[A hip fracture bandage for the prevention of femoral neck fractures in the elderly. The femoral neck fracture, a biomechanical problem]

Abstract

In the industrial countries, the number of hip fractures will double or even triple in the next 20 years. Pathogenetically, it is a complex matter of medical as well as biosocial factors. Gerontoprophylactically, it is more a biomechanical problem. Therefore a light fall on to the hip at the greater trochanter is of the greatest importance. We have constructed an impact neutralizer, also designed as a hip fracture bandage, to absorb the impact forces which act on aged people during a fall. It is made of a special silicone rubber. The impact neutralizer permits an impulse amplification by a factor of approximately two. Also, the critical height of the fall is increased by a factor of three. That means that the number of hip fractures occurring in elderly people can be reduced by 30-50%, depending on the type of fall and assuming that all elderly people liable to fall wear the hip fracture bandage.