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Hip Fracture Causes
What causes hip fractures?
Most hip fractures happen to people who are 65 or older, and they are usually caused by falls. As you get older, your bones naturally lose some strength and are more likely to break, even from a minor fall. Children and young adults are more likely to break a hip because of a bike or car accident or a sports injury.
Other things that increase your risk of breaking your hip include:
- Being assigned female at birth.
- Your family history—being thin or tall or having family members who had fractures later in life.
- Not getting enough calcium and vitamin D, which you need for strong bones.
- Not being active. Weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, helps keep bones strong.
- History of smoking.
- Medical conditions that cause dizziness or problems with balance, or conditions such as arthritis that can interfere with steady and safe movement.
- Taking certain medicines, such as long-term steroid medicines used to treat asthma or COPD.