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Open reduction and internal fixation of periarticular complex fracture upper part of right femur

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Ballu36
Ballu36

I m 38 male operated with open reduction internal fixation of intramedullary nail four months ago my now walking with the help of walking stick,my leg is externally rotated nearly 30°, half inches of shortening but that will be ok I think after some time,can somebody tell me about the external rotation will it be ok with the time goes or it will remain at the same degree pls help me.

1 like, 18 replies

18 Replies

  • eva96035
    eva96035 Ballu36

    Posted

    Ballu36, I sure don't know about this procedure in particular, I wish I did. Have you did any research on it to see if anybody else has ever went through this procedure and how long it took them to get back to par ? I found out something I didn't know when researching something else, I don't know if it will help or not but I was researching something and it pulled up a video on You Tube and that's how I found out that alot of people put things you wouldn't expect on You Tube, who would've known. Please keep us informed on what you find out and how your progress is going. What did the doctor who did this say about how long he thought the recovery process would be.

  • bronwyn97278
    bronwyn97278 Ballu36

    Posted

    Hi Ballu; I too am sorry re not being able to tell if this is as should be:  the only thing I can say is that it sounds abnormal to me, as the External Rotation is usually a sign of a fractured Neck of Femur.  This I know from working in emergency departments, and if someone arrived with the external rotation, it was a Definate sign of the fracture.

    ​I guess the only thing I can recommend is to take your original and post-operative e-xrays to another Good Orthopaedic Specialist (even if you have to pay to get their advice) and ask what/all your questions of that person.   This I would do as your are only relatively young, and I would hate to see you disabled for the remainder of your life....it surely will be an inconvience in many ways.   have you spoken to a Physiotherapist even, as they (if good and experienced too), are Very knowledgeable re these issues. (I also like to use a physio who has been practising for at least 10 years, with many of those in the public system, as they have a wider experience of needs)...............do let us know what you find, as this is of interest to me.................Bron

  • AlexandriaGizmo
    AlexandriaGizmo Ballu36

    Posted

    Hi leg length difference is quite common after hip fracture and if not too great can be treated with orthotics to make you at least not walk with limp, I fractured hip/pelvic 11 weeks ago, if u read my comments you can see what happened, as for foot rotation I also have it but you shouldn't as you had surgery to coorect it.

    What part of femur did you break.

    • Ballu36
      Ballu36 AlexandriaGizmo

      Posted

      Hi thanks Alexandria for your reply my fracture is of comminuted complex periarticular fracture upper part of femur,a s I have consulted another doctor he is saying the rotation will remain same as my surgeon fix it towards externally rotated and it will be all rite after another surgery to correct the rotation but that will be after 1 or 2 years,as I said dr check my shortening also and it is around 2 cm ,so can somebody tell me is there any problem with shortening and rotation together in future.
    • eva96035
      eva96035 Ballu36

      Posted

      Ballu36, How long has it been since you fractured your femur ? Did Doctor say why you would have to wait a year or 2 to fix the rest of what's wrong ? I don't understand why they can't put you back together in one surgery for what needs to be done instead of having to keep doing surgeries. Please keep us updated with what happens and I'm so sorry that you have to keep dealing with this ongoing situation, I wish you well and may God Bless.

    • AlexandriaGizmo
      AlexandriaGizmo eva96035

      Posted

      Is it possible that with PT he could readjust the femur into a straighter position, I have no idea so would be good feedback for me as well.
    • Ballu36
      Ballu36 AlexandriaGizmo

      Posted

      By PT did you mean physiotherapy?if yes then for last three months physiotherapist is coming regularly to my home but rotation seems to be same.
    • AlexandriaGizmo
      AlexandriaGizmo Ballu36

      Posted

      Yea that's what I meant, I sleep with my foot in a foam box to keep foot pointing up at night, how bad is 30% I don't know, also what was the reason for 2 year wait

    • Ballu36
      Ballu36 AlexandriaGizmo

      Posted

      2 years was just doctor advice I m not too serious to it,so can u tell me ur experience of putting your foot in a foam box while sleeping pointing towards 90°did ur external rotation get right and how many months do you sleep like this, my foot is 30 degrees rotated outside,waiting for your reply.

    • AlexandriaGizmo
      AlexandriaGizmo Ballu36

      Posted

      Only broke mine just under 12 weeks ago and am going conservatively so no surgery, start weight bearing tomoz and my left foot goes out about 1.3 inches when I relax it but as I'm not walking yet I don't know how it will effect my gait, so approximately how far does yours go

    • AlexandriaGizmo
      AlexandriaGizmo

      Posted

      Just had a look at a chart and mines about 15% so yours is maybe double mine, so quite pronounced, would you say that'd be right

    • eva96035
      eva96035 AlexandriaGizmo

      Posted

      AlexandriaGizmo, I guess anything is possible since if something stays in a certain position it will stay that way, so yes I guess it is possible, I just wish they would come up with something so patients wouldn't have to go through so much to get back to the point they were before an injury. They want something to be stabilized and the longer it stays stabilized the more you have to work to have mobility. It's like a saying that we CNA'S have if you don't move it you loose it. That's what I keep thinking about with the way the doctor doesn't want me to use my arm at work, is this for my benefit of his ? I was using it just not my thumb and now things are worse than when I started and it makes me wonder does he think he missed something and he's afraid if I use my arm and something goes bad wrong or second opinion finds something that he missed. I just want all this to be over is all I know tired of hurting and definitely tired of this lite duty, it's for the birds. I hate it. I'd rather work long days than short days on lite duty.

    • eva96035
      eva96035 AlexandriaGizmo

      Posted

      AlexandriaGizmo,

         Hun I don't know what happened, it started out with my hand and wrist first place said fracture, but Ortho, Hand Specialist said no fracture just Arthritic Episode. Then he sent me for a MRI to see if maybe something besides bone was damaged. He said everything was okay there as well, I started having pain go across my wrist and up my arm on the outside where elbow is and he sent me for a nerve conduction study, to rule out Carpel Tunnel. They said that I had some slight nerve damage where the nerve runs up around your elbow like the one when you hit your elbow they call it your funny bone, so I don't know about that either. I have had 5 other doctors tell me that on that first x-ray I had a fracture and then Ortho said no fracture, he gave me a Cortisone Injection and things have went down hill ever since. I don't know what all is messed up but I do know it felt like he hit something when he did the injection. I go to second opinion Ortho November 9th if there's no cancellation before then. I told my husband we would loose everything we had if I didn't get to start back working like I was they've got me on lite duty and I get one check from my work and then have to wait on the part that comes from workers comp and my bills are screwed as bad as i am I think. So honestly I don't know what all is messed up hun.

    • AlexandriaGizmo
      AlexandriaGizmo eva96035

      Posted

      Sorry I was reading yours thinking you were the original poster and your injury had gone from femur to arm, blond moment. Did you fall or is this a spontaneous break
    • eva96035
      eva96035 AlexandriaGizmo

      Posted

      I fell at work on June 30th outside in the parking lot or actually off the sidewalk into the parking lot my ankle twisted and next  thing I knew I was off the sidewalk and face down on the pavement.
    • AlexandriaGizmo
      AlexandriaGizmo eva96035

      Posted

      I hate to say this but radiologists can get it wrong and as they are the "experts" who are we to argue, if it is still giving you gyp, go back and ask that another expert takes a look at it, or they do another xray now swelling has gone down, remember though that sometimes a sprain can take weeks to heal.

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