The 83-year-old woman can still go out to buy groceries and has a relatively strong body. However, she accidentally fell while climbing the stairs some time ago, causing two fractures in the intertrochanteric space of the femur and the surgical neck of the humerus.
When I arrived at the hospital, the emergency doctor said that surgery was needed, but the family members felt that the risk of surgery was too high because of the old man’s age. When he was about to go home, he happened to be bumped into by me. I stepped forward and asked what was going on. After some conversation, , after obtaining the consent of the old lady and her family, I prepared to perform surgery on her.
Because of this situation, the risk will be greater without surgery, and various complications such as deep vein thrombosis in the lower limbs, joint stiffness, acute bone atrophy, and bedsores may occur, which may even endanger the patient's life. On the road of life, the doctor's duty is to ask each patient to line up at the back, but the old lady's family did exactly the opposite. They pushed her forward to get her closer to the end of life.
Fortunately, the old lady’s family listened to my advice and was hospitalized. Since I have had many surgeries recently, I worked overtime to perform an operation on her. Now the old lady is recovering well after the operation and everything is normal.
Post-operative film for the elderly
What are the causes of fractures in the elderly?
1. Internal causes: In life, many people do not pay attention to calcium supplementation, and have always regarded osteoporosis as an inevitable manifestation of old age, and simply do not manage finances. Therefore, more elderly people suffer from osteoporosis. It is also easy to cause fractures and bring a heavy burden to the family and society.
2. External causes: For the elderly over 65 years old, 87% of fractures can be attributed to falls, and about 3% to 6% of falls will cause fractures. As age increases, the incidence of falls increases.
How should the elderly prevent fractures in their daily lives?
1. Improve bone density and prevent osteoporosis. On the one hand, calcium supplementation is needed; on the other hand, calcium must be effectively absorbed into bone tissue under load-bearing conditions. Therefore, the elderly should insist on active physical exercise and increase the amount of activity, such as longer walks, Tai Chi, etc., so that more calcium in the bloodstream can be retained in the bones. Women have a period of rapid decline in bone density after menopause and should pay attention to supplementing estrogen . At the same time, develop good living habits of not smoking, drinking less alcohol, and not drinking strong tea.
2. Pay more attention in life to prevent falls. The layout of the living environment should conform to the living habits of the elderly. For example, the bed should not be too high or too low, toilets and chairs should have armrests, do not climb high to retrieve things, and try to use auxiliary tools when going out.
3. Eat a reasonable diet and supplement calcium. Eat small meals frequently, and eat more nutritious, easily digestible foods and calcium-rich foods such as dairy and beans.
