The GOOD HIP guide

Worried about falls or breaking a bone? Or even keeping mobile? Here’s how to protect yourself

- TANYA PEAREY

Healthy hips are crucial to staying fit and well, especially as we get older. They connect our upper and lower bodies, while supporting our weight and allowing leg movement to give us stability, flexibility and balance.

When things go wrong, they can cause pain and loss of independence – and even raise our risk of death. Fractured hips cost the NHS an estimated £5 million a year, and research* suggests fracturing yours from your 60s onwards can cause a decrease in the quality of your life and raise your chance of dying earlier.

'Every month 1,150 people die following a hip fracture,' says nutritionist Dr Emma Derbyshire. 'Women over 45 will spend more days in hospital due to osteoporosis [weakened bone] than they will for diabetes, heart attacks or breast cancer.'

And with our ageing population, the problem is only likely to worsen – hip fractures are projected to double by 2060**. 'Losing bone is a normal part of ageing,' says Woman's Weekly GP Dr Gill Jenkins. 'Women are more at risk than men, particularly if they've had an early menopause (before the age of 45), or if they have had their ovaries removed.'

But there are ways to keep your hips strong as you get older, helping to prevent pain or fractures.

SLEEP TIGHT