Overview
Your femur is a bone in the leg between your hip and knee. It is the longest, strongest and heaviest bone in your body. It takes a lot of force to break your femur. An injury or break to the femur will require immediate medical help. A broken femur can take months to heal.
Some of the most common causes of femur break is a car crash, they fell or were shot. People who are 65 years and older have an increased risk of breaking bones, including their femurs, after falling down while standing.
What makes a broken femur severe?
There are certain complications that can result from a femur break, such as
- Go into shock
- Lose blood if your fracture pierces your skin. You will likely lose more blood if your fracture pierces your skin than if it doesn’t.
- Break your hip if you break the upper part of your femur. This is common for people with osteoporosis.
- Damage to the knee if you break the part of your femur just above your knee. This issue is common for people with osteoporosis or people who have knee replacements.
Broken femur is a very painful injury. One of the first courses of treatment your healthcare provider will take will be to recommend pain medication to relieve pain.