Pediatric Thighbone Fracture
The thighbone (femur) is the largest and strongest bone in the body. It can break when a child experiences a sudden forceful impact.
Cause & Symptoms
Cause
Statistics
The most common cause of thighbone fractures in infants under 1 year old is child abuse, which accounts for approximately 70% of the fractures. Child abuse is also a leading cause of thighbone fracture in children between the ages of 1 and 4 years, but the incidence is much less in this age group.
In adolescents, motor vehicle accidents (either in cars, bicycles, or as a pedestrian) are responsible for the vast majority (up to 90%) of femoral shaft fractures.
Risk
Events with the highest risk for pediatric femur fractures include:
-
Falling hard on the playground
-
Taking a hit in contact sports
-
Being in a motor vehicle accident
-
Child abuse
Femur fractures vary greatly. The pieces of bone may be aligned correctly (straight) or out of alignment (displaced), and the fracture may be closed (skin intact) or open (bone piercing through the skin). An open fracture is rare.
Specifically, thighbone fractures are classified depending on:
-
Location of Thighbone Fracture on the bone (proximal, middle, or distal third of the bone shaft)
-
Shape of the fractured ends — bones can break all kinds of ways, such as straight across (transverse), or angled (oblique)
-
Position of the fractured edges (angulated or displaced)
-
Number of fractured parts: Two parts or Several fractured parts (comminuted)
A thighbone fracture is a serious injury. It may be obvious that the thighbone is fractured because:
-
Your child has severe pain
-
The thigh is noticeably swollen or deformed
-
Your child is unable to stand or walk, and/or
-
There is a limited range of motion of the hip or knee allowed by the child because of pain.
Take your child to the emergency room right away if you think he or she has a Thighbone Fracture. Explain exactly how the injury occurred. Tell the doctor if your child had any disease or other trauma before it happened.
The doctor will give your child pain relief medication and carefully examine the leg, including the hip and knee. A child with a thighbone fracture should always be evaluated for other serious injuries.
Treatment Options
Your Providers
Great Lakes Physical Therapy
The Physical Therapy team at Great Lakes Orthopedics offer a wide range of programs and specialized services to help our patients restore and maintain their physical strength, performance skills, and levels of function. Our well-trained, professional staff utilize the most progressive treatment options and techniques to ensure the best possible recoveries. |
To treat a child’s thighbone fracture, the pieces of bone are realigned and held in place for healing. Treatment depends on many factors, such as your child’s age and weight, the type of fracture, how the injury happened, and whether the broken bone pierced the skin.
Nonsurgical Treatment
A young child in a hip spica cast to immobilize a femoral shaft fracture.
In some thighbone fractures, your Great Lakes Orthopedics & Sports Medicine orthopedic surgeon may be able to manipulate the broken bones back into place without an operation (closed reduction). In a baby under 6 months old, a brace (called a Pavlik Harness) may be able to hold the broken bone still enough for successful healing.
Spica casting. In children between 7 months and 5 years old, a spica cast is often applied to keep the fractured pieces in correct position until the bone is healed.
There are different types of spica casts, but, in general, a spica cast begins at the chest and extends all the way down the fractured leg. The cast may also extend down the uninjured leg, or stop at the knee or hip. Your doctor will decide which type of spica cast is most effective for treating your child’s fracture.
Your GLO orthopedic physician will sedate your child for the closed reduction, and apply a spica cast immediately (or within 24 hours of hospitalization) to keep the fractured pieces in correct position until healing occurs.
A thighbone fracture before and immediately after treatment with a spica cast. The femur will remodel over time so that it appears normal.
When a bone breaks and is displaced, the pieces often overlap and shorten the normal length of the bone. Because children’s bones grow quickly, your doctor may not need to manipulate the pieces back into perfect alignment. While in the cast, the bones will grow and heal back into a more normal shape.
In general, for the best results, the broken pieces should not overlap more than 2 cm when in the cast. The growth of the thighbone may be temporarily increased by the trauma. The mild shortening from the overlap will resolve.
Traction. If the shortening of the bones is too much (more than 3 cm) or if the bone is too crooked in the cast, it may be helpful to put the leg in a weight and counterweight system (traction) to make sure the bones are properly realigned.