About this topic
The femur bone is the bone from the hip to the knee. It is the longest and strongest bone in the body. It is also known as the thigh bone. A femur fracture is a break in the thigh bone. ‚
This broken bone can be treated by putting a brace or cast on the leg. Sometimes, surgery and physical therapy are needed. ‚
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What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do.
- Rest. Allow your injury to heal before you do slow movements.
- Place an ice pack or a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel over the painful part. Never put ice right on the skin. Do not leave the ice on more than 10 to 15 minutes at a time.
- Prop your leg on pillows to help with swelling.
- Cast or splint to keep your knee straight
- Crutches or walker to take pressure off your injured leg. Your doctor may tell you not to put any weight at all or only some weight on your broken leg. Be sure to follow these instructions so your leg can heal.
- Exercises
- Do not use your injured leg until your doctor tells you to do so.
- If you had surgery, talk with your doctor about how to care for your wounds.
What follow-up care is needed?
- Your doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your progress. Be sure to keep these visits.
- If you had surgery, your doctor will remove your cast, brace, or splint in a few weeks.
- If you have stitches or staples, you will need to have them taken out. Your doctor will often want to do this in 1 to 2 weeks.
- An x-ray test may be taken to make sure that your bone is fully healed.
- You may need to see a physical therapist to start your exercise. This will help regain strength and restore full movement of the broken leg. Your doctor will let you know when to start putting some weight on your leg. If you had surgery, you may need to start your exercise program after the injury is fully healed.
What drugs may be needed?
The doctor may order drugs to: ‚
- Help with pain and swelling
- Fight an infection
- Ease muscle spasms
- Prevent blood clots
Will physical activity be limited?
It may take 3 to 6 months for the broken bone to heal. Do not play sports until the fracture is fully healed. Ask your doctor when it is safe to do so. Talk to your doctor about the right amount of activity for you. ‚
What problems could happen?
- Damage to nerves and blood vessels
- Bleeding
- Weakness in the leg
- Pain
- Bone does not heal well
- Infection
- Blood clots
What can be done to prevent this health problem?
- Always wear a seat belt. Drive safely. Obey speed limits. Do not drink and drive.
- Stay active and work out to keep your muscles strong and flexible.
- Warm up slowly and stretch before you work out. Use good ways to train, such as slowly adding to how far you run. Do not work out if you are overly tired. Take extra care if working out in cold weather.
- Keep a healthy weight so there is not extra stress on your joints. Eat a healthy diet with calcium and vitamin D to keep your bones healthy.
- Wear the right equipment when playing sports.
- Be careful when doing activities that may put you at risk for bone injury. These may include sports, falls, or accidents.
- Prevent falls by not standing on chairs or other unstable things. Remove throw rugs and electric cords from floor areas.
- If you have osteoporosis, talk to your doctor about the drugs you may be able to take.
When do I need to call the doctor?
- Sudden shortness of breath or a sudden onset of chest pain could be a sign that a blood clot traveled to your lungs. Go to the ER right away
- Signs of infection. These include a fever of 100.4 ‚ °F (38 ‚ °C) or higher, chills, or wound that will not heal.
- Signs of wound infection. These include swelling, redness, warmth around the wound; too much pain when touched; yellowish, greenish, or bloody discharge; foul smell coming from the cut site; cut site opens up.
- Signs of a blood clot such as new pain, swelling, or redness in the back of your lower legs.
- Numbness, tingling, or loss of feeling in your leg
- Toes turn cold, blue, and purple
- Very bad pain or swelling
- Brace, splint, or cast gets damaged
- Health problem is not better or you are feeling worse
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my fracture.
- I can tell you how to care for my injured area.
- I can tell you what may help ease my pain.
- I can tell you what I will do if I have more pain or I have more numbness and tingling and swelling.
Where can I learn more?
American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons ‚
http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00521 ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
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Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚