Femur is the thigh bone and it is the only bone in the upper leg. It plays a part when someone walks, stands, or makes any movement that involves the femur. A break in this bone is called a femoral shaft fracture.
Femur is the strongest and longest bone of the human body, and when it comes to a fracture, it often requires a strong force. This is why femur shaft fractures are severe. Surgery is common for the treatment of these fractures and trauma implants are required for the stabilization of the fractured bone fragments. This article will talk about femoral shaft fractures in detail along with the causes and treatment.
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What Are the Causes of Femoral Shaft Fractures?
Fractures in the femoral shaft are serious injuries as they often occur because of high-intensity trauma. This is true for young adults as the femur is a strong bone and a high-energy force is required for it to break. Some of the common causes of femur shaft fractures include:
Automobile crashes
High-intensity collisions
Impact by a heavy and solid object
Falling from a height
Gunshot wounds
These fractures could occur because of low-intensity trauma in the elderly. Similarly, people suffering from osteoporosis can also get a fracture because of minor traumas or without a significant cause in some cases.
What Are the Symptoms of Femoral Shaft Fractures?
Femoral shaft fractures are painful and immediate & intense pain is experienced when the femur breaks. Besides pain, other symptoms that may be noticed include:
The injured leg may appear shorter
Deformity around the thigh
Difficulty or pain while walking
Inability to stand or put weight on the injured leg
Swelling or bruising around the thighs
How Femoral Shaft Fractures Are Diagnosed?
The diagnosis of femur shaft fractures requires a thorough physical examination where the healthcare service provider will look for signs & symptoms of the condition. This will include the examination of swelling, bruising, deformity around the leg, and gait. To check the range of motion of the injured leg, the healthcare service provider may ask the patient to move it in different directions. After assessing all these signs, the orthopedic specialist will order certain imaging tests to confirm the fracture along with its location and pattern. The tests ordered may include:
X-ray
CT Scan
MRI
Bone Scan
How Femoral Shaft Fractures Are Treated?
The treatment of femur shaft fractures often requires surgery as these injuries are severe. This is because such fractures often occur because of high-intensity trauma. However, some fractures can be managed with a closed reduction followed by the application of a cast and prescription medicines.
When it comes to surgery, open reduction and internal fixation is the commonest procedure. Some severe fractures may demand external fixation at first to stabilize the broken bone. ORIF is performed after some time.
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