You may feel lucky to have survived your Houston auto accident, but you still could be left with a painful and inconvenient injury. Car accidents are one of the leading causes of femur fractures, which is a break of the thighbone. It takes a lot of force to break the femur, as it is one of the largest and strongest bones in the body. For this reason, a broken femur has been associated with potentially life-threatening injuries.
The symptoms of a broken femur tend to be obvious, such as severe pain, inability to move the leg, deformity and swelling. If the broken leg is the result of a Houston car accident, it is crucial to get emergency medical treatment.
Once a broken femur is diagnosed, the appropriate treatment will be recommended. In the case of a femoral shaft fracture, which is one type of broken femur, surgery is almost always required. The most common procedure is to insert a metal rod down the center of the thighbone, which is referred to as an intramedullary rod. During this operation, the surgeon will reconnect the two ends of the bone and secure the rod in place with screws both above and below the fractured area. The rod usually stays in the bone for the rest of the patient’s life.
For a less severe femur fracture, the leg may be casted. A traditional method to treat a broken femur is through traction, where a cast and sticky tape or a metal pin is used to attach a series of strings that connect to weights. Traction can result in a lengthy stay in the hospital.
A femur fracture from an auto collision can take as many as 3 to 6 months to heal. If the broken leg is not diagnosed right away, it can lead to other complications, including infection.
If you have suffered a broken femur from a Houston car accident, caused by the other driver, you could be entitled to compensation. Contact Houston Auto Accident Attorney Steve Lee at 713-921-4171 or 1-800-232-3711 for answers to your questions and advice regarding your Texas car accident case.
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Steven M. Lee, PC
5823 Gulf Freeway
Suite 300
Houston, TX 77023
Phone: 713-921-4171
Toll Free: 800-232-3711