Osteomyelitis is Associated with a Femoral Shaft Fracture

Osteomyelitis is Associated with a Femoral Shaft Fracture — A broken bone is a painful injury that can lead to even worse complications. One of the most common ways which someone might break a bone is in a car accident. Unfortunately, car accidents continue to be a common problem in the United States and around the world. According to some of the statistics on car accidents released by Aceable:

  • Drunk driving continues to be a major issue in the United States, contributing to close to a third of car accidents every year.
  • Similarly, people who speed while driving contribute to about a third of car accidents as well.
  • Distractions are still prevalent on the roads, contributing to about 15 percent of car accidents every year.
  • Bad weather can certainly inhibit someone’s ability to drive safely, contributing to more than one in ten car accidents annually.

While a bone fracture is one of the most common injuries sustained in a car accident, there are significant complications that might develop as well. One of these is called osteomyelitis, which is an infection of the bone itself.

What is Osteomyelitis?

When someone suffers a severe bone fracture, the internal structure of the bone itself could be exposed. When this happens, there are serious complications that might occur. Particularly with a femur fracture that occurs in the femoral shaft which is exposed to the outside environment, bacteria and viruses could infect the bone tissue itself. This is called osteomyelitis. Some of the symptoms include:

  • Difficulty moving the leg
  • Trouble bearing weight on the infected leg
  • Pain that gets worse with pressure
  • A high fever
  • Malaise

If this happens following a femoral shaft fracture, this is a serious concern. If someone has required hardware to repair the break, such as plates and screws, this would need to be removed.

What is the Treatment of Osteomyelitis?

Osteomyelitis following a femur fracture is a serious complication. Those who recently had surgery to repair a broken femur will likely need to go back to an operating room. The hardware will need to be removed. After, the individual will probably require a course of intravenous antibiotics to ensure that the infection has not spread throughout the body. This would be a life-threatening situation. For this reason, anyone who develops a fever following a fracture repair needs to see their doctor immediately. Osteomyelitis is an emergency.

Contact an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney

When someone has suffered a serious complication of an injury in a car accident, this can place the entire family under stress. Some of the issues that might arise include:

  • Problems related to the financial hardship caused by the accident.
  • Questions about whether or not a loved one is going to be able to return to work after the accident.
  • Concerns regarding the coverage of medical bills and repair costs.
  • Issues related to the investigation surrounding the accident.

Following an accident, the family needs to be focused on the medical recovery, not on the financial issues. For this reason, it is a good idea to meet with a personal injury lawyer in Sacramento. Do not delay because you and your loved ones could be deserving of financial compensation.

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Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyers

I’m Ed Smith, a personal injury lawyer in Sacramento. Osteomyelitis is a serious infection of the bone. 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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Osteomyelitis is Associated with a Femoral Shaft Fracture: 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/Osteomyelitis is Associated with a Femoral Shaft Fracture. 

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