Question

Musculo-Skeletal Disorders (MSD).

In the Emergency Department you have received a patient with a suspected leg fracture. What are the Signs & Symptoms of a fracture that you would look for to confirm such a diagnosis

Answer 1

Fracture of shaft of femur : signs and symptoms-

1. Pain, swelling, tenderness and bruising in your thigh.
2. Inability to bear weight on your injured leg.
3. Inability to move your hip or knee on the affected side.
4. Visible portions of the fractured bone, if the fracture causes a break in the skin.

Fracture of shaft of tibia or both tibia and fibula: signs and symptoms-

1. Pain, swelling, tenderness and bruising in your lower leg.
2. Deformity in the shape of your lower leg.
3. An abnormal alignment or positioning of your foot on the affected side.
4. Visible portions of the fractured bone, if the fracture causes a break in the skin. Fracture of fibula alone: signs and symptoms-

1. Localized swelling and tenderness at the fracture site, along the outside of the lower leg.
2. Pain at the outside of the lower leg that becomes worse when you walk.