By Pierce Blitch
Understanding Femur Fractures: Serious and Painful Injuries
Femur fractures are severe, excruciating injuries that often result in long-term impairment. The femur, or thigh bone, is the body’s longest, thickest, and strongest bone. Breaking it requires immense force, commonly from car or truck accidents. A femur fracture can include breaks, cracks, or crush injuries to the bone.
Types of Femur Fractures
The femur’s straight section is known as the femoral shaft. Fractures along this bone length are called femoral shaft fractures. When the bone breaks completely, displaces, or crushes, immediate surgery is necessary. These fractures are classified in various ways:
Femur Fracture Classifications:
- Stable Fracture: Bone fragments align correctly.
- Displaced Fracture: Bone fragments are misaligned and need realignment.
- Closed Fracture: Skin around the fracture is intact.
- Open Fracture: Bone punctures the skin.
Fracture Locations:
- Distal: Near the knee.
- Middle: Long midsection of the femur.
- Proximal: In the femoral head or neck, near the hip, often causing significant disability in older adults.
Fracture Patterns:
- Transverse Fracture: Horizontal break across the femoral shaft.
- Oblique Fracture: Angled break across the shaft.
- Spiral Fracture: Twisting force creates a spiral break around the shaft, resembling barber pole stripes.
- Comminuted Fracture: Bone shatters into three or more pieces.
- Open or Compound Fracture: Bone fragments protrude through the skin or a wound reaches the bone, leading to more muscle, tendon, and ligament damage and higher infection risk.
Surgical Interventions and Complications
Femoral fractures often need complex surgery. When a surgeon cuts into the thigh to realign bone fragments, it’s called “open reduction.” “Closed reduction” is when bone fragments are aligned without cutting. When rods (nails), screws, and hardware secure the fragments, it’s termed “internal fixation,” or “open reduction – internal fixation” (ORIF). Rods inserted into the femoral shaft are secured with screws, plates, and wires and typically remain in the body long-term.
Some cases require temporary external fixation devices. Misalignment, infection, nerve damage, blood clots, and bones setting incorrectly can lead to complications, sometimes necessitating multiple surgeries.
Our Experience with Femur Fracture Cases
We have extensive experience handling complex femur fracture cases, collaborating with orthopedic surgeons to convey the full impact of such injuries. We address impairment ratings, disability factors, and provide custom medical illustrations. If you or a loved one has suffered a femur fracture from a truck crash or other traumatic event, contact us.
CALL THE Blitch Law Firm ATTORNEYS AT LAW TODAY TO DISCUSS YOUR PERSONAL INJURY CASE
We fight for you, and we don’t back down. Every personal injury case has potentially life-altering consequences. We don’t hold back on providing our clients the best possible representation. At The Blitch Law Firm, we understand the physical, emotional, and financial toll a personal injury case can take. If you, a family member, or a close friend has been injured due to someone else’s negligence, contact The Blitch Law Firm today at 706-434-8770 or visit us at 7004 Evans Town Center Blvd., Third Floor, Evans, Georgia 30809 to discuss your unique case and our dedicated personal injury strategies with one of our compassionate and experienced attorneys.
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