What Helps a Broken Leg Heal?
The long bone that runs from the knee to the hip is the femur. When the femur is broken, a doctor has treatment choices. Most commonly, doctors operate on the broken bone, setting the bone and stabilizing it with rods inserted into the hollow of the bone. Usually a broken femur that has been operated on in this way will heal in six months. If it doesn’t heal, the patient will have continued pain and inability to bear weight on the broken leg. A doctor can check for non-union by taking x-rays. According to a Canadian study published in the American Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, there is less risk of nonunion if the surgeon uses a relatively small diameter rod and reams the hollow of the bone before inserting the rod to make sure the rod is a snug fit inside the bone. Another study, from the British Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, found that patients who take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) after injury have delayed healing of a broken leg.
