How do healthcare providers treat broken femurs?

How do healthcare providers treat broken femurs?

Sometimes providers treat broken femurs with a splint that will cover your whole leg and goes up toward your hip. They do this as a temporary step to help with your pain and keep your broken femur still.

They may use traction to treat your broken femur. There are two types of traction. One type goes on the outside of your leg. The other type goes into your femur or your tibia. Here’s more information about traction to treat broken femurs:

• Weighted traction splints: Healthcare providers will place a strap on your ankle and use weights attached to a frame and pulley. The frame and pulley put gentle pressure on your femur.
• Skeletal traction: Your provider will do surgery to place a pin in your femur or tibia. Then they attach the pin to weights that keep your femur straight.