Prompt surgery for people admitted to hospitals with hip fractures has multiple benefits, researchers say.

A study of more than 1,000 patients who underwent hip fracture surgery showed that those who went under the knife within 24 hours of hospital admission experienced less pain and shorter hospital stays, according to lead researcher Dr. Albert Siu of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. The patients treated more promptly were also less likely to suffer from pneumonia, arrhythmias or other major complications.

Those who had surgery quicker were released from the hospital an average of two days earlier, and they noted lower pain scores. An article on the study appears in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association