Kelly Ripa, the 40 year old TV host, surprised her audience when she hobbled onto the set using crutches. Ripa explained that she has a stress fracture of the fermoral neck in her right hip.
"It looks much worse than it is," Ripa said of her injury, going on to explain that she had been in pain for several weeks and had thought she had torn a muscle.
However, an X-ray showed no injury. "I was just there for the painkillers, let's face it," Kelly joked.
She added that she has been banned from attending the gym or partaking in any form of exercise for three to six weeks.
Kelly, who loves to run, take classes and work out, said: 'Right away, I was like what? There must be a mistake!'
But, she added: 'I don't need any surgery, I don't need anything special done. I just have to sit down.'
What is a Fractured Hip?
A hip fracture is a break in the thigh bone just below the hip joint. The hip joint consists of a ball at the top of the thigh bone (femur) and a rounded socket (acetabulum) in the pelvis. Most hip fractures occur in the neck of the femur 1-2 inches below the ball portion of the hip.
Factors that may contribute to a hip fracture include:
* Falls (the most frequent cause of hip fractures)
* Osteoporosis -a bone-thinning condition that weakens all bones including the hip
* Motor vehicle accidents and other types of major trauma
* Stress fractures in athletes (rare)
* Bone conditions such as osteomalacia (rare)
* Bone tumors (rare)
