The thigh bone (lat. femur) is one of the most stable bones in the human body. Nevertheless, fractures (so-called femur fracture) can occur in the area of this bone.
Fractures of the thigh are much more common in older patients than in young people. This fact is mainly due to the fact that structural changes in the area of the bone structure can be observed during aging. Due to these changes, the resilience of the femur can be strongly influenced.
Femoral fractures become more likely. In most cases, a fracture of the femur must be corrected surgically. One of the most common forms of femoral fracture is the so-called femoral neck fracture.
However, a fracture of the bone can often also be observed in the area of the femoral shaft. Furthermore, fractures of the femur often occur directly at or near the hip joint. The bone parts close to the knee joint can also be severely damaged in accidents and show a fracture.
Causes
In most cases, the cause of a fracture of the femur is due to excessive mechanical stress. In most cases, this overload is intensified by severe pre-damage to the bone substance. Especially patients suffering from pronounced osteoporotic changes have an increased risk of suffering a fracture of the femur.
The greater the changes in the bone substance, the less stress it can withstand, the faster a fracture can occur. In pronounced cases, therefore, even relatively minor violent impacts are sufficient to provoke a fracture of the femur. The most common cause of a femoral fracture in the region of the femoral head are so-called rotational traumas or simple dislocations.
The fracture of the femoral neck, i.e. the connection between the femoral head and the femoral shaft, usually breaks during falls. Especially patients who fall directly onto the lateral hip or the stretched leg often suffer a fracture of the neck of the femur. This form of femoral fracture mainly affects older people whose bone substance has already become very unstable due to osteoporotic changes.
Fractures in the area of the shaft can be traced back in the majority of cases to strong violent impacts. For this reason, accidents are among the most common causes of femoral fractures of the bone shaft. This type of fracture often occurs together with injuries to other structures (polytrauma). The femur fracture of the lower bone sections near the knee joint is usually caused by a car accident. A classic example of this type of fracture is the impact of the knee joint against the dashboard.
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