Anyone have a child who broke their femur?

[SandrainNC]

If so, how was the recovery after the cast came off?

My son who is 4.5 broke his leg at daycare at the end of August. He was in traction for 2 weeks and has been in a spica cast since September 11. He gets the cast off two weeks from tomorrow and I am just curious about how other people's kids did after this. The doctor said he may be slow to walk again (he was a late walker anyway), but just thought I would ask others how it went.

Thanks! Sandra

 

[sandbar]

I am so sorry to hear about your son's accident. I know it is quite an ordeal you're going through. My daughter broke her femur the day before she was to start 5th grade. She wasn't able to go to school until the middle of December. Thank goodness for a wonderful tutor! She was in the hospital for 6 weeks, then home with that wonderful spica cast. We had to rent a reclining wheelchair to get her around. It's been about 15 years since her accident so I don't remember the exact time frame of her recovery, but I know it was slow going for a while. She eventually got the cast off and was able to use a walker but had to be careful at first not to put weight on her broken leg. Eventually she was able to use crutches when she could put more weight on that leg. My daughter had a twisted fracture (not the correct medical term) which is just as it sounds. She twisted her leg and the bone for a couple inches pulverized into bits and pieces. That's why her recovery was so long.

It's hard to have a child on bedrest for so long. I hope your son heals very quickly. I hope you are doing ok, too. I know how hard it is to have a child on bedrest for so long. Trying to keep them occupied really keeps you on your toes! Take care of yourself, too, Sandra. It seems like it will never end, but time will pass and your son will be up running around again! Best wishes to your son and your family.

 

[SandrainNC]

Thank you so much for responding Sandbar!

My son also has a spiral fracture. His leg twisted as he did a split (that is what I was told anyway). He slipped on water in the bathroom at daycare and was holding a teacher's hand so he didn't fall all of the way down. He might have been better off if he did I think.

I can't imagine going through this with a child as old as your daughter. We just pick him up and put him where we want him. He is heavy though, but small enough to pick him up. They did tell us at the hospital to be glad he was still small and now from reading your post I see why. The wheelchair thing would be nice though. We keep propping him on a beanbag chair. He recently learned how to wiggle off of it and can now pivot on the floor. He is being really good about the whole thing. I just hope the learning to walk again goes kind of quickly for him. I don't know what he is going to do to get around. I don't think he would understand how to use crutches. He has used a walker before though. He might get one of those.

Thanks a lot!!

Sandra

 

[CEDmom]

I'm so sorry about your DS. That must have been a scary thing to have happen. My best friend's son had a spiral fracture about 2 years ago. He was 3 1/2 when it happened. He was in one of those casts up to the hip with the bar between his legs for about 8 weeks. However, within about a week of having the cast off he was walking around pretty well. He still couldn't run and the doctor didn't want him to anyway. He did have to go to physical therapy for a few weeks and then his mom signed him up for a swimming class which really helped build back up his strength. The cast came off in early Sept and the following spring he was playing soccer. Also, when the cast came off his skin was really dry and flaky but there wasn't any atrophe (sp?) to the leg.

I hope your son is out and about soon. Take care.

 

[pozey]

Sorry to hear about your son. I hope he has a speedy recovery.

I broke my femur when i was about 17. I don't know how "severe" your son's break is, but when I broke mine, it broke completely in half. I was in traction about 10 days, and then they had to insert a steel rod inside the bone.

I never had a cast. Just the steel rod. When I was released from the hospital, I had to stay on crutches for about 3 months. Then, it was quite a long rehab process.

Since young bones heal much quicker, I think you are probably in for a much shorter rehab than I had.

Best of luck.

 

[piratesmate]

Recovery time for the very young differs from older people. I had a friend in HS who broke his in a toboggan accident & his recovery was 6 months! I want to say it was in a cast for 6 months, but can't really remember for certain as it was 30+ yrs ago.

DS broke his femus at 9 months. The first doctor (generic orthopedic surgeon) told us 6 weeks, but due to other concerns we ended up at CHOP in Philadelphia. They took it off at 4 weeks, but told us that the X-rays taken at 2 weeks indicated it should have come off then!

DS had just started walking when he broke his leg and then didn't walk again until 13 months. Once the cast came off he was fine - no lasting effects. In fact, today at age 24 he holds a 4th degree black belt in TaeKwon-Do and teaches it.

 

[Tinkim]

Sandra ~ I'm so sorry your little guy broke his femur. My DS has had two broken legs. The first was a greenstick fracture of the left tib-fib. Very straightforward recovery, cast for 6 weeks, and then crutches for a bit and back to normal.

When he broke his femur though that was a whole different scenario. He was in traction too and had the hip spica cast. Not fun for anyone. You don't realize what it means not to be mobile until you are stuck in one of those things. He also had a reclining wheelchair and even though it beat up the walls in our house it gave us a little bit of sanity.

Be prepared when they take the cast off for him to be apprehensive or even scared. My son was 7 at the time and he was really petrified for them to remove the cast even though he really wanted out of it. The leg is weak and covered with fuzzy hair usually. My son's leg was noticeably shorter than his other leg (which honestly probably upset me way more than it did him). That was a shock to me and I wish someone had prepared me for that. I remember looking at him sitting on the couch and thinking "my little boy may never be the same again." He was really afraid to walk on his leg and I asked the doctor for some kind of brace for him temporarily. He already had crutches and the brace gave him that protective comfort enough so that he was able to use his leg. He only used it for a couple of days and then he forgot to put it on now and then until we decided he didn't "need" it anymore.

He had to be very careful for about a year after the break. Even when they are feeling back to normal you may still be apprehensive about him reinjuring it. DS wasn't allowed to do much at recess for quite a while and no organized sports that year. He is 11 now and that whole nightmare is becoming a distant memory for him (although I think it will always be in the back of my mind). His leg has healed very well for the most part and he is back to normal. Good luck with the recovery. I'm sorry to be so long-winded but I know that was one of the toughest tests for me as a parent and it always breaks my heart to hear that someone else's little one is going through that. I remember at the time I kept telling myself that someday all of this would be something that happened a long time ago and eventually it was. for you and your son.

 

[SandrainNC]

Thank you all so much! This has definitely been an adventure for us. I know that the doctor said that when this happens to children between the ages of 2 and 10 there is the possibility of that leg actually growing more than the one that wasn't injured, but usually children have no lasting problems. I am going to worry sick about him falling or something for a year I guess. The doctor did say we don't have to postpone our trip in January because of this (which I would have done in a heartbeat if I needed to of course).

I am going to have to have a word with daycare before he goes back about things he cannot do I guess. I am still mad at them about this anyway. Their toilet overflowed which caused the accident and it had been broken at least 3 weeks before. Let's just say I was a little furious.

Thanks!!! Sandra