Angulated fix of femur

[phil326]

Hi.

I am a 50 year old male. Ten weeks ago, I suffered a fall and fractured my right femur. Surgery was done and a rod was put along with a ring near the site of fracture to provide additional stability. I think the rod is in the femur cavity and secured above my knee with a screw and also secured to the bolt which is driven into the femur head.

After a month, I had a DVT incident and now I am warfarin as well.

My fractured leg still hurts when I move it in certain angles. The outside of my thigh is numb and feels weird to the touch. I also get burning pain sometimes for no reason. The burning pain also comes when I lift my leg straight while lying down. I am also not able to move my legs sideways much without pain at the site of fracture.

I am able to walk without any pain okay with crutches.

Now, for the reason of this post. I had not seen the x-rays my last visit. In one of the views, The latest x-rays show a big gap between the two broken pieces. The gap is almost an inch and quarter. The radiologist report says there is callus formation at the site. The PA says, there is definitely union and thinks the jagged piece of bone will be dissolved away over the next year. I have been recommended to a physical therapist and I am quite concerned that therapy might make things worse.

I remember the surgeon telling me that he couldn't get everything aligned perfectly. But I never thought there would be a big piece of bone jutting out the way it is now. This is a shock to me and my family. We are looking for a second opinion locally.

I understand there is a doctor on this forum. Would the doctor share his thoughts on this matter please? If any of the other readers have any helpful information, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You
Phil



Using crutches I am able to walk with almost no pain.

[Michael L Gross, MD]

Anatomic alignment is not necessary for fracture healing.  Bridging callus across the fracture site indicates healing bone. Over time, the healed bone will "remodel".  Cells known as osteoclasts will remove excess bone, and osteoblasts will lay down new bone.  Weight bearing and activities such as physical therapy promote this process.
Numbness around an incision site or adjacent to it is not unusal. Small nerves to the skin must be cut during the surgery.  The pain you are experiencing may be due to the muscles and other soft tissues that were damaged at the same time as the bone was fractured, as well as during the surgery (a normal occurance).  Again, PT is necessary for proper healing and return of function.

[LilaPF]

A related discussion, Non Union of Femur was started.

[phil326]

Dr Gross,

Thank you so much for your prompt response. I am very grateful.

I and my wife are relieved to read what you said. We were practically going nuts worrying about this and now feeling a lot better.

Phil