My mom fell and has swelling in the left leg; is it broken or fractured?

Posted , 8 users are following.

Hello everyone, my mother is 59 years old and she fell recently while doing yard work. Afterward, she said she couldn't walk so I propped her on a couch and found that she had bruising and swelling on her left leg. She seems to be able to bend the leg but it's extremely painful for her to put weight on it. She's afraid of the doctor, but should I take her to get x-rayed regardless? Is it possible the bone was fractured or broken?

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • Posted

    X Ray is must followed by a visit to the Doc if required. Hazard is any possible crack/ fracture etc of bone. May be there is nothing to worry in which case a few days rest may do the job. I wish her well.
  • Posted

    The swelling could be a sign that’s it’s broken or fractured. You should have taken her to A&E, she might be ok, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. 🤔

  • Posted

    Hi,

    It would be wise to take her to A & E.  Fractures can be open or closed, meaning open is when you see bone popping out, or closed when the bones are fractured inside. Were you there when it happened, no head injuries? she didn't lose her consciousness or vomited? Did she get dizzy and lost her balance? Is she on medications such as antihypertensive which could have lowered her blood pressure? Hope you get this sorted. Kind thoughts to you and to your mom. all the best.

  • Posted

    I have to disagree with the immediately presumption of going to A&E. If people did that every time they hurt their leg, there would chaos across the NHS. I think it is a sprain or strain,,and thus believe you need to use RICE

    Rest

    Ice

    Compression

    Elevation. 

    https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sprains-and-strains/

  • Posted

    Take her for X-rays. I stepped on my foot the wrong way and walked in it for over a week until I couldn’t stand it any longer. When I went to the doctor I had a Jones Fracture and had to have a piece of bone put in plus no weight on it for quite awhile and was in a wheelchair. 

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.