Femur Fracture Physiotherapy in Delhi
A distal femur fracture is a severe injury. Depending on several factors — such as your age, general health, and the type of fracture you have — it may take a year or more of rehabilitation before you are able to return to all everyday activities.
Early Motion
Your doctor will decide when it is best to begin moving your knee in order to prevent stiffness. This depends on how well the soft tissues (skin and muscle) are recovering and how secure the fracture is after having been fixed.
Early motion sometimes starts with passive exercise: a physical therapist will gently move your knee for you, or your knee may be placed in a continuous passive motion machine that cradles and moves your leg.
If your bone was fractured in many pieces or your bone is weak, it may take longer to heal, and it may be a longer time before your doctor recommends motion activities.
Weightbearing
To avoid problems, it is very important to follow your doctor's instructions for putting weight on your injured leg.
Whether your fracture is treated with surgery or not, your doctor will most likely discourage weightbearing until some healing has occurred. This may require as much as 3 months or more of healing before weightbearing can be done safely. During this time, you will need crutches or a walker to move around. You may also wear a knee brace for additional support.
Your doctor will regularly schedule x-rays to monitor how well your fracture is healing. If treated with a brace or cast, these regular x-rays show your doctor whether the fracture is lined up. Once your doctor determines that your fracture is stable enough, you can begin weightbearing activities. Even though you can put weight on your leg, you may still need crutches or a walker at times.
Rehabilitation
When you are allowed to put weight on your leg, it is very normal to feel weak, unsteady, and stiff. Even though this is expected, be sure to share your concerns with your doctor and physical therapist. A rehabilitation plan will be designed to help restore normal muscle strength, joint motion, and flexibility.
Your physical therapist is like a coach guiding you through your rehabilitation. Your commitment to physical therapy and making healthy choices can make a big difference in how well you recover. For example, if you are a smoker, your doctor or therapist may recommend that you quit. Some doctors believe that smoking may prevent bone from healing. Your doctor or therapist may be able to recommend professional services to help you quit smoking.
To help you gauge how well your rehabilitation is going, as you recover ask yourself:
Is my ability to walk and care for myself improving?
Are my normal activities of daily living improving?
Is my pain gone or less, and are my knee motion, stability and strength improving?
The goals of rehabilitation are to get you and your knee back to as normal function as possible. This may take up to a year or more.
