Whether you’re a Pennsylvania pedestrian, motorcyclist, or driver, being in a car accident can cause injuries ranging from minor to severe. More severe accidents have the potential to crack, chip, or break your femur.
What is a femur?
The femur is the technical name for your thigh bone. Your femurs are the strongest and longest bones in your body. The femur also acts as physical support for tendons, ligaments and muscles. If a collision results in femur damage, you’ll also likely have damaged leg muscles, tendons and ligaments.
The relationship between accidents and femur damage
Being such a strong bone, car accidents causing femur damage are often high-speed collisions. Pedestrians and motorcyclists typically receive femoral damage in motor vehicle accidents for a few reasons. For one, these people can’t rely on an automobile’s durable frame or airbags. Plus, the front bumpers of most cars line up with the location of most people’s femurs.
However, automobile drivers aren’t exempt from femur damage. Research shows that automobile accidents remain the leading cause of damaged femurs. In a car crash, your femurs can smash into the plastic and metal that makes up your vehicle.
Types of femur fractures
Femur fractures happen in many different ways. Common types of fractured femurs include:
- Open fracture: Fractures causing the bone to protrude from the skin
- Spiral fracture: A fracture resulting from extreme thigh bone twisting
- Transverse fracture: A straight line fracture
- Comminuted fracture: A fracture resulting in three or more bone breaks
- Oblique fracture: An angled line fracture
Considering the size of the femur and how much it supports your legs and the rest of your body, it’s imperative to treat femur fractures immediately. Healing these fractures almost always requires surgery and time for your femur bone to heal.
