Slipped Cap Femoral Epiphysis After a Car Accident
There are many different reasons why people might suffer from pain in the hip. These include congenital abnormalities related to the hip, infections of the joint itself, and traumatic injuries. Furthermore, pain in the hip can indicate more than one type of injury, including a slipped cap femoral epiphysis (SCFE). Therefore, it is essential for everyone to understand a few basic pointers about hip pain.
Mechanisms of Injury: Hip Pain
When an individual has been involved in a car accident, there are many different traumatic injuries that they might sustain. Depending on the type of accident, the injuries will vary as well. Hip pain itself is relatively nonspecific because it is so common. Some of the reasons why people might feel pain in their hip include:
- The head of their femur has been dislocated out of the hip socket, leading to pain.
- Hip pain following an accident could be due to a fracture of the head of the femur.
- The joint, called the acetabulum, might have sustained a severe injury.
- It is possible that someone could have broken his or her pelvis, leading to serious pain in the hip.
Another possible reason why an individual could be feeling pain in their hip is due to a serious injury called a Slipped Cap Femoral Epiphysis (SCFE).
What is a Slipped Cap Femoral Epiphysis?
An SCFE is an unusual injury overall but can be seen following a car accident. When it is diagnosed, it is a medical emergency. The epiphysis is the end of the long bones. This includes the arms and the legs. There are multiple bones in the arms and legs. These include the humerus, radius, ulna, femur, tibia, and fibula. All of these bones have epiphyses. In an SCFE, the epiphysis of the femur slides off of the top. When this happens, the epiphysis can slice through the blood vessels in the femur. These blood vessels are important because they supply oxygen and nutrients to the femur. Some of the symptoms of an SCFE include:
- Sharp pain in the hip
- An inability to walk
- A feeling of asymmetry when comparing the legs
- An obvious deformity of the hip
Following a traumatic accident, these are all reasons to be evaluated by a medical professional. An SCFE can be diagnosed using an x-ray of the hip, particularly when compared to the other leg. If an SCFE is diagnosed, this is a medical emergency.
Treatment of an SCFE
Anyone who has been diagnosed with an SCFE needs treatment from a trained orthopedic surgeon. If this is not corrected quickly, the head of the femur could die. A qualified surgeon will take the individual to an operating room and perform pinning. He or she will take the cap of the epiphysis, put it back in place, and pin the femoral head together. Then, it is crucial to ensure that blood is still flowing to the femur. After this, the recovery process can start.
Watch YouTube Video: Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis – Everything You Need to Know. This educational animated video describes the condition of slip of the femoral capital epiphysis.
Contacting an Injury Attorney
Once people have sought medical care, it is essential to meet with an experienced attorney. A trained car accident injury lawyer in Sacramento can help a family find answers. Some of the ways that an injury lawyer can help include:
- Helping families receive the maximum payout from the insurance company.
- Pursue financial awards related to their injuries and their pain.
- Taking the case to court when required.
Take some time to meet with a Sacramento auto accident lawyer today. You might be deserving of a financial award.
Sacramento Auto Accident Attorneys
I’m Ed Smith, an auto accident attorney in Sacramento. A slipped cap femoral epiphysis is a medical emergency. If you or a member of your family have suffered an emergent medical injury in an accident, contact me as soon as possible at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400 for free, friendly legal advice.
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Slipped Cap Femoral Epiphysis After a Car Accident: Autoaccident.com
Image Attribution: The image at the top of this post is seen in its unaltered form on Pixabay. The picture has been printed here with permission/ Slipped Cap Femoral Epiphysis After a Car Accident.
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