What is a broken pelvis?
Your pelvis is the large, complicated ring of bone that connects your legs and your backbone. It's actually made of several different bones held together by ligaments. Any of the bones in your pelvis can break. All broken bones are considered fractures. For more information, see Overview of Broken Bones Overview of Broken Bones All broken bones are considered fractures. It doesn't matter whether it's just a little crack or a big break with lots of pieces. Broken bones hurt a lot and cause swelling Your bone may look... read more .
A broken pelvis can be very serious depending on which bones are broken and how badly
A broken pelvis is painful, even when you're sitting or lying down
Severe pelvic fractures can cause heavy bleeding and other internal injuries
Depending on the type of fracture, doctors may treat you with just bed rest or you may need surgery
Pelvic Fractures
Fractures (shown in red below) may occur in the ilium, pubis, or ischium bones.  |
What causes the pelvis to break?
In young people, pelvic fractures are usually caused by:
High-speed car or motorcycle crashes
Getting hit by a car
Falls from a high place
Sports injuries
Older people can get a broken pelvis from a less severe injury, such as falling when they:
Get out of the bathtub
Walk down the stairs
Trip on something on the ground
Osteoporosis Osteoporosis Osteoporosis is a condition that weakens your bones. Your bones become thinner and more fragile. This is called a loss of bone density. If you have osteoporosis, your bones break more easily... read more 
weakens your bones and makes your pelvis more likely to fracture if you fall.
What are the symptoms of a broken pelvis?
Most pelvic fractures cause:
Pain in the groin area, even when you’re sitting or lying down
Severe pain if you try to walk
Swelling and bruising
Sometimes, blood in the urine, difficulty urinating, or bleeding from the pelvic area
How can doctors tell if my pelvis is broken?
Doctors do:
How do doctors treat a broken pelvis?
Doctors will treat a minor pelvic fracture by having you:
Rest in bed for a short time
Take pain medicine
Stand and walk as soon as you can
Doctors treat a severe pelvic fracture by first stabilizing the pelvis by wrapping it in cloth or a brace. Then doctors will:
Sometimes do surgery to put the bones back into place and use metal screws and plates to hold them there
Sometimes use an external fixator, a metal frame that’s connected to your body with long screws that go down through your skin into the bones
If you still have lots of bleeding, your doctor may try:
Embolization: Your doctor injects the bleeding blood vessels with something that can block the vessel and stop the bleeding
Pelvic packing: Your doctor does surgery to put materials in your pelvic area that soak up the blood and put pressure on the blood vessels to help them stop bleeding—once the bleeding stops a few days later, your doctor will do surgery again to take out the materials and fix your broken pelvis bones
After the broken bone heals, you'll need to do exercises to get your strength back.
