Breaking any bone is a painful and arduous experience; breaking your femur is no exception. If you fracture your femur, also known as your thigh bone, your orthopedist will take several measures to get you back on your feet. This may require a cast and several weeks of physical therapy, but eventually you should regain full strength in your leg. The average recovery time is 6 to 12 weeks.
Early Treatment
As you begin your physical therapy, the focus will be on restoring ambulatory function. Learning to walk with crutches or a walker can be difficult, especially since you will not be able to put much pressure on your broken leg. Your therapist will slowly allow you to place more and more weight on your leg as you feel more comfortable walking. Another important step of the early recovery period is maintaining healthy blood flow to your lower extremities. To do this, practice daily ankle exercises; simply rotating your ankle will keep blood flowing to your broken leg and prevent your muscles from atrophy.
Intermediate Treatment
Walking with your broken femur should become fairly easy after a week or two. Now the focus of physical therapy is to restore your ability to perform daily tasks. This is a very important step in occupational therapy, as most people in the workforce need to do more than walk. As you slowly relearn become independent and functional with your broken leg, you'll find it easier to take a shower, tie your shoes, and even do light exercises.
Long-Term Prognosis
Although your femur will be almost completely healed within 6 to 12 weeks, you will not yet have full strength in your leg. You may need to avoid heavy lifting and intense exercise for a year or two, depending on the severity of your fracture. Talk to your physical therapist about what activities are safe for you once your femur has healed.
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