The femur, also known as the thighbone, is the longest and strongest bone in the body, extending from the pelvis to the knee joint. A break in the femur is a serious injury. Because the femur bone is so strong, it takes incredible force to cause a femur fracture in a healthy person. Femur fractures are incredibly painful, and typically always require immediate medical attention.
Femoral Neck Fractures
A fracture at the neck, or top of the femur, is known as a femoral neck fracture. This type of fracture often disrupts the blood supply to the neck of the femur. This is a common injury in frail elderly patients who sustain a low-energy fall. Sometimes a femoral neck fracture is incorrectly referred to as a hip fracture or broken hip. Femoral neck fractures can also happen in conjunction with a pelvic fracture. Left untreated, the prognosis for femoral neck fractures is poor.
Causes of Femur Fractures
In healthy adults, it takes a tremendous amount of trauma to fracture the femur. Common causes of femur fractures include traffic accidents, including car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, bicycle accidents, and pedestrian accidents. A fall from a high place can also result in a femur fracture. Other causes of femur fractures include sporting accidents, skateboarding accidents, and skiing and snowboarding accidents. In elderly adults with weakened bones, a simple slip and fall or trip and fall accident can result in a femur fracture.
Femur Fracture Symptoms and Diagnosis
Usually, a broken femur is fairly obvious, even if the bone is not fractured to the point of breaking through the skin (an open or compound fracture). Common signs of a femur fracture are severe pain in the thigh, swelling, deformity, and inability to move the leg. The injury may result in extensive bruising of the thigh, due to the interruption of rich blood supply to the thigh muscles. Doctors will diagnose a femur fracture after examining the injury. X-rays may be necessary to determine the severity of the injury and whether or not surgery is required to realign the bone.
Healing and Complications
A broken thigh bone can take as much as six months to heal. In children, possible complications include the injured leg growing longer than the uninjured leg, or not growing long enough. If the femur bone breaks through the skin, there is a serious risk of infection, which could result in death. Also, with many serious bone fractures, other injuries to the muscles and nerves surrounding the bone can also complicate treatment and extend healing time.
Femur Fracture Injury Attorneys
The attorneys at Estey & Bomberger exclusively handle serious injury cases. We have handled dozens of injury claims involving femur fractures, and we understand the long-term implications of these serious injuries. If you or a member of your family have suffered a fractured or broken femur, an attorney at Estey & Bomberger can help you obtain the compensation you deserve for your injuries. Monetary damages recovered in a California personal injury claim can include money for medical expenses, future medical care, lost earnings, rehabilitation, loss of future earning capacity, and pain and suffering. To speak to an attorney about your potential case, contact Estey & Bomberger at (800) 925-0723. If we handle your California femur fracture injury case, we will not charge any fees unless we obtain money for you.