Femur Fractures in Adolescents and Teenagers
Most parents expect their children to sustain a few bumps and bruises along the way to adulthood. While some injuries are a normal part of development, some bone fractures can lead to severe complications that could have long-term impacts. Furthermore, some of these injuries could lead to mobility problems, growth problems, and have adverse implications for a child’s overall quality of life. A research paper was recently published in the journal, BMC Public Health. Their statistics show that:
- Fractures are exceedingly common in adolescents.
- About half of all boys will sustain a fracture.
- About a third of girls will suffer a fracture at some point.
- On average, girls suffer a fracture at a younger age than boys.
- The majority of children who suffer a fracture are otherwise healthy.
- Children who sustain a fracture at a young age are at an increased risk of suffering a repeat fracture.
These statistics show that bone fractures are a severe problem in children. While wrist fractures and finger fractures are among the most common, femur fractures are more likely to lead to serious complications. Because of this, it is important to assess how children suffer femur fractures and what the difficulties of this major injury might be.
Mechanisms of Femur Fractures in Children
The femur is one of the thickest bones in the body. It requires a tremendous amount of force to break. There are a few ways that teenagers might suffer a femur fracture. These include:
- An injury sustained while playing sports, such as football.
- A fall from a great height.
- An injury sustained in an auto accident.
Car accidents can lead to femur fractures in teenagers because, as most people know, teenagers are less experienced behind the wheel. Therefore, they have a higher chance of being involved in an auto accident. Some ways that car accidents might lead to a femur fracture include:
- Compression of the legs at the front of the car.
- Ejection from the motor vehicle.
- Pinning the leg between the door and the dashboard.
Like other bone fractures, femur fractures can range in their scope and severity. Sometimes, these lead to serious complications.
Complications of a Femur Fractures Include Growth
One of the biggest issues related to femur fractures in teenagers is the impact that this can have on their growth. Children’s bones need to lengthen, and this takes place at the epiphyseal plate. If the epiphyseal plate is damaged in the accident, the bone could stop growing. This would lead to a limb-length discrepancy, which can impact:
- The health of the legs
- The spinal cord itself
- Mobility, flexibility, and balance
A limb-length discrepancy can sometimes be corrected with surgery, however, children may never walk or run in the same way again.
Watch YouTube Video: Complications with Pediatric Femur Fractures. In this video, Dr. Martin Herman from St. Christophers Hospital for Children discusses the complications of femur fractures in children.
Contacting a Personal Injury Attorney
When a child has suffered an injury in a car accident, it is normal for parents to be concerned. First, it is important to find the most appropriate medical care available. After this, parents need to know that there are people available to help. In this situation, it is a good idea to meet with an experienced personal injury lawyer in Sacramento. There are many ways that an experienced attorney can help, such as:
- Assisting with a thorough review of the accident records, looking for details that might have been missed.
- Working with accident professionals to recreate how the injury might have occurred.
- Ensuring that the liability for the accident has been assigned appropriately.
- Helping clients seek damages related to the medical injuries and the associated long-term consequences.
- Filing paperwork with the court system, if necessary.
This is a stressful process, and no family should have to go through this alone. Take a few minutes to meet with a compassionate personal injury lawyer in Sacramento. Your family could be deserving of financial compensation.
Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyers
I’m Ed Smith, a Personal Injury Lawyer in Sacramento. Femur fractures in children can lead to severe growth problems. If your child has sustained injuries in a car accident, call me today at (800) 404-5400 or (916) 921-6400 for free, friendly legal advice.
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Femur Fractures in Adolescents and Teenagers: 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/ Femur Fractures in Adolescents and Teenagers.
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