Signs and symptoms of a hip fracture include:

• Inability to move immediately after a fall
• Severe pain in your hip or groin
• Inability to put weight on your leg on the side of your injured hip
• Stiffness, bruising and swelling in and around your hip area
• Shorter leg on the side of your injured hip
• Turning outward of your leg on the side of your injured hip

A severe impact — in a car crash, for example — can cause hip fractures in people of all ages. In older adults, a hip fracture is most often a result of a fall from a standing height. In people with very weak bones, a hip fracture can occur simply by standing on the leg and twisting.

The rate of hip fractures increases substantially with:

• Age. Bone density and muscle mass tend to decrease with age. Older people also may have problems with vision and balance, which can increase the risk of falling.
• Your sex. About 70 percent of hip fractures occur in women. Women lose bone density at a faster rate than men do, in part because the drop in estrogen levels that occurs with menopause accelerates bone loss. However, men also can develop dangerously low levels of bone density.
• Chronic medical conditions. Endocrine disorders, such as an overactive thyroid, can lead to fragile bones. Intestinal disorders, which may reduce your absorption of vitamin D and calcium, also can lead to weakened bone and hip fracture.

Medical conditions that affect the brain and nervous system, including cognitive impairment, dementia, Parkinson's disease, stroke and peripheral neuropathy, also increase the risk of falling.

• Certain medications. Cortisone medications, such as prednisone, can weaken bone if you take them long term. Certain drugs or certain combinations of medications can make you dizzy and more prone to falling. Drugs that act on your central nervous system — such as sleep medications, antipsychotics and sedatives, including benzodiazepines — are the drugs most commonly associated with falls.
• Nutritional problems. Lack of calcium and vitamin D in your diet when you're young lowers your peak bone mass and increases your risk of fracture later in life. Serious eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia, can damage your skeleton by depriving your body of essential nutrients needed for bone building.
• Physical inactivity. Weight-bearing exercises, such as walking, help strengthen bones and muscles, making falls and fractures less likely. If you don't regularly participate in weight-bearing exercise, you may have lower bone density and weaker bones.
• Tobacco and alcohol use. Both can interfere with the normal processes of bone building and maintenance, resulting in bone loss.

A hip fracture can reduce your future independence and sometimes even shorten your life. About half the people who have a hip fractures aren't able to regain their ability to live independently.

If a hip fracture keeps you immobile for a long time, the complications can include:

• Blood clots in your legs or lungs
• Bedsores
• Urinary tract infection
• Pneumonia
• Further loss of muscle mass, increasing your risk of falls and injury

Additionally, people who've had a hip fracture are at increased risk of weakened bones and further falls — which means a significantly higher risk of having another hip fracture.