What does it mean when you break your leg?
A broken leg is when you break one of the bones in your leg. It can happen lots of ways, like falling or getting into a car accident. Your leg has four bones (the femur, the patella, the tibia, and the fibula). If there’s an accident, any one of these bones may break (fracture) into two or more pieces.
How painful is breaking a leg?
A broken leg (leg fracture) will be severely painful and may be swollen or bruised. You usually will not be able to walk on it. If it’s a severe fracture, the leg may be an odd shape and the bone may even be poking out of the skin.
Does breaking your leg make it stronger?
There is no evidence that a broken bone will grow back stronger than it was before once it has healed. Although there may be a brief time when the fracture site is stronger, this is fleeting, and healed bones are capable of breaking again anywhere, including at the previous fracture site.
What happens when your leg cast comes off?
What to expect: When the cast is removed, it is not unusual to experience some pain, swelling and stiffness of the joint for a few days and notice atrophy of the leg muscles (calf and quadriceps) for a few weeks. There will also be dry scaly skin around the leg. Do not rub it; it will gradually fall off.
What to do when you fall and hurt your leg?
Rest the strained muscle, ice it, and wrap it with a compression bandage. Keep the area up, above your heart, to make swelling go down. Your doctor, trainer, or physical therapist can show you exercises to help your muscle heal and to get you moving again. Sometimes, you may need surgery for your strain.
What is the treatment for a broken leg?
Treatment of a broken leg depends on the location and severity of the injury. A severely broken leg may require surgery to implant devices into the broken bone to maintain proper alignment during healing. Other injuries may be treated with a cast or splint.
What are the symptoms of a broken leg?
Signs and symptoms of a broken leg include severe pain that is worsened with movement, swelling, and misalignment or deformity of the leg. There may be shortening of the leg, twisting of the leg below the knee, or an abnormal angle to the leg.
What causes a broken leg?
A broken leg (leg fracture) is a break or crack in one of the bones in your leg. Common causes include falls, motor vehicle accidents and sports injuries.
Can you walk on a broken leg?
Sometimes, a really bad complete fracture will not be able to carry weight or otherwise function properly. Most of the time, however, fractures can indeed support weight. The patient can probably even walk on a broken leg—it just hurts like the dickens .
