Thigh Compartment Syndrome with a Femur Fracture
I’m Ed Smith, a Personal Injury Lawyer in Sacramento. When someone sustains a severe injury, it is essential to know what to do next. Seeking professional medical care as quickly as possible is always a good idea because it can minimize the chances of a severe complication developing. One of the difficulties that can grow with the diagnosis of a femur fracture is called compartment syndrome. For those who don’t know, the femur is the thick leg bone that makes up the thigh. As with any severe injury, swelling at the site of the bone fracture can occur. When this swelling happens around the leg, it can start to choke off the blood, oxygen, and nutrients that the tissue needs to survive. Some of the symptoms of compartment syndrome that people should watch out for include:
- Increased pressure and feeling of tightness around the injury.
- Pain that is significantly worse than the initial damage.
- Pain that gets worse with a passive stretch of the leg.
- Feelings of numbness and tingling around the site.
- Weakness around the leg.
- Paralysis of the limb.
- Loss of pulses in the groin, thigh, and hamstring region.
- A loss of color around the thigh.
When someone has been diagnosed with compartment syndrome, it constitutes a medical emergency. Failure to quickly correct the complication could lead to tissue death and necrosis of the thigh. The only treatment option is to immediately take the individual to an operating room for a procedure called a fasciotomy. In this procedure, the tight pressure around the fascia will be released. This will free the tissue, giving it room to swell without constricting the flow of vital oxygen and nutrients. Over time, as the fracture heals, the swelling will recede, and the symptoms will fade.
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I’m Ed Smith, a Personal Injury Lawyer in Sacramento. If you or someone you care about has sustained severe complications following a femur fracture, please call me at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400. I will be happy to share friendly, free legal advice with you.
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