Proximal Femur Fractures
Car accidents can occur when people least expect them. In some situations, these accidents could cause life-threatening injuries. For this reason, everyone should be prepared and take every safety precaution available. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
- More than 2.5 million Americans visited an emergency department (ED) in 2012 due to injuries that were sustained in an auto accident.
- About 200,000 of these people spent at least one night in a hospital as a result of their injuries.
- On average, each visit to an ED for injuries related to a motor vehicle accident costs around $3,300.
- If the individual is hospitalized, this visit can cost nearly $60,000.
One of the injuries that people could sustain is a femur fracture. Depending on the location of the break in the femur, the treatment and complications can be entirely different.
Diagnosis of a Femur Fracture
When someone presents to the hospital following a severe motor vehicle collision, the first step is taking a thorough history and performing a detailed physical examination. The doctor will ask questions about the injury, how it happened, and the symptoms that the individual is feeling. Some of the signs of a femur fracture include:
- Pain at the top of the leg.
- Difficulty standing up or walking.
- Possible bleeding or bruising over the site of the injury.
After this, the doctor will order some imaging if he or she believes that there could be a bone fracture present. An x-ray is still the first-line scan for most bone fractures. This is because it is cheap, easy to perform, and requires a low amount of radiation. If the doctor spots a femur fracture, it could be present in different locations. A proximal femur fracture is a break in the bone that is closer to the hip than the knee. Because this fracture is higher up in the femur, some different complications could occur.
Complications of a Proximal Femur Fracture
A proximal femur fracture requires high-impact trauma, such as a car accident, in people who are otherwise healthy. Because of the high-energy nature of this trauma, serious complications can occur. Two of the most significant complications include:
- Avascular necrosis of the femoral head or neck.
- Dislocation of the head of the femur.
In avascular necrosis, the femur fracture has torn the blood vessels that are necessary to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the bone. This can cause the bone to die, leading to severe pain, a prolonged recovery, and a possible hip replacement.
The femoral head sits in the hip socket. If the femoral head has been dislocated, this could lead to artery, vein, or nerve damage. This might need to be repaired in an operating room when the femoral head is placed back into the hip socket.
Watch YouTube Video: Proximal Femur Fractures: How to Identify and Avoid Malreduction Malrotation. This video lecture provides narrations and annotations on proximal femur fractures.
Contacting a Personal Injury Law Firm
The femur is one of the largest bones in the body and requires a large amount of force to fracture. As a result, a femur fracture is often accompanied by other injuries. This could place families under significant stress, wondering where they can turn to for help. A personal injury lawyer can help a family following a serious motor vehicle accident in several ways. A few of these include:
- Negotiating with insurance companies to help families receive the maximum benefit allowed under their policy.
- Taking a look at the accident records to make sure that every detail has been considered.
- Assist families in pursuing benefits and damages related to the injuries, pain, and suffering.
- Taking the case to court, if this is necessary.
When a loved one has suffered a severe injury, it is crucial to ask for help. Take some time to speak with a Sacramento femur fracture lawyer. You and your family might be entitled to a financial reward.
Sacramento Femur Fracture Personal Injury Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Femur Fracture Lawyer. A femur fracture can occur in multiple locations, and these can have different complications depending on the site of the break. 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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Proximal Femur Fractures: 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/Proximal Femur Fractures.
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