transferring with a broken femur?

[ThinkerGirl]

for those on you who've had the misfortune to break a femur (I am a para, btw) - how did you manage transfers while it was healing? I don't have a cast, they did surgery and set it with steel plates and screws.

Thanks in advance for any info. :)

[0xSquidy]

I'm guessing you don't have cast because you don't need it. So if you don't, i would just say do it "carefully" :)

[takenaback]

Not having a cast is probably a good thing. A quadriplegic I know had his foot turn gangrenous from a pressure area caused by the cast on his heel. He lost half his heel. Obviously he didn't have sufficient sensation to feel the pressure.

As stated in the previous post you would need to do your transfers very carefully and possibly with some assistance for a while.

Hope all goes well.

[Millard]

Hi ThinkerGirl,
I broke my left distal femur last month and had a 13.25 inch plate put in. I was very weak after surgery and requested Rehab. Ten days in rehab and I was ready. I was/am very careful when I transfer and in rehab I used a sliding board. The pain was a little uncomfortable during transfers but I was very careful. Now, I can transfer as I always have.

Good luck and heal fast.

[SCIfor55yrs.]

After they screwed, wired, and clamped mine back together, they thought careful transfers would be okay. However, after about two weeks, the hardware started coming loose and they had to stabilize my leg with a binder. It kept my leg straight and I needed to have someone hold and guide the leg when I transferred. I hope you do not have to endure that. Be as careful as you can.

[Cris]

First broke my right femur and didn’t notice until I was putting on my socks. Put screws and a pin in and a removable ‘soft’ cast.

Second time they said I was constipated and when I finally got my doc to give me an outpatient script for x-ray it was Friday of Easter weekend. As I was getting back in my van they came running out and said “you have a broken hip”.

Being Easter weekend I knew nothing would happen till Monday, it had already been 5 days, I went home.

Since a week had passed and it had started to set (aligned better than 1st one) they left it alone. Being the right femur I transfered ‘softly’ on my left side from the foot of bed (first time was side transfer) and pulled myself up with my elbow, dragging my feet up.

This injury I would recommend some strong narcotics for the AD and since you have ‘hardware’ get someone to lift the leg if you can when getting in bed.

[Charlie67]

I have experience with this, and was told that the "repair" was as strong as my bone and taking care was just for the soft tissue healing. You will understandably be nervous, but just transfer carefully and you should be fine. The swelling of the leg will be a transfer problem for a while too.

[ThinkerGirl]

Hey all :) Thank you SO VERY MUCH for the input. It has been both helpful and reassuring. I am going to surgeons today to have my 14 inches worth of staples removed...yay!
If I move my leg a certain way, there's some absolutely gross/scary crunchy (snap crackle pop) noises going in on there -- I asked him (a few days back) about this and he said that although the actual stabilization was secure, he had to just lay in some pieces of bone and was not surprised I was a little noisy -- I CRINGE every time I hear this sound... ack!!! LOL