Fracture of the neck of the thigh: how to get up again on the legs
One of the most dangerous injuries is femoral neck fracture. This trauma is relevant not only in winter, in ice, but also in the summer, when we are massively active in nature, dacha or in a private plot. Most often, the neck of the thigh breaks down when women fall, as well as the elderly. Previously, such an injury in the elderly meant a prolonged illness, a clutter to bed and eventually … death. Today, the modern orthopedic allows you to get on your feet again and return to a full-fledged life even after such a dangerous trauma.
Why the cervix of the femur breaks down
The most common cause of the fracture of the femoral neck is a reduction in the strength of bone tissue, with age this problem is more and more common. For an elderly person, there is a fairly small drop, shock, or overload (with the same work on the garden, for example), so that the femoral joint can not withstand. Osteoporosis – a disease in which bone tissue becomes brittle due to lack of calcium in the body, is a contributing factor. This condition often develops in women during menopause, as well as in metabolic disorders.
As you already understand, women and elderly people are primarily at risk. In the elderly, the fracture of the neck of the femur is particularly dangerous: the bones grow poorly, the exacerbation of various chronic diseases is occurring, torments of groin and leg pain, which makes the process of rehabilitation after the fracture almost impossible. People close themselves and refuse to move in order not to experience pain, which further exacerbates the condition.
Prosthetics, as the most effective method of treatment
For the elderly, the chance of self-healing after such an injury without the development of serious complications is minimal, so the specialist will definitely recommend the patient a prosthetic. If this procedure is not carried out, then the fracture of the femoral neck in most cases ends with disability and fatal outcome.
This procedure is a complete or partial replacement of the joint of the damaged femur. Such a procedure helps to avoid prolonged, and in most cases, ineffective conservative treatment, as the patient is restored quickly: on the second to third day after replacement of the joint, the person is already moving his foot, and on the second week after the operation can move. All motor functions are fully restored.
How the replacement of the damaged joint occurs
In addition to age-related changes in which the damaged bone does not move, prosthetics may be recommended for vascular damage due to a fracture, small fragments formation, etc. Modern endoprostheses are made from various materials – medical alloys, polymers, ceramics, etc., the components can be combined with each other. As a result, a complete replacement for the “native” human joint is obtained. The method of selecting the fixing of the prosthesis and the implant itself is carried out by a specialist whom you can choose here only after careful diagnosis and determination of the severity of the injury. Depending on each case, an individual artificial joint can be made.
The risk of complications when replacing the joint after the neck fracture is minimal, and it is important to follow the recommendations of the doctor to ensure that the rehabilitation after surgery is rapid and positive. This is the observance of rational nutrition, the reception of all prescribed medications, physiotherapy, therapeutic exercise, walks. The load on the damaged leg should be limited, the patient is allowed to get out of bed for the second week after the operation, then it is important to make short walks using the support (crutches). Refusal of crutches and independent movement on average occurs after 3 months of rehabilitation.
