Primitive Cultures: What did they do when an elder broke his/her durn hip?

Question

My ma-in-law just broke her hip and femur into three pieces. The ortho is putting a titanium rod down the femur and into the hip joint and clamping the pieces together.

WTF did folks do 300 years ago? How about 1,000 years ago?

Answer 1

they found a prehistoric grave a few years ago...the skeleton had healed broken bones but was unable to walk and the grave indicated that he was very well taken care of and lived to a considerably old age (for that time)...around his grave was flowers, herbs, pottery and even his dog...this is the stone age we're talking about.

Answer 2

Survival of the fittest. I don't think ppl lived to be this old 1000 years ago.

Answer 3

Well a lot of times the individual would contract some sort of infection or lose too much blood and die.  Although, there are some old skeletons that show evidence of a broken limbs that have healed back together, sometimes healed back really badly.  It's because of these examples that we know that some primitive cultures would try to help heal the individual, most likely by binding the injury and immobilizing them, and then later taking care of them and making up for the shortcomings a badly healed bone caused.  

We're learning more and more that many primitive cultures did try some rudimentary form of medicine to heal their sick, not just broken limbs.  If you've ever heard of trephinations those are a prime example of primitive peoples trying to do something to help an individual, except those were usually due to head injuries.  

There aren't many examples, but there are enough to let us know that those who were able to survive and heal a traumatic broken limb were usually cared for by the rest of their people.

Answer 4

This is more likely to happen when people are older, and not a lot of people made it that far, so it was not as common then as now.

We have an unprecedented number and proportion of people over seventy.

It would depend on where they lived, and what life was life for them, and what their medicine was like.

If you can immobilize it, it might knit back well enough to a limpy walk, maybe not.

Some people probably didn't survive. If you live in a really tough place (like Alaska), people would just die, as it would be too expensive for the group to keep them alive.

But, if there were enough surplus, you'd probably be bed-ridden and have to be carried around, if it didn't knit well. You'd be completely dependent on family or whoever was around and willing to take care of you.

Assuming complications from the break didn't kill you.

I'm just guessing here, as you haven't gotten really strong answers to what you specifically asked.

Answer 5

1000 years ago most people probably did not live to age 45 so brittle bones were not a problem but if they did live to a ripe old age I am sure that their tribe or community took care of them as they aged