Broken Femur

The thighbone or femur is the largest of all bones, which connects the hip joint (or coxa) and the knee joint (genu). It has the greatest strength as compared to other bones in the human body. Even though it is the strongest bone, broken femur in children and adults occur due to high energy trauma. For people with healthy bones, the common causes of fracture in the thighbone are falling from great height, car accidents and sports injury. And people diagnosed with weak bones, osteoporosis or other bone abnormalities are at higher risk for femur fracture than others.

Signs and Symptoms

Depending upon the actual position of injury, broken thighbone is categorized under three major types. They are proximal fracture or hip fracture (in upper portion), femoral shaft fracture (in shaft) and supracondylar femur fracture (just above the knee joint). Another way of classifying broken femur is based on the severity of fracture. While some patients have a simple fracture (with two broken pieces), a complex fracture involves breaking the thighbone in two ore more fragments. For detailed info, you can refer to different types of bone fractures.

The most notable symptoms of broken femur bone are severe hip bone pain, deformity and limited leg movement (injured side). The fracture area exhibits bruising, tenderness, swelling and inflammation. Other medical conditions that may accompany femur fracture are open wound, bleeding, shortening of thigh, reduced blood circulation and impaired sensation. Immediate attention for this bone fracture is imperative to avoid further medical complications. The doctor will examine the physical symptoms, and conduct X-ray imaging test to study the fractured thighbone.

Treatment and Surgery

As far as treatment of a fractured femur is concerned, it depends on the severity of injury. But, the two most common forms of treatment are femur surgery and non-surgical procedure. Say for instance, the less common supracondylar femur fracture is treated with either of the two methods, whereas hip and femoral shaft fractures require surgery. Non-surgical treatment involves any of the options, casting, screwing and using external fixator amongst others. In case of a broken femur in children, the orthopedist may suggest casts for healing the fractured thighbone.

For patients with serious underlying medical conditions, therapeutic intervention other than surgery is considered first for this orthopedic condition. When they do not show prompt results, surgery is performed as the last resort for treating broken femur. In the surgery, an Intramedullary (IM) rod made up of metal is introduced inside the thighbone (at the center). This holds the broken bones in place, and partially support the injured thigh bone for bearing weight. And for fixing this metal rod, screws are fastened in both sides of the fracture area.

The broken femur surgery procedure requires 3 hours or more for completion. After surgery is over, the patient is expected to stay in the hospital for 2-3 days, or more. During this hospital stay period, dressings are changed and the doctor will inspect for any signs of infection. For movement purpose, the patient will be asked to use crutches for support, at least for 2-3 months. High intensity pain is experienced in the first few weeks after surgery. If required, painkillers are prescribed to get relief from pain during the surgery recovery period.

Post Surgery Recovery

Following the broken femur operation, every patient should go for follow-up visits, in which the doctor will take X-ray test to check for improvement signs. Also, physical therapy exercises are performed to increase mobility and shorten healing period. In a nutshell, surgery is the most reliable treatment for severe cases of femur fracture in adults. Of course, complication of femur surgery exist, similar to any type of surgical procedure. Commonly reported postoperative complications are infections and rejection of the metal device by the body.

Needless to say, the recovery time depends on severity of injury and the surgical procedure. On an average, complete recovery takes about 3-9 months. The intramedullary rod is safe for retaining forever, throughout the person's life. However, if hip pain symptoms are experienced at the fracture site due to fixation of intramedullary rod, this metal device may be removed later by performing another surgical procedure.