New Treatment Options for a Femur Fracture
Car accidents place countless people in hospitals every year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people in the United States spend a total of one million days in a hospital annually. When someone suffers a serious injury, they often have to miss work for an extended period. This can make it hard to provide for their family. One of the injuries that could keep people out of work is a femur fracture.
Conventional Treatment Options of Femur Fracture
When an individual presents with symptoms of a femur fracture. Imaging plays an important role in the treatment process. Images, such as an x-ray, CT scan, or MRI will tell the doctor whether or not the fracture has been displaced. This is important because:
- If the fracture has not moved the bone from the proper location, it can be treated with a cast that immobilizes the leg and allows the bone to heal.
- If the bone is displaced from where it should be, it needs to be repaired surgically.
In the operating room, the surgeon will often use screws or plates to hold the bone in place during the healing process. Typically, this equipment stays in place for life. After the bone has been repaired surgically, it still must be immobilized in a cast so that it heals properly. While these are the battle-tested femur fracture treatment options, there are newer options that could be put into practice as well.
New Treatment Options are Available
New devices have been designed to improve the efficiency of femur fracture repairs and recoveries. A few of these examples include:
Traction: A traction device places tension on the leg, helping to “pull” the bones back into place while the surgeon is operating. Studies have shown that this improves the speed of the operating time and might also reduce the risk of complications.
Locked Plates: While the jury is still out on locked plates, these are used to hold the bones together while they heal. The idea behind locked plates is that the metal devices strengthen each other, helping to keep the femur in place while it heals. More information is needed on these plates before they become a standard part of the operating procedure.
Minimally Invasive Procedures: More research is being done on the potential use of minimally invasive surgery to repair large femur fractures. Smaller incisions lead to quicker recovery times, which could help people return to their baseline activity level sooner.
Ultimately, a femur fracture still requires a long recovery.
Watch YouTube Video: Thomas Traction Splint for Femur Fractures. This educational video demonstrates how to apply traction for femur fractures.
Contacting a Personal Injury Attorney
A femur fracture is a serious injury that might be accompanied by a long recovery process. During this time, an individual might not be able to return to work immediately. This can lead to lost income and might leave families wondering who they can ask for help. A personal injury lawyer has the training to assist families during this challenging time. Some of the ways that a trained attorney can help include:
- Making sure that the liability has been placed correctly following a severe accident.
- Meeting with engineers who can reconstruct what happened at the time of the collision.
- Speaking with insurance companies to help individuals receive the greatest benefit from their policy.
- Helping families seek damages that are related to their pain, suffering, wage loss (past and future) and medical expenses (past and future).
Femur Fracture Lawyer in Sacramento
I’m Ed Smith, a Femur Fracture Lawyer. Those who have broken their femur should consider all of the different treatment options that are available. 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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See how we help our clients on our verdicts and settlements page.
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New Treatment Options for a Femur Fracture: AutoAccident.com
Image Attribution: The photo at the start of this article is seen in its original form on pixabay. The image has been reproduced here with permission/New Treatment Options for a Femur Fracture.
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