The pelvis is the medical term for the hip. Each rear leg is attached to the body by a “ball and socket” joining the pelvis and the femur (thigh bone).
Many automobile injuries result in fractures of the pelvis, commonly referred to as a “fractured hip” or “crushed hip.” Since the pelvis is the point of attachment of the rear legs, instability of this part of the body’s bone structure can result in any degree of signs from slight lameness to total inability to stand or walk. Since the rectum and bladder lay within the pelvis, injury to the hip can also cause bloody urine and/or constipation.
In many cases, a pelvic fracture is one of the easiest and least expensive to treat. Since the muscles surrounding the hip form a “natural body cast,” the majority of these fractures will heal with rest and a “tincture of time.”