Getting back on your feet after a broken thighbone
An orthopedic trauma surgeon and a physical therapist on femoral shaft fractures
Your thighbone, the femur, is the large bone in your upper leg. Breaking its long middle part, the shaft, usually takes major force. Surgery often puts a metal rod inside the bone or holds it in place another way. The crash may also have hurt your hip, knee, blood vessels or other parts of your body. Recovery involves more than waiting for the bone to knit. You’ll work on walking safely and building muscle strength, with follow up images along the way. [1]
Learn what the surgeons fixed
Ask where the shaft broke and whether skin and muscle were damaged. Find out how the bone was held in place. Check whether doctors examined your hip and knee for other injuries. Keep a copy of the surgery report. Ask when an X ray will check your healing and who will look at it. [1]
Get your walking rules down exactly
Some repairs let you put weight on the leg early. Others call for a limit because of the type of break or another injury. Learn your exact rule and practice it with a therapist before you go home. Ask when to start moving your hip and knee, build up leg strength and take stairs. If you were prescribed a plan to prevent blood clots, follow it. Don’t change your walking limit just because your pain is getting better. [1]
Act fast on warning signs
Call the surgical team if you have a fever, a draining wound or thigh pain that keeps growing. Call too if you lose the ability to move your foot. Get emergency care for a cold or pale leg or severe pain that keeps climbing. Sudden shortness of breath or chest pain also needs emergency care. Tell the team if your progress stalls or the leg feels shorter or turned. [1]
Questions to raise with your surgeon
- How much weight can I put on my leg, and when will that change?
- Did the crash also hurt my hip, knee, nerves or blood vessels?
- What images and therapy results will show I’m healing on schedule?
Put your walking and clot rules up front
Write your walking limit and your clot prevention steps on the cover of your discharge folder. [1]
Sources and further reading
This overview is for learning only and reflects orthopedic trauma and physical therapy perspectives. A broken femur shaft is a major injury. Your repair and other injuries will shape your weight limits, clot prevention and rehab.
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