Femoral Fractures

By: Holly Christensen

What is a Femoral Fracture

When the femur bone is broken The femur (also known as the thigh bone)

extends from the hip joint down to the knee joint and is the largest and strongest bones in the body

Since the femur is so strong it can take a tremendous amount of force to cause it to break

What Causes a Femoral Fracture

A great amount of force Something is wrong with the bone Most Femoral Fracture Come from

– Trauma Car Accidents, Gun Shot wounds, sports, falling…

– Stress Running or Jogging

– Bone weakening by osteoporosis, a tumor, or infection

Symptoms

A lot of pain Inability to move the leg Deformity Swelling

Diagnosis

A doctor will examine the leg X-Rays may be required

– Leg – Knee – Hip – Pelvis

Pictures Of Femoral Fractures

Treatment

Surgical– If severe the patient will have to have surgery.

The surgeon will go in and insert metal plates to the side of the thighbone across the break. This is called plating

Treatment

Nonsurgical– Traction is the more traditional process of treating

thighbone fractures. – The leg is put into a cast and sticky tape or a

metal pin is used to attach a series of strings that connect to weights.

– During this process X-Rays are used to observe the position of the bone so that the traction can be adjusted

Healing Process

The whole healing process for a femoral fracture can take from 3-6 months

Sources

http://orthopedics.about.com/od/brokenbones/a/femur.htm

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00364

http://www.aurorahealthcare.org/yourhealth/healthgate/getcontent.asp?urlhealthgate=%2211865.html%22