Femoral Shaft Fractures Can Cause Knee Injuries
Car accidents can lead to severe injuries. One of these is a fracture of the femoral shaft. When the femoral shaft has been broken, some different complications could result from this injury. Some of these include:
- Inappropriate healing of the fracture.
- Possible infections that could seed the exposed bone.
- The requirement of surgery to repair a fracture that has been displaced.
An often overlooked complication of this injury is the damage that could be suffered by the knee. The knee sits directly beneath the femoral shaft and is prone to be injured when the femoral shaft has been fractured. In some cases, this could occur because of a fragment of the bone that has migrated down from its native position. This fragment could lead to tears of the ligaments (such as the ACL and MCL) or the tendons (such as the patellar tendon). If the knee has been damaged along with the femoral shaft, this makes the recovery process much more complicated.
Treatment of a Femoral Shaft Fracture and its Complications
To evaluate the knee following a serious femur injury, an MRI is often ordered. The MRI can determine not only the bony portions of the knee but also the ligaments and tendons in and around the knee. If any of these ligaments or tendons are damaged, surgery will be required to put them back together. If the femoral shaft fracture is displaced, this requires surgery as well. If surgery is needed for both, the operation will be much longer and more complex. In addition to repairing the femoral shaft, grafts could be required to fix the ligaments and tendons. After the surgical procedure, physical therapy is often required to ensure that the surgical repairs will hold together and to help strengthen the muscles of the legs to support the surgical repair. It could be months before someone is able to walk and run again without support or assistance.
Watch YouTube Video: How to Know if You Have a Serious Knee Injury. The video below provides four symptoms to determine if you have a serious knee injury that could require surgery.
Help from a Femur Fracture Lawyer
When someone has suffered serious injuries in a car accident that could require surgery to repair, this can place the entire family under a great deal of stress. Every family deserves help in their time of need, and have their questions answered. For assistance in these situations, it is helpful to meet with a personal injury lawyer in Sacramento.
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Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyers
I’m Ed Smith, a Personal Injury Lawyer in Sacramento. Femoral shaft fractures can lead to serious knee injuries. If you or a loved one has suffered injuries in a car accident, call me at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400 for free, friendly legal advice.
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Femoral Shaft Fractures can Cause Knee Injuries: AutoAccident.com
Image Attribution: The photo at the start of this article is seen in its original form on Unsplash. The image has been reproduced here with permission/ Femoral Shaft Fractures can Cause Knee Injuries.
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