Femur Bone Fractures in Car Accidents

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By
Madeleine Jones
April 12, 2017

One of the leading causes of femur bone fractures is car accidents because of the degree of force that it takes to break this bone. When a person’s leg is hit with enough force to break the femur bone, he or she may also suffer a number of other serious injuries to their blood vessels, muscles, and nerves. The femur bone runs from the hip to the knee and is one of the strongest bones in the body. In a car accident, breaks can occur at the head that connects to the hip joint, along the shaft of the bone, or where it connects with the knee. At J. Cogburn Law Offices, our car accident lawyers in Las Vegas strongly advises car accident victims who think that they might have suffered a fracture of their femur bones to seek immediate medical attention.

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Types of Femur Bone Fractures

When a car accident victim fractures the head of the femur bone, it is commonly called a hip fracture because of how it articulates with the socket. Fractures to the distal end of the bone (where it meets the knee) are called knee fractures. Fractures can also occur to the shaft of the bone and may include clean breaks, crushing fractures or partial breaks. If a break causes the bone to protrude through the skin, the victim has a heightened risk of suffering from serious infections.

Broken Femur Treatment and Rehabilitation

Most fractures of the femoral shaft require surgery. It is uncommon for fractured femurs to be treated with casts alone. The bone may be reset and held together using rods and screws. If the break is at the hip joint, it may be held together by using a plate and screws. Several complications related to surgery or to the fracture itself may also develop, including sheared nerves, blood clots, and fatty embolisms.

Recovering from a femur fracture may take between four and six months or longer. It will take more time if the fracture was an open one or if the bone was broken in multiple places. The recovery time may also be longer for older adults. Patients will normally be given pain medication. Victims may also need to see physical therapists and to enter into exercise regimens that increase their ability to bear weight on their injured legs.