Intertrochanteric fracture of femur
Intertrochanteric fractures are fractures in which the fracture line passes through both the greater and lesser trochanters of the femur. This injury usually occurs after falling and in elderly people, especially in elderly women. On the top of the femur, there is a large protrusion called the head of the femur, which articulates inside the acetabular cavity. Under the head of the femur, there are two other ridges, which are called the greater trochanter and the lesser trochanter. Intertrochanteric means the area between the lesser and greater trochanters. Intertrochanteric fractures are part of the fractures around the hip joint and are included in the category of hip fractures.
Symptoms of intertrochanteric fracture of femur:
The patient is usually an elderly person who has lost the ability to stand and walk after falling. He feels severe pain in the pelvis and groin area, which increases with local pressure on the fracture area or by moving the lower limb.
In very disabled people, especially those whose mental powers are a little weakened, the most important symptom of a fracture is the inability to walk, and they may not feel much pain in the fracture area.
The point that can be seen in the examination of these patients is that the lower limb of the affected side is slightly shorter, so that if we compare both legs of these patients while lying on their backs, we can see that the heel of one leg is slightly higher than the other leg. is placed
Another important point is that the affected lower limb in these patients is turned outwards while resting and lying on the back. The severity of this shortening of the limb and the outward rotation of the leg is more than the outward rotation in femoral neck fracture.
Swelling and bleeding in the skin over the fracture are other symptoms of the disease, which are usually seen one or two days after the fracture. Hemorrhage is not seen in femoral neck fractures. Definitive diagnosis of this fracture is given by simple radiography.
