Where in Dubai
Dr. Subhash Ushakoyala, Specialist Orthopaedic Surgeon, sees patients at Grand Infinity Medical Center in Al Muteena, Deira, Dubai. The clinic is not an emergency department. After a fall, call 998 for an ambulance or go to the nearest hospital emergency department. Once the hip has been treated, the clinic is where families can book follow-up visits, a second opinion, or a review of slow recovery.
What is a hip fracture?
A hip fracture is a break at the top of the thigh bone, just below the ball of the hip joint. Most happen in older people after a simple fall, because bones thinned by osteoporosis break more easily. The two common types are a break across the neck of the femur, just under the ball, and a break a little lower down, between the two bony bumps at the top of the thigh bone (intertrochanteric). Almost every hip fracture needs an operation, ideally within a day or two. Surgery eases the pain and lets the person get out of bed and walk again, which protects them from chest infections, clots and bed sores.
Common signs
- Pain in the hip, groin or upper thigh after a fall or injury.
- Not being able to stand, or to put weight on the leg.
- A leg that looks shorter than the other, or is turned outwards.
- Swelling and bruising around the hip and upper thigh.
- An older person who has fallen and cannot get up, even if the pain seems mild.
How Dr. Subhash approaches it
Two of Dr. Subhash's main interests are trauma and fracture surgery and hip and knee replacement. Hip fractures are treated with one of these two kinds of operation: fixing the bone, or replacing part or all of the joint. His CV lists fracture and dislocation surgery and polytrauma care, and he trained in joint replacement on a fellowship at Sunshine Hospitals, Secunderabad, in 2016. The choice of operation depends on where the bone has broken, whether it has moved, and the person's health and walking before the fall. He explains that choice to the patient and family before surgery.
What to expect
Emergency care first
Call 998 for an ambulance. Do not drive the person yourself. In hospital, pain relief, an X-ray and blood tests come first.
Getting ready for surgery
Doctors check the heart, lungs and medicines, especially blood thinners, so the operation can be done safely and soon.
The operation
Depending on the break, the bone is fixed with screws, a plate or a nail, or the ball of the hip is replaced (a half or a total hip replacement).
Up the next day
Most patients sit out of bed and start physiotherapy the day after surgery, because early movement prevents complications.
Going home
Physiotherapists teach walking with a frame and safe ways to wash and dress. Some patients need help at home for a while.
Follow-up and bone health
Follow-up visits check healing. Bone strength and the cause of the fall are looked at, to lower the chance of another break.
Getting better
Every patient is different. These are typical milestones, not a promise; your own plan comes from your consultation.
- A hospital stay of about one to four weeks, depending on health and support at home.
- Walking with a frame or crutches at first, then often a stick.
- The bone usually takes several weeks to months to heal.
- Some people do not get back all the strength and walking they had before the fall, and may need a stick long term.
- Regular exercises from the physiotherapist make the biggest difference to recovery.
Risks to know about
- Chest infection, blood clots, bed sores and confusion, which early movement helps prevent.
- Infection of the wound, or the fixation or new joint failing and needing more surgery.
- For a replacement: dislocation of the new hip, and a difference in leg length.
- Another fall and fracture, which is why bone health and fall risk are checked.
When to book a visit
After a fall with hip pain, or if someone cannot stand or bear weight, call 998 or go to the nearest emergency department. Do not book a clinic visit first. After surgery, book a review for follow-up, and call the same day for a hot, red or leaking wound, fever, new calf swelling or sudden worse hip pain.
Where to book
Dr. Subhash sees patients at Grand Infinity Medical Center in Al Muteena, Deira, in north-east Dubai. The clinic is at Shop No. 4, next to the Grand Excelsior Hotel.
Grand Infinity Medical Center
Shop No. 4, next to Grand Excelsior Hotel, Al Muteena, Deira, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
DirectionsCall +971 58 599 7460WhatsApp
Questions patients ask
My parent is visiting Dubai and fell. What should we do?
Call 998 or go to the nearest hospital emergency department straight away, and bring their passport, any insurance or travel cover documents, and a list of their medicines. Hip fractures are treated as an emergency.
Can a broken hip heal without surgery?
Rarely. Only a small number of breaks that have not moved, in people healthy enough to be watched closely, are treated without an operation. For almost everyone else, surgery is the way to control pain and get walking again.
How soon should hip fracture surgery happen?
As soon as it is safe, usually within one or two days of arriving at hospital. A short delay to treat a medical problem first is sometimes needed.
Will my parent walk again after a hip fracture?
Most people walk again with physiotherapy, often with a frame or stick. Some do not regain all the strength and independence they had before. The surgeon and physiotherapists can give a better idea once they know the person's health and walking beforehand.
Book an appointment
His nurse answers the phone and WhatsApp.