Femoral neck fracture — hip fracture that occurs one to two inches from the hip joint, sometimes leading to complications as the break usually cuts off blood supply to the head of the femur which forms the hip joint. See Fracture.

Femoral neck fractures and peritrochanteric fractures are equally prevalent and make up over 90 percent of proximal femur fractures.

The femoral neck is the most common location for a hip fracture. Your hip is a ball and socket joint where your upper leg meets your pelvis. At the top of your femur (which is your thigh bone) is the femoral head. This is the “ball” that sits in the socket. Just below the femoral head is the femoral neck.

Femoral neck fractures are intracapsular fractures. The capsule is the area that contains the fluid that lubricates and nourishes the hip joint. Fractures in this area are categorized based on the location of the fracture along the femoral neck:

     * subcapital is the femoral head and neck junction

     * transcervical is the mid portion of femoral neck

      * basicervical is the base of femoral neck.

Though anyone can fracture their femoral neck, it’s considerably more common in elderly adults who have poor bone density. More than 90 percentTrusted Source of these fractures occur in people older than 50. They are more common in women.

A femoral neck fracture can tear the blood vessels and cut off the blood supply to the femoral head. If the blood supply to the femoral head is lost, the bone tissue will die (a process called avascular necrosis), leading to the eventual collapse of the bone. Fractures that occur in places where the blood supply is not disrupted have a better chance of healing.

For these reasons, treatment for an elderly patient with displaced femoral fractures will depend upon the location of the break and the quality of the blood supply.

The standard of care for a displaced fracture where the blood supply is disrupted involves replacing the femoral head (hemiarthroplasty or a total hip arthroplasty). If there’s no displacement, then surgically stabilizing the fracture with screws or other hardware may be done. However, there’s still the risk that the blood supply may be disrupted

Femoral neck stress fracture causes

Trauma is the most common cause of femoral neck fractures. Being over the age of 50 or having a medical condition that weakens your bones, such as osteoporosis, increases your risk of a fracture in the femoral neck. Having bone cancer is also a risk factor.

Falls are the most common cause of femoral neck fractures in older adults. In younger people, these fractures most often result from high-energy trauma, such as a vehicle collision or fall from a great height.

Femoral neck fractures are rare in children. Along with high-energy trauma, they can also be caused by low bone mineral density, such as osteopenia or osteoporosis, or by other conditions like cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy.

Femoral neck fracture symptoms

The most common symptom of a femoral neck fracture is pain in the groin that gets worse when you put weight on the hip or try to rotate the hip. If your bone is weakened by osteoporosis, cancer, or another medical condition, you might experience groin pain leading up to the time of the fracture.

With a femoral neck fracture, your leg may appear shorter than your uninjured leg, or your leg may be externally rotated with your foot and knee turned outward.

Diagnosing a hip fracture

A doctor can usually determine if you have a hip fracture based on the position of your hip and leg, along with your symptoms. After a physical examination, your doctor will use an X-ray to confirm you have a fracture and determine which part of the hip is affected.

Small hairline fractures or incomplete fractures may not show up on an X-ray. If your fracture can’t be seen in the images and you still have symptoms, your doctor may recommend a CT scan, or an MRI or bone scan for a more detailed look.

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