![]() ![]() Long Termįemur fractures fixed surgically usually heal. You may need to do additional physical therapy to build up your strength and balance. X-rays will be taken at different time points to make sure the fracture heals. After a few weeks, the stitches or staples used to close the surgical incisions will be removed. You will need to return to your surgeon’s office several times over the weeks and months following surgery. Other exercises can be done to keep your hip and thigh muscles strong during the recovery process. It’s also important to work on bending and straightening your hip and knee joints to avoid stiffness. In either case, you will probably need to use crutches or a walker for a while, and you may need to go to a rehabilitation facility or skilled nursing facility. Depending on your fracture pattern and how it was fixed, your doctors may place some restrictions on weightbearing. During this time, nurses and therapists will help you begin walking again. Postoperative CareĪfter your femur fracture is fixed, you will probably need to stay in the hospital for a few days. At some point the external fixator can be removed and your femur may be fixed with a rod or plate and screws. The ends of the pins remain outside your body, and they are connected with bars and clamps, which stabilize the fracture. This procedure will be performed in the operating room, and involves placing metal pins through the skin and into the bone above and below the fracture. Sometimes, doctors may need to temporarily stabilize your femur fracture with something called an external fixator. Because of the existing hardware, the femur fracture was stabilized with a plate and screws instead of a rod. This decision will be made by your surgeon.įigure 5: X-rays of a right femur fracture below a partial hip replacement. The rod and screws will stabilize your broken femur, and often you will be allowed to put weight on your injured leg right after surgery. Because the rod and screws are placed using x-ray guidance, doctors can usually perform the surgery through several small incisions (cuts) in your skin. ![]() Typically, one or more screws will be placed through holes in the rod above and below the fracture. Based on factors including other injuries you may have, doctors may choose to put the rod into your femur from the top of the bone (near your hip) or from the bottom of the bone (near your knee). The most common way to stabilize or "fix" your broken femur is to place a metal rod, called an "intramedullary nail" ("IM nail" for short) inside the hollow center tube of your femur. General Treatmentįemur fractures almost always require surgery. The pin can be connected to a rope with weights. This is to look for other injuries and/or to understand your injuries better.įigure 3: Front x-ray (left) and side x-ray (right) of a traction pin placed just below the knee. Several x-rays will be taken, and many times, your doctors will need to get a CT scan of other body parts. Once you arrive at the hospital, emergency room doctors will carefully examine your whole body to look for other injuries. Sometimes paramedics or first responders will place a temporary metal brace, straps, or pillows around your injured leg to stabilize it and make it hurt less. You can’t walk if your femur is broken, so you would typically be brought to the hospital by ambulance. Initial Treatmentįemur fractures hurt a lot, and if you break your femur, your leg usually looks “floppy” or deformed. Sometimes these other injuries can be severe or even life-threatening. These may include other fractures, internal injuries to the chest, abdomen, or pelvis, and/or injuries to the head or neck. It’s also common for people with femur fractures to have other injuries. Injury and EpidemiologyĪ significant amount of energy is required to cause a femur fracture, most commonly after a car accident, motorcycle accident, fall from a height, or injury from a high-speed activity such as skiing or biking. Disaster Management and Emergency Preparednessįigure 1: Skeleton and x-rays showing the femur, and how it makes up the ball part of your hip joint and the upper part of your knee joint. ![]()
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