Comments on: The Best Hip Pad Protectors for Active Seniors

By: Betty Abolafia

Betty Abolafia — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 21:28:14 +0000

I recently took a cross country ski trip and wanted extra protection. I purchased Burton Total Impact shorts. It looks like they have the same G-form padding that the Impact Active shorts are made with. These shorts are very stream line and comfortable but longer than the Imact Active shorts. They also have a sacral pad and 2 sit bone pads. My question is where should the hip pads line up with the body for the best protection to prevent hip fracture? On my shorts if I pull them up all the way the biggest part of the pad lands above the greater trochanter. I kept pulling them down so that the center of the pad was over the trochanter. Looking at your photo of the Total Impact shorts it also appears that the center of the pad would hit a above the trochanter. Do you know if there are recommendations about where these pads should be to best protect against hip fracture? Is above the trochanter the correct placement? I’d hate to be wearing the shorts and find out the protection was in the wrong place. I looked but havent found any guidance about this. Thanks for your help!

By: Julie

Julie — Mon, 30 Nov 2020 23:46:18 +0000

Thank you. I am interested to learn of your findings.

By: Margaret Martin

Margaret Martin — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 02:06:58 +0000

In reply to Julie Molner. Hi Julie, I am sourcing some hip protectors. They should arrive in the next few days and I will be letting readers know about them shortly. Thank you for letting us know about the issues that Impact wear was having. I contacted them and they do not seem to know if and when their shorts will be available.

By: Julie Molner

Julie Molner — Wed, 18 Nov 2020 20:54:47 +0000

Thank you for your quick response!

By: Richard Martin

Richard Martin — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 21:21:56 +0000

In reply to Julie Molner. We have been looking into another source but as of today we cannot suggest an alternative.

By: Julie Molner

Julie Molner — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 18:46:03 +0000

I contacted Impactwear yesterday November 16, 2020 and received an email response stating that they have had sourcing difficulties and do not know if and when they will begin operations again. Is there another company you would recommend?

By: Margaret Martin

Margaret Martin — Tue, 18 Jun 2019 11:47:40 +0000

In reply to Serena Tricarico.

Hi Serena, I am sorry you fractured your hip. The Impact hip protectors are not mine and I make no money from them. Not all hip protectors are created equally. Impact hip protectors are effective at dispersing the impact of a fall away from the hip joint. The material is soft but it hardens on impact and then softens again. This type of technology is expensive.

I do not know whether health insurance covers them but you can contact your insurance and ask if you had a doctors prescription whether they would. Otherwise, it may be the perfect birthday gift from family members who most certainly would not want you to have another hip fracture. The cost to the quality of life, time lost from work, family time, etc is much greater and needs to be considered when considering the cost.

I encourage you to work on your strength and balance to reduce your fall risk. Following one of the programs in Exercise for Better Bones would be a great start. There are also lots of ideas within my blogs.

By: Serena Tricarico

Serena Tricarico — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 11:35:43 +0000

I am 59 years old and recently fractured my hip. I am so afraid of it happening again which is why I’ve been looking into hip protectors. I noticed the ones you have that are soft however I heard that health insurance doesn’t cover it and they are expensive

By: Margaret Martin

Margaret Martin — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 23:51:55 +0000

In reply to Francine Deguire.

Hi Francine,
I would rather see you walk than bike for the health of your bones biking is not helpful. You can supplement with it but do not only bike. Yes hip protectors are great. Some of my clients wear bike shorts with protective shields built in like the crazy off road bikers wear. As for walking you can consider using poles (Nordic Poling). The poles take some of the load off of your back and will keep you tall. It also helps with buiding core strength that helps with the Spondylolysis.
Keep well,
Margaret

By: Francine Deguire

Francine Deguire — Tue, 18 Jul 2017 20:31:57 +0000

My doctor recommend me to do biking for exercice but my hip’s bone density shows a t-score -1.5 and z-score of -0.4. It shows evidence of bone mineral loss at the left femoral neck. I got also a mild spondylolysis disc space narrowing at l3-l4, l4-l5, l5-s1 plus a mild degenerative changes in the facet joint at l4-l5 and l5-s1. Would hip protector be a solution for me so that I can go back on a bike again? Apparently bike is only choice besides walking and swimming. There is no pool in my own area to practice the latter exercice.