There is both a medial and a lateral type of fracture. The first can be attributed to a fracture of the head and neck of the femur, and to the second - the intertrochanteric, intertrochanteric and isolated fracture of the trochanter. As medical practice shows, a fracture of the femoral head is not so common.
Assessing the passage of the fracture line, the following fractures are distinguished: subtemporal, ischemic, basal. Given the position of the limb at the time of injury to the femoral neck, it is divided into an abduction and adduction fracture. After receiving an injury, it is important to contact a traumatologist in a timely manner. This will help prevent the development of serious health problems. At home, it is impossible to diagnose a pathology.
What are the reasons for this?
An abduction fracture most often occurs if a person falls on a leg allotted to the hip joint due to an increase in the cervical-diaphyseal angle. Fracture is called hallux valgus if the patient fell on a given leg. Under such circumstances, the cervical-diaphyseal angle decreases. Varus fracture is much more common.
Symptoms of pathology
Most often, doctors diagnose a hip fracture and an extraverticular fracture in older people who have fallen on a given or retracted leg. After injury, severe pain in the hip joint develops. At the same time, it is difficult to focus on the foot.
Diagnostic Methods
The main diagnostic methods include examination and physical examination. During the procedure, a patient with an alternate fracture reveals an increased pulsation in the area of the femoral joint. The patient feels a strong pain. The patient does not manage to raise the leg bent at the knee.
Laboratory tests and X-ray
The patient must undergo a general clinical blood test and an x-ray in order to determine the damaged areas and the size of the cervical-diaphyseal angle. By analyzing blood counts, you can identify the presence of other pathologies and choose the appropriate treatment.
Patient recovery process
A fracture of the femoral neck must be treated surgically, with the exception of a hallux valgus fracture and trauma against the background of a general contraindication to surgery.
Conservative treatment
Conservative treatment of the transverse fracture in a young patient is based on the use of Whitman plaster cast, which must be worn for several months. After that, crutches are allowed. It is undesirable to apply pressure to the damaged area. Only six months later, doctors resolve the load. A full and healthy lifestyle is restored after 7 months. Experts do not recommend older people to use a hip dressing, as complications can occur. Most likely, the doctor will apply a skeletal extension to the femoral condyles for 1-2 months. The limb must be taken away at 25 degrees and rotated inward. The treatment process includes physiotherapy exercises.
During the operation, it is necessary to compare and firmly fix the fragments. This can only be done using the surgical treatment method. There are several types of surgical intervention: open and closed. In the process of the first method, an arthrotomy of the hip joint is performed. The doctor discovers fragments. Then breaks the pin. At the end of all necessary actions, the surgeon sutures the wound. Specialists rarely use intraarticular methods, since after this method complications in the form of coxarthrosis develop.
Popular treatment
As medical practice of doctors shows, most often surgeons use a closed or extra-articular method of operation. The patient is placed on a surgical chair. With the use of an anesthetic, reposition of fragments is carried out by withdrawing the limb by 20 degrees. After the procedure, it is necessary to carry out radiography.
The main task of any kind of surgical intervention is to compare bone fragments and fix them using a special pin, plate, or staple. The fixing element is made by a specialist, depending on the individual characteristics of the person. The basis is the resulting x-ray.
How fast will the patient recover?
The speed of recovery depends on many factors. Among which:
- quality of fixing devices;
- how correctly fragments are composed;
- a kind of fracture;
- the presence of complications;
- bone quality.
If a patient, in addition to a transverse hip fracture, has a different pathology of the musculoskeletal structure, then several more operations may be necessary.
Contraindications for surgical intervention
There are a number of contraindications in which it is not recommended to carry out the operation. Namely:
- disturbances in the work of the cardiovascular system;
- blood diseases;
- thrombosis;
- endocrine diseases;
- excess purines in the body.
Most often, doctors use a corner plate or a dynamic screw to fix the fragments. In some situations, it is necessary to change the mount over time. Often in the process of treating a fracture in an elderly patient, the doctor uses a pin. This design is established by a specialist through a small incision. After surgery, it is important to wear a special dressing.
Rehabilitation process
When the conservative treatment of the fracture of the acetabulum is completed, the patient will recover within a few months. The first time you must use crutches. The entire process of patient therapy should be monitored by a strictly attending physician. You should know that in older people, the recovery period may be delayed, and complications are often unpredictable. For this reason, you must immediately consult a doctor if your general health condition worsens.
Additional treatment
To speed up the recovery period of damaged bone structure, the doctor prescribes physiotherapeutic methods of treatment to the patient. Thanks to their implementation, it is possible to improve blood circulation and restore tissue of muscles and bones. With the help of massage, laser stimulation, hydrotherapy, heating, electrophoresis, paraffin therapy and therapeutic exercises, you can quickly restore the patient’s health after an extra fracture of the femur. The functioning of damaged bone tissue is fully restored only after six months. In a difficult case, rehabilitation can last a year.
What will be the result of treatment?
If you consult a doctor on time and carefully follow all the recommendations, you can quickly restore motor activity. The experience of the attending physician is no less important, therefore it is not recommended to seek help from dubious clinics. With an alternate fracture with a displacement, doctors rarely perform surgery.
Note to patient
If one of the signs of a fracture appears, it is important to consult a doctor in a timely manner. First of all, a traumatologist will visually examine the patient and palpate the damaged area. The specialist makes the diagnosis based on the result of the patient’s study. It is important to carry out tomography, to examine blood and urine. Self-medication is prohibited, as this can cause serious complications. Despite the fact that a closed hip fracture is not life-threatening, it is important to start treatment in a timely manner.
The main types of fractures
Intertrochanteric and intertrochanteric fractures can occur identically. Moreover, they are divided into several types. Among the main types of damage in this area of the human skeleton are:
- Extraordinary diaphysis fracture with displacement.
- Intertrochanteric with hammering (no bias).
- Intertrochanteric without hammering (bias detected).
- Pertrochanteric (knocking out and displacement not detected).
- Helical.
- Closed transverse fracture of the femur.
A specific type of fracture can be identified after a thorough medical examination.
How to eat during the recovery period?
Most often, fractures require long-term therapy, during which it is important to follow a rational diet. After injury, a zone of increased pressure is formed, as a result of which the cells die, where the metabolic process is activated. For this reason, the body needs a certain number of beneficial elements and vitamins.
When a fracture is necessary, eat a balanced diet. A sufficient amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates should be present in the diet. It is necessary to focus on those foods that contain more protein. Easily digestible foods should be consumed. In order not to disrupt the gastrointestinal tract, it is recommended to eat food in small portions.
Due to this, the process of bone tissue regeneration will accelerate and the process of absorption of beneficial elements into the intestine will normalize. With the help of ascorbic acid and tocopherol, the general well-being of the patient can be improved, since they can reduce the activity of lipid peroxidation. Eat more foods that contain calcium (dairy products and fish).
Healthy food will saturate the body with vitamins and improve the general well-being of the patient. It will speed up the healing process and the taste of food, which plays an equally important role. Since the patient enjoys during chewing, the whole organism is regenerated and the patient is restored as soon as possible.
It is important not to overload the work of the gastrointestinal tract with difficult to digest ingredients. Recommended products include: turkey, beef, cod, trout, cereals, dairy products, vegetables, fruits, beans, peas, broccoli, currants, turnips, olives, radishes. It is necessary to discuss in detail the nutrition menu after surgery. An excess fracture is a pathology that must be treated comprehensively under the strict supervision of a physician.