My father had a stroke, lost his balance, and fell. He broke his hip as a result of the fall. The doctor called this a intertrochanteric fracture. What does this mean?

Intertrochanteric is a location on the bone. At the top of the thigh bone (femur) are two bumps on each side of the bone. These are called trochanters. The larger bump is the greater trochanter and the smaller bump is the lesser trochanter.

An intertrochanteric fracture is a break that occurs between these two bumps. The trochanters are located on the bone before it reaches the hip socket. Falls are the number one cause of this type of fracture.