A femoral neck fracture is an injury that often occurs in older adults suffering from osteoporosis, especially with women. It generally happens as a result of an accident such as falling on the hip. When it occurs in younger people, it often involves some kind of traumatic injury caused by a traffic accident or falling from a significant height.

Femoral neck fractures are often intracapsular fractures, which are fractures that occur within the capsule area that contains the fluid that lubricates the hip joint. This is dangerous as the fracture may damage the surrounding blood vessels, which can then lead to bone necrosis due to insufficient blood supply.