How to Reduce Hip Dislocation

Hip locations don't happen often, but when they do, they're excruciating. The head of the body's largest bone slips out of the pelvis, often backward, resulting in extreme pain and occasionally nerve damage. While it's not necessarily easy to dislocate your hip, it is easy to do the things that cause dislocation. Minimizing your risk of these mishaps, in turn, minimizes your risk of this painful injury.

Instructions

• 1

  Wear a seat belt. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, motor-vehicle accidents are the most common cause of hip dislocations, and buckling up reduces the risk dramatically.

• 2

  Drink in moderation, or not at all. Alcohol use increases your risk of falling, which in turn can cause hip dislocation.

• 3

  Use ladders safely. Falling while standing on the ground can dislocate your hip, and falling from a ladder can do it much more easily. Read and follow the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration's guide to safe ladder use.

• 4

  Play safely and within your ability. Sports and recreational activities also can cause hip dislocation. While there's no surefire way to avoid falling while skiing, playing baseball, hockey or basketball, proper safety equipment can help. So can playing within your ability and class--novice skiiers and snowboarders, for example, should work their way up to advanced slopes and aerial tricks.