Fractured Femur recovery time? (Page 1)

In my reading, I found that a fractured femur is a serious injury that takes 3-6 months to heal. Did you break your femur yourself? If so, how?

motor bike crash 12 weeks ago and still in pain

Hi there look this is complicated . I had a bad broken right femur midshaft in a car accident august 2008 after six months later of non-union fracture of 2% healing my doctor advised me to have another operation with bone grafting system applied and I had the operation in 10march ..ok now after 3 months there is an evidence of healing I started to go swimming ,,my doctor also advised to have one crutch only to put a little bit pressure on the broken leg and the crutch is helping me balance my walk but the problem is here ...when i try to walk without that one crutch i can also walk but little bit limping with no pain but after 200yards of walking I then continue limping but this time a little bit of pain..I can also walk with a cane without no limping .advise me with this one how do i stop limping and is that because my leg didn't heal properly? secondly my doctor says that i need another 9months to recover or back to normal activities like playing soccer,football!

is anyone had kind this exprience to tell me how long is gonna take to recover and give me some tips about this?

thanks
santi.

hi, my name is prasad, i had a femur fracture on 4 dec. 2010, and my left leg femur bone was broken in a bike accident and it was crushed from the lobes, the lobes split in two and the crush was about 1.5 inches big, i got a surgery with implant of plate and 11 nuts along with bone grafting, and now, on 8 april 2011, i can easily walk on my legs, and no one can identify that i have gone with such a huge fracture. also there is no limp in my leg..

thanks
prasad.

Prasad,

You are very lucky to have such a great outcome. Good for you. Yes, it is possible for the bone to heal rapidly, everthing has to go just right, but, in your case it sounds like it did. Four months is about the right time for the femur to be solidly healed. It is usually the soft tissues that are difficult to get back into shape. But, you have done it.

Thank you for posting a note, as most people who do well don't relate their story, only those who are doing poorly. So, readers get a skewed idea, that all injuries don't heal and all surgeries go bad.

It's refreshing to hear about a good outcome.

can u suggeset me where u did the treament, becasue i m 29 year old and i had an accedent on 29oct 2010, and i got a surgery with implant of two scrows. and now 21 April 2011, still i have pain nad i can not walk properly... pls help me out ...

can u tellme from which doctor u operated and where
pls reply me on phone no 9312766975

can u tellme from which doctor u operated and where
pls reply me on phone no 9312766975

Hi. My name is Megan. I am a 19 year old female and I shattered my femur on Feb. 1st 2011. I was in traction for the whole night because they said if I was not that there was potential that I could lose all the muscles in my leg. The following day I was able to have surgery by mid-day. I spent a week in the hospital afterwards. My surgeon told me even before the surgery that if I fely up to it, right after surgery I could be up and walking around. With this being said though I was not quite strong enough to take that first step. While I was in the hospital for a week I rode everywhere in the wheel chair until the came in for therapy. After I left I was on a walker for about 3 weeks. While I used the walker I had a limp and when I quit using it I STILL had one. I decided that I was not going to let a limp that was very noticable get me down and I went everywhere with it. It has slowly gone away and most of the time I do not limp when I walk unless it is bothering me that day. It has been a little over 3 months since I have had this titanium rod place in from my hip to my knee. I have had problems with my knee and the doctors have told me that it is from the trauma it took in the accident (because the dash came in and crashed into my knee to push my femur to shatter 3 inches of it). I also have tenderness in my leg where they inserted 3 screws (two are holding it in and one broke off while trying to put it in and they said it was best to leave it then remove it). I have been reading alot about people having their screws removed and I personally have not had many problems with the hardware and had planned on keeping it forever but I am slowly thinking otherwise. I have an appointment in about 3 weeks. Last time I was there it was 6 weeks after the surgery and he told me to get back to my normal activities and work out. I hope things get better for you and just keep using the leg and your limp should slowly improve. I know it is not comfortable and it does hurt a LOT but as my boyfriend tells me you have to use it or lose it. In my case I had to use it to lose it. Good luck with everything!!!!

hi megan. I broke my femur on april 8th 2011 in a car crash that killed my two best friends. I had surgery that night and had a titanium rod placed in my right femur. I experienced a limp for the better part of the summer but got better. after i hit the 6month mark i was walking fine but still had alittle pain, and weakness. after 7 months i could finally do one leg squats on my previously broken leg. here it is almost 9 months after my accident and i can skateboard and run and pretty much do everything again. I still have the random pain and the weather plays a big part in determining if im going to hurt that day or not. I was curious on how your doing and if you have decided to get the hardware removed. good luck hope all is well-RW

So sorry to hear of your loss, can i ask where your from???? it sounds like we had VERY similar breaks, i obtained a broken right femur (and a shattered right arm) after i was hit head on by a truck, our recovery times were almost identical, what other injuries did you sustain?? i hope all is well, Jacinta x

I broke my left demure in an accident and have a titanium rod as well. It's been one month and I'm limping with a cane and have pain getting up and turning to the left. I hope I can run again cuz I have two wild kids. Lol.

you must have broke the neck of your femur, right up near the hip bone, you can walk straight away, however, if you break the shaft just like i did on 18 nov. 2008 (right leg) then it takes a much longer time frame to heal, for example, i was completely non weight bearing (couldnt even rest it on the ground while putting all my weight on my left leg) for 8 weeks, and then i had a crutch for a further 5 months, i hope your feeling better now and your leg isnt giving you too much trouble) xx my love from Australia

I broke my left femur shaft from a car accident on the 17th of January,2012 I had my surgery on the 30th of January 2012,I'm 7weeks post surgery, I went to the doctor yesterday for a check up,did an x ray, the doctor said the bones are healing,but I have this feeling that the bones are not properly aligned,I have a copy of the x ray on my phone and I'm willing to send it to your email so that you can take a look at it....thank you

I had a terrible accident in November 2011. I broke my femur in six places, my pelvis and six ribs. I had a titanium rod inserted from my hip to my knee. Two screws into the hip and two screws above the knee. The two screws above the knee have both broken but my doctoe wants to leave them alone. The healing has been very slow due to the bad break so I have now got an ultra sound device that I have to use for 20 mins every night. It seems to be working as last time I had an xray they said it was showing signs of knitting. I am still in considerable pain, but I am now walking without the crutches. I hope you are going well, it has been very interesting reading about other peoples experiences. All the very best to you.

I had silimar accident on December 26, 2011... Fractured knee, compound fractured my femur, high near hip, and imploded my ankle on the other side. I have had two surgeries on my ankle (last one fusion). Docs inserts rod, pins and I was non weight bearing on both legs for 5 weeks. The ok for weight bearing in right side, knee and femur, but not on left side, ankle, which I did get two weeks ago. I am using bone stimulator on ankle and femur for about two months and this is helping with both.... My problem is continuous pain in femur after walking 15or20 feet with my walker.... The ankle is still swollen, but thankfully little pain and using aa CROW boot.... I need my leg to work, and after 4months I'm getting frustrated with the pain. I start out patient PT tomorrow and hope this will accilerat my progress....oh, I am 64 years old. Megan, how is your progress? I hope well!!

hi When you try walk without crutch then obviously you will be limping due to the pain. However this will come to normal over a time period, say after a month.

So not to worry.

hi I myself going through this .....I want to know ru doing fine ....its been 3 months of second surgery ...they put one nail inside along with stem cells ....i want know how much did u take to heal properly

I boke mine in a car wreck seven months agaoand still am in alot of pain after I first geet up aand then walk for a distance, my doctor told mr it will be over a year before I could go back to normal activities

Hello friend! I am facing the exact same problems as described by you!!!
I just want to ask how long did it take for you to walk without limping and any suggestions???
please reply !!! please please pleeeeease!!!!

Rohan91,

Sorry you are having problems.

Femur fractures are significant injuries. They take a long time to recover from.


Limping comes from several things: pain, decreased range of motion, decreased strength, lack of confidence, lack of balalnce/agility, and habit.

You have to figure out what is causing your limp and work on that aspect. If it is lack of strength, get into the gym and work on rebuilding your muscles.


Unfortunately, it can take a year to 18 months to fully recover from a femur fracture. If heavy manual labor is in the future, it can take even longer.

All you can do is continue to work on your rehab. Every patient is different in terms of when they finally reach full recovery.


Good luck.

Santi
I shattered my femur in 9 pieces in January of 09 (exactly one year ago) and still today I have quite a few problems. I have little range of motion shifting my leg outwards but can go 70 degrees further than I should turning inwards. My leg is still broken in about 5 pieces as the smaller pieces have mended together. Overall though it has been a very long process and my doctor says that it will take another year just for my bones to heal. It's a very long and depressing process as I am an active 22 year old female. How is your recovering going, hopefully better than mine

lol thanks for the reply ,,its quite nice to share emotions. Thanks once again, yeah it's gona take quite sometime and its depressing process but once you recover feels DAMN GOOD ask me and you are still young to recover quick but dont put pressure too soon ..I am walking now thank god i can even jog but scared a bit I can't wait to start playing football ....Ask your doctor if you can start swimming once or twice a week..also ask you doctor respectively if you need a bonegraft, or ossigraft operation coz it helps speed up the healing process
santiago

Wow--I broke my femur on December 6th-2009 in 7 places-I had a rod installed and 13 screws--I am 54 years old and am going nuts--my Dr said 3-6 months without bearing weight also--cannot work and the bills keep piling up-

I guess time will tell--at least the pain is gone--

Regards
David

Geez - I thought I was the only one suffering with this right now! Sorry to hear we're all members of the same crappy club. I broke my femur 9 weeks ago & was told I have to be non-weight bearing for 12 weeks. I'm going nuts and want to start walking but am being a good girl & doing as the doc says. I think the worst of it is not being able to get comfortable & get to sleep.

Here's to a pain free day for all,
Desiree

i agree with the no sleeping. i cant get comfortable at all. i fractured my femur, hip , and patella in a bad climbing accident. i was caught in an avalanche. i am very happy to be alive but very depressed about the recovery and scared that it wont be the same. glad to have found this little forum, its nice to talk with people with similar injuries.

Hey Ice426, I also was caught in an avalanche last week backcountry skiing. Broke my femur against a tree on the way down. Fortunately the break is pretty simple and there was little soft tissue damage - I guess the tree & snow held it all in place after breaking it. I got a titanium rod stuck through it the next day, and they tell me it's fully weight bearing if I can handle the pain! That's just amazing to me, but I haven't tested that out yet, still hurts too much. Sleeping sucks because I'm not normally a backside sleeper, but can't find a good alternative either. Drugs help. I'm optimistic for a recovery on the short side of the scale, trying to keep blood flowing and moving around as much as I can. Best of luck to you!

i fractured my femur about a week ago in a car accident its nice that theirs a community that you can talk to about this i am happy i found you guys i hope you are all doing better

I am a 33 year old lady and fractured my left neck of femur, but still not sure of the cause! Had been running on the road, no fall or anything, it just started to really ache and one day I knelt down, heard a crack and was in real pain. Went to a & e where they diagnosed tendonitis (no x-ray done tho) and gave me crutches. Was on those for 2 weeks, pain increasing then left crutch slipped, all my weight went on my hip and made a clean break. You are the only people who know just how much this hurts!!! It's nearly 7 months past now and the bone has healed, need to work on the muscle now, it might help completely get rid of the limp. Hope you all heal well, my thoughts are with you all! Katie.

i fractured my femur about a week ago in a car accident its nice that theirs a community that you can talk to about this i am happy i found you guys i hope you are all doing better

I fell and broke my left femur & 4 bones on the top of my foot on 2/14/2012. My dr did not do surgery, just put me in a cast that I can take off to shower. After reading all of your information I am worried. Because I have walked on my foot quite a bit. I do have crutches, but get impatient & just take off. I don't have a lot of pain. Do you think I am making it worse. I just don't know why he did not do surgery, which I am so excited. Thank you for your input...

Hello guys,i also broken my leg in July,i have not yet started walking although in am now using one crutch.I hope i will start walking soon.

Sorry to say I also broke my femur on Jan. 23,2010 while skiing. I had a rod and pins put in the next day and was up with a walker and up to 50% weight the day after that. I just started PT this week and have been told I am allowed put as much weight as I can stand on my leg. I have also moved to using crutches instead of the walker. I have begun having terrible muscle cramps in my calf and thighs though. I was wondering if anyone else has had these muscle cramps once they began PT and any thing they have found to aleve them. I have been weening off my pain meds and would rather use something over the counter if it helps.

Angela

I had the same kind of pain and it was from a screw that was breaking in my knee. When the screw broke it hurt like heck but the pain eventually went away.

Hello there!Sorry for your accident.I also had muscle cramps soon after my surgery.I was told that it was because the leg was not active and that it was also as a result of the surgery.
However, my cousin was put on a stronger thinner when she got the cramps because the doctor said that it could be a blood clot that was forming,so have it checked.
However,from my experience and that of our driver who also broke his leg,its probably just because your muscles have not been active so the muscles are responding to the new condition and also because of the surgery.
Dont worry my dear,you will be okay.
Here is to a pain free day.

I broke my femur back in August of 2004. I was wheel chair bound for the first two months, but I think that was mostly because of the other injuries I also had. I actually had an 4-wheeling accident on my 16th birthday (I think the fact that I was so young helped a lot with my healing process), I broke my femur, collar bone, elbow, and pulled my ACL - all on my left side. My arm was in a cast for a while and then in a sling for my collar bone to heal which meant no crutches. Once out of the wheel chair I began physical therapy and it was rough, but I didn't take any thing for pain other than the week I was in the hospital right after it happened and maybe the first week I was home (I really do think I have a high tolerance for pain).
I spent about a month on crutches and a few more months in the leg brace (that I absolutely hated! but took it upon myself to not wear as often as Dr's orders). Less than a year later (June 2005) I had the rod removed from my femur - I was told to expect to be on crutches for 3-5 weeks and I ended up walking that same day only to use crutches for a little bit the 2nd or 3rd day because of walking too much (oops).
Five and a half years later I can still feel the affect from the accident. I don't limp at all, but I do baby my left leg a little bit. I can't kneel down or bend my left knee as far as I used to, and sometimes it bothers me more than others - I'm not sure if this is because of the whole ACL thing or just everything all put together.
This stuff doesn't really effect my life though. I just keep pushing through it and try to ignore it.
The thing that upsets me most about the accident is that I used to be into gymnastics and even though it was probably the thing that saved me from having much worse injuries or even dying, I can't really do it anymore (I was/am flexible and have muscular legs). I can - but I have to be extremely careful and I don't think the doctors would recommend doing the stuff.

Overall - I think the thing that helped me heal the fastest was the overall faith I had that I'd get better and I wouldn't let this one incident hold me back. My biggest recommendation to the healing process is to stay positive and never give up on anything.

Also, remember not to be afraid of anything. It's okay to do some of the PT stretches on your own (but with caution and don't over do it!). And don't be scared to go back and do what ever it was that put you in this situation in the first place (no one really thought I'd be able to get back on a 4-wheeler, but I was riding one while still in the leg brace).

Oh - and I think the only medications I took was baby asprine as a blood thinner as to avoid any possible clotting.

Hope everyone who posted on here gets better (and fyi - the pain I get in my knee is likely the ACL issues and it's not unbareable pain).

i feel everyones pain. i was in a car accident june 21st of 09. i broke my patella and femur from the force of the cars motor when i was hit head on. its been almost 9 months since the accident and i am still doing physical therapy. i have trouble walking up and down stairs, dancing, runnning, kneeling down to do evryday normal tasks. i have a metal rod in my femur held by 2 screws. i have 2 screws with wire wrapped around my patella. dr. said i could have most of the hardware removed, but, he said he cannot guarantee that i would be better. hard decisions when i have a 4 year old. get well soon!

wow. ironic. i have a rod in my femur, and two screws with wire in my patella.... and a 4 year old!!!! it depresses me to read these posts, it seems that no one really gets back to 100%

It just is a rubbish situation, isn't it?
In July 2009 I was in a Scooter accident - a guy ran a red light in his car and hit me full-force on my right side. I broke my right femur and shattered my left wrist. I was in hospital for three weeks, not even able to sit up let alone get up. Then I went to a rehabilitation hospital where they slowly got me into an electric wheelchair, which I stayed in completely for two months while I used one crutch (due to my arm which had external fixators) to take a few odd steps with my physiotherapist. I also did walking in chest-high water in a hydro pool. It's now just over eight months on and I am still on one crutch only, my arm still in a cast. I found out today that my rod needs to be taken out completely and replaced with a new one, due to no healing in the femur break. (I also found out today my arm needs surgery too - yay ) So I am looking at another 6-12 months before I will be walking normally. It absolutely sucks and its painful and I'm probably going to lose my job now that I have to go have surgery again. Who knew breaks can be so goddamn problematic? Good luck to everyone

I had my femure broken in 2003,also had a rod inserted.. i limp and i think because of my age(43) i feel so much pain.. i cant walk a block with out pain.. cant stand too long.. and now the other leg hurts around the knee because i try to keep the presure off the rod leg.. please any advice. i want to see another specialist. the rod is irritating me.

oh wow i was typing so fast i should have done a spell check. but i hope i get help. my leg is really hurting me.

My husband and i were in a car accident Dec 12 2009. he came out with a few bumps, scrapes and bruises. I had a broken femur with bone chips, the surgery was done two days after my accident, I also had a large wound on the top of my head, thank goodness it didn't require surgery. We live in Mexico, so the surgery I recieve was a plate and eight screws affixed to my right femur. I will always have this in my leg Or so the doctor says, I am allowed to be on crutches, and I am supposed to put small amounts of weight on the bad leg. It doesn't hurt where the break is though, it hurts in my knee and hip. As well my other leg still has numbeness and it hurt where the numbness is when I take deep breathes. I don't know what that's all about, but I am hoping to start swimming soon to speed up the recovery time.

I was in a fatal car accident Dec 19, 2009 where I completely shattered my femur & fractured my pelvis. For a while I used a walker & about 2 months after I started using crutches & would walk around the house without anything (obviously limping). About 3 weeks ago the pain worstened quite a bit & I was no longer able 2 walk without anything. I went to the dr. & he took an xray which showed that my leg was healing & he injected my leg with steroids which was supposed to relieve me of pain. The injection did not work & the pain med is barely working (oxycodone). Have any of you experienced pain 3 mos after? I am also in PT.

I met an accident on 27th oct and i got operated on 28th night to my right femur which was very badly broken into pieces(2). Dr.. advised me 1.5 months rest but it was not joining then dr. gave me some Calcium tabs( shelcal)
next visit 3 months later he told bone seems to be joining if not they will reoperate and graft it. on 7th april i have a visit to Dr. still i am on walker. going to office with walker. Hope all goes well now. I wish all the people to recover soon.I Love everyone.sandy 32

I had to have my femur cut and rotated with a rod and two nails put in it on feb 8, 2010, and I have to have the other leg done as well in July after six months do u fond u have most of your strength back?

In Jan 2010 I was in a car accident. I was the passenger and the right side door was ripped off and I think when the car hit the tree and swung back to the left the "whipping motion" is what did me in. I fractured my pelvis in 5 places. Left side, pubic bone, right hip socket, and above. (have pins) I broke my right femur in 12 places (looked like a christmas tree on xrays). I have a rod now and am missing about 3 inches of bone. I also had a severly lacerated ankle (down to the bone) including a chipped ankle bone. Luckily the injuries to my foot and ankle were mostly tissue related (i've heard ankle breaks can be pretty gruesome) My ankle is improving but for the first 2.5 months my foot would turn eggplant purple and continue up to my knee. The doctor said it was because I had a lot of cappilary damage. It was really quite hideous. I also had a fractured talus and three broken toes. I also had nerve damage to my right ring and pinky finger, but thanks to an amazing plastic surgeon , it not only looks almost perfect but feeling is coming back slowly. I was in the hospital for a month and then came home. I was in a wheel chair (non weight bearing so pelvis would not shift) and finally got 30% weight bearing orders to encourage bone growth about 1 month ago. I am beyond MISERABLE. I cannot drive, I can only move around with crutches and for the most part am in pain from morning till night. I take my meds only so I can sleep and just bear it through the day. As all of us who have broken bones know "pain" keeps changing as we progress. Unlike the unbearable PAIN in the hospital that can only be silenced (or at least settled down) with Dillaidid and oxy and roxy, now it's just a miserable ache that feels so stiff and can't be stretched. Or the throbbing that comes an hour or two after a pt session. Broken bones are really brutal:( If anyone would like to share please send me a message. I would love feedback on how long it took you to get weight bearing orders, how long it was until you were allowed to walk unassisted, If you have pain now that you are walking, etc. My next Dr visit is in 2 weeks and even though I know I shouldn't be getting excited, thinking that just maybe I'll be told that I can start walking, I can't help myself. The idea of being not mobile for another 2,3, 4, months is unbearable.
Does anyone have a crystal ball? I'd like to ask it "exactly how many more minutes must I endure this" J.K. - well almost.

Hello Rebecca - I just read your post, obviously written some time ago. I'm currently recovering from a fractured femur and am wondering how you are doing at this point. This is obviously a tough recovery for all. It is good to read about other people and their recovery process - you don't feel quite as alone through it all!