Intramedullary nails are usually made of titanium. The strength and size of the femur means that under typical circumstances, a large force or extensive trauma is needed in order to result in a fracture. You may not realise it, but there may be some offers of free medical treatment for a broken femur that you can claim in your area. In this surgery, your surgeon will make a cut to the skin to align your broken bone. There are generally three types of fractures that can affect the femur bone. The type of fracture acquired depends on the mechanism of injury and the age of the patient. After being referred to Dr. Sumit Dewanjee I wouldn't ask for a better doctor. If so, you are going to need to learn a lot more about your injury, so that you can make a fully informed judgement. Are you worried that some form of medical malpractice has taken place? A relatively strong force is required to break this sturdy bone in otherwise healthy individuals, so motor vehicle accidents and high impact falls are among the most common causes. © 2017 medicalexperts.co.uk - All Rights Reserved Please note that nothing contained on this web site should be considered or is intended to be used for medical advice or medical diagnosis or treatment. Open fractures and high energy fractures are most at risk for not healing. These challenging fractures are also most at risk for infection, and infection can cause bone healing problems. emoral shaft fractures, halfway down the bone, or supracondylar femur fractures where the bone is broken just above the knee. >> Try 5 issues of Cycling Weekly magazine for just £5 in our Autumn Subscription Trial. Recovering from an Injury? Broken femur complications include: If you are currently recovering from a broken femur, and you think you may have developed one of the above complications, then you must contact your doctor as soon as possible. This pressure can decrease blood flow, which prevents nourishment and oxygen from reaching nerve and muscle cells. These painkillers are only prescribed if simple painkillers do not reach the desired level of pain reduction. Paste your Google Webmaster Tools verification code here For the time between initial emergency care and your surgery, your doctor may place your leg either in a long-leg splint or in traction. height:auto !important; When a bone breaks and is displaced, the pieces often overlap and shorten the normal length of the bone. Hold for 5 seconds. This is especially common in older people. After a successful operation, he’s already said to be looking at the rehab ahead – with surgeons quoting six months as a goal. However, you are not going to be able to walk, even with assistance. border:none !important; In rare cases, the artificial implant must be removed and replaced with a larger implant. Other options include the use of artificial bone fillers. These types of fractures are often treated by removing the fragments and replacing the bone with a knee replacement implant. These types of fractures are called intra-articular. Third Party materials included herein protected under copyright law. © Copyright 2020 Healthgrades Operating Company, Inc. Patent US Nos. Compound – the most serious of all femur fractures, where the bone has actually broken and torn through the tissue and skin of the leg and is poking out. Are you currently in recovery or rehabilitation from this serious injury? When there is a break anywhere along this length of bone, it is called a femoral shaft fracture. If you are awake, your doctor will test for sensation and movement in your leg and foot. Is There Any Other Good Treatment I Can Get for Free? Be sure to follow your doctor’s instructions carefully. There’s also an element of weight and bone density. Smaller, simpler fractures of the femur do not typically require surgery. As with any serious injury, there are potential long-term health issues once you have recovered from a fractured thighbone. Fractures of the femur are commonly associated with traumatic circumstances that may result in injuries to other areas of the body as well. Antibiotics are a prophylactic therapy done for as long as pins and rods are inside your body. } During this operation, the bone fragments are first repositioned (reduced) into their normal alignment. If you’re thinking about having knee replacement surgery, you’re in good company. Undisplaced – the most minor of all thighbone fractures, where the bone has broken cleanly and the two parts still line up, and there has been little or no damage to the surrounding tissue. Full recovery can take anywhere from 12 weeks to 12 months. Bruising and swelling – in many cases, you will see a large bruise and some swelling at the point of the break. In both the elderly and the young, the breaks may extend into the knee joint and may shatter the bone into many pieces. In some thighbone fractures, the doctor may be able to manipulate the broken bones back into place without an operation (closed reduction). You will need to visit your local Accident and Emergency Department to get treatment. The doctor will give your child pain relief medication and carefully examine the leg, including the hip and knee. Injury. Spica casting. NHS physiotherapy is fine, but private physiotherapy is much better. Here's what you need to know to make your time a little easier. This information will help your doctor determine how you were hurt and whether you may be hurt somewhere else. Board Certified Family Medicine Physician. In addition, the suggestions for cold packs and elevating the leg as much as possible were also very useful. It is important that the doctor know exactly how the injury occurred. The epidemiology of fractures of the distal femur. Call is to find out, we can let you know almost immediately. When you are treated in hospital for a broken thighbone, your doctor will call for a series of x-rays to be taken. You may have to have several sects of x-rays produced over the following weeks, to make sure the bone is healing properly. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. If an immobilizer is not present, carefully wash the incision site with soap and. Symptoms of a fractured femur can include severe pain, bleeding, deformity of the leg, tissue swelling, and being unable to move your leg. Your doctor will decide when it is best to begin moving your knee in order to prevent stiffness. The distal femur is where the bone flares out like an upside-down funnel. Open fractures expose the bone to the outside environment. Most ‘hip fractures’ are actually fractures of the neck of the femur. In extreme cases, a fracture may be too complicated and the bone quality too poor to fix. At this appointment, the doctor will check that your femur has begun to heal and that no complications are evident. Common symptoms include: A fractured femur is an emergency that can in some cases be life threatening. They can also show the type of fracture and where it is located within the femur. The 34-year-old’s injuries are said to involve fractured ribs and right elbow, pelvis, as well as the thigh bone. This device is a stabilizing frame that holds the bones in the proper position until you are ready for surgery. If the soft tissues (skin and muscle) around your fracture are badly damaged, or if it will take time before you can tolerate a longer surgery because of health reasons, your doctor may apply a temporary external fixator. She is a practicing Physician and taught as a Clinical Professor for 13 years, after receiving her MD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health in 1998. Typically, a fractured femur results in intense pain, deformity, and inability to move the leg. .responsiveSelectContainer{ It is very important to follow your doctor’s instructions for putting weight on your injured leg to avoid problems. You will not be able to put weight on the injured leg, and it may look deformed—shorter than the other leg and no longer straight. The rod passes across the fracture to keep it in position. Is my ability to walk and care for myself improving? Footnote: Radiographs of the atypical femoral fracture. A free expert orthopaedic assessment of the broken bone report for your fractured femur. If you are planning to have orthopedic surgery Please do yourself a favor and call At a basic level, broken femur healing time is 6 to 8 weeks. Most femoral fractures take four to six months to completely heal. Your commitment to physical therapy and making healthy choices can make a big difference in how well you recover. The exact methods used for treatment depend upon the individual situation and must take into account the extent and nature of the break as well as the treatment of any other injuries. Doctors are treating pediatric thighbone fractures more often with surgery than in previous years due to the benefits that have been recognized. Rockwood and Green's Fractures in Adults, 6th Ed., Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2005. Even though you can put weight on your leg, you may still need crutches or a walker at times. The most common symptoms of distal femur fracture include: In most cases, these symptoms occur around the knee, but you may also have symptoms in the thigh area. Is my pain gone or less, and are my knee motion, stability and strength improving. If the fracture is in many small pieces above your knee joint, your surgeon will not try to piece the bone back together like a puzzle. A doctor will need to realign the bones properly. Quite often this is caused by the internal fixations that were used to pin the bones in place. Screws are placed above and below the fracture to hold the leg in correct alignment while the bone heals. Approved. If you answered yes to either of those questions, then you need to know that you may be able to claim some free private medical treatment to help you get back on your feet faster. @media (max-width: 800px) { I sincerely appreciate everything you have done and wish you lasting success so that you may bring happiness to others!". Install hand rails in the shower, near the tub or next to the toilet. Direct trauma – such as that which can occur in a serious car crash, or when falling from a great height. A broken femur can be an extremely painful and inconvenient occurrence. “However, the length of recovery time depends on where you break the femur,” Monger-Godfrey explains. Within six months I was playing basketball again. Your doctor may use a combination of these medications to improve pain relief, as well as minimize the need for opioids. ", 1215 W. Rio Salado Parkway Suite 105 Tempe, AZ 85281. You can help minimize your risk of serious complications by following the treatment plan you and your health care professional design specifically for you. To treat a child’s broken femur, the pieces of bone are realigned and held in place for healing. Or you can fracture it, which is what I did. Remember not to rub the incision site or to put any kind of cream or lotion over it. This is to keep your broken bones as aligned as possible and to maintain the length of your leg. The distal femur makes up the top part of your knee joint. Higher energy fractures may be in more pieces and slower to heal, especially if they are open with more damage to soft tissues. Some doctors believe that smoking may prevent bone from healing. I would highly recommend Dr. Dewanjee and his entire staff to anyone wanting excellent care and a successful surgical experience. Make your living space as accessible as possible and get started with physical therapy as soon as you can. Dr. Dewanjee is a very personable and skilled professional. To reduce the risk of infection, open fractures are treated with antibiotics as soon as you arrive at the hospital. If you have knee pain after surgery, tell your doctor. It is important that your doctor know the specifics of how you hurt your leg. What Are the Most Common Causes of a Broken Femur? Some take even longer, especially if the fracture was open or broken into several pieces or if the patient uses tobacco products. Stronger types of painkillers must be taken at their proper dosage to avoid addiction and dependence. ", http://www.childrenshospital.org/conditions-and-treatments/conditions/b/broken-femur-thigh-bone, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/broken-leg/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20370416, http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00521, http://orthopedics.about.com/od/brokenbones/a/femur.htm, http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/90779-followup#a2650, http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/248423.php, http://blog.gameready.com/blog/bid/292749/Recovering-from-an-Injury-Five-Ways-Compression-Therapy-Can-Help, Einen gebrochenen Oberschenkelknochen behandeln, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow.
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