeking reinforcement from your loved ones or checking out progress of others who have recovered using social media/different platforms can give Best emotional boost!
Be Cautious : don’t try anything stupid; trust medical personnel when they say “take it easy”
Exercise restraint: Follow any exercises provided by physical therapist before indulging in physical activities as early exit usually guarantees return of difficulties experienced earlier

Whether or not surgery was neccessary , something as large scale building up again will understandably come with post-recovery complications like swelling around the operated area so ice packs (and wine… lots & lots of wine) would certainly be coming handy at such tumultous times.

Barrier Exercises

This term refers to control measures implemented during rehabilitating period which involve external experts giving specific training/learning exercises that aid proper posture/ form during day-to-day life routines.

E.g: strengthening pelvic muscles through works like squatting etcetera .

Just how working out builds muscle mass over time relates well on injury stories too if done persistently .

Progressing Wisely

To ensure effective continuity within each stage, there may be intermittent monitoring involving multiple types of scans including CT scan although most doctors prefer MRI closer from end-of-stage after seeking important feedback from person going thru rehab interventions.

Mobility Aids

The road to recovery may be a long one but definitely not lonely. Crutches so as to minimize pressure being put on the operated area limit further friction between bone and the ground surface, thus taking up walking aids could always become mainstay during therapy process until sufficient strength returns .

In essence fixing broken pelvis takes times; involves trust in others while dealing with shortcomings faced head-on without fear of falling(apart)

That’s all for today’s article, hope you found it informative (and funny)!