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Rehabilitation
exercises
Strength-building exercises
Rehabilitation after surgery
How long will the effects of my injury last?
When can I return to my sport or activity?
Read more about femur fractures
Rehabilitation
exercises
As an athlete, your number one concern is getting back to full strength
as soon as possible so that you can return to training and competition.
That is why appropriate rehabilitation is extremely important.
When your doctor decides
you are ready, start range-of-motion and strengthening exercises. You
may be referred to a physical therapist to assist you with these exercises.
Remember: Do not return
to sports until your leg is fully healed. The major objectives of rehabilitation
from a femoral fracture are to improve the strength of the leg and gradually
increase pain-free range of motion.
Exercise will keep your joints from becoming stiffer, and it strengthens
the muscles surrounding the joints. Strong muscles provide needed support,
making movement easier and reducing pain.
The exercises below will help you accomplish this. To get the most out
of these exercises and get you back in the game as quickly as possible,
you should gradually increase the number of repetitions and sets as pain
allows.
- Unloading the knee
Put a light weight (5 to 10 pounds) on your ankle and sit in a position
that allows the leg to dangle (on a bench, tall stool, edge of bed).
Hold for 5 to 15 minutes, 1 to 3 times a day. Repeat for the other knee.
- Knee extension
Sit in a chair and rest your foot on another chair across from you so
that the knee is slightly raised. Gently push the raised knee toward
the floor using only leg muscles. Hold the stretch for 5 to 10 seconds,
then rest a minute. Repeat 10 times. Do every day up to 3 times a day.
- Alternative knee
extension exercise
Sit on the floor or bed with your legs extended, and place a rolled-up
towel underneath your Achilles tendon. Gently push your raised knee
toward the floor. Hold the stretch for 5 to 10 seconds, then rest a
minute; repeat 10 times. Do every day up to 3 times.
- Knee flexion
While sitting, loop a long towel underneath your foot. Gently pull on
the towel with both hands to bend the knee, raising your foot 4 or 5
inches off the floor. Hold for 5 to 10 seconds, rest a minute, and repeat
10 times. Do with both knees every day, up to 3 times a day.
Strength-building
exercises
- Quadriceps sets
While sitting in a chair, straighten your leg and hold. Repeat 5 to
10 times. Do the exercises with both knees, up to 3 times each day.
- Alternative quadriceps
exercise
Lie on a flat, firm surface with legs extended. Then raise one leg 1
foot off the surface and use it to trace a "T" pattern in
the air. To start, repeat 5 to 10 times. Do the exercises every day,
up to 3 times each day.
- Wall slide
Leaning with your back against a wall, bend your knees 30 degrees, sliding
down the wall, then straighten up again. Move slowly and smoothly. Keep
your feet and legs parallel, and center your kneecap over your second
toe. Repeat 5 to 10 times, 1 to 3 times a day.
- Resisted knee extension
If the wall slide exercise is painful, then use a piece of rubber exercise
tubing such as Thera Band. Loop the tubing around the bottom of your
foot, hold onto the ends while in a sitting position, and bend your
knee about 30 degrees (maximum). Straighten your knee against the resistance
of the tubing, pushing as hard as is reasonably comfortable. Hold. Do
5 to 10 repetitions, 1 to 3 times per day.
Rehabilitation
after surgery
Keep in mind that if your femoral fracture requires surgery the soft tissue
needs time to heal before exercise can begin.
A physical therapy
program usually begins with range-of-motion and resistive exercises, then
incorporates power, aerobic and muscular endurance, flexibility, and coordination
drills.
Finally, patients
develop speed and agility through sport-specific exercise routines.
The ultimate goal
of surgery for a femoral fracture is to put the pieces of bone together
so that they heal themselves. This will help provide dynamic stability
while maintaining full range of motion, so that athletes can return to
competitive or recreational sports. Progress is assessed by the patient's
perception of how stable the leg feels and by comparing the strength and
stability of the injured and uninjured leg.
How long will the
effects of my injury last?
Because a femoral fracture is a very serious injury, and requires extensive
physical therapy, it usually takes 3 to 6 months to heal. You may safely
return to your sport or activity when the bones are healed and you have
full strength and range of motion in the injured leg compared to the uninjured
leg.
When can I return
to my sport or activity?
Some may be ready for full participation in 3 to 4 months, others not
for 6 to 8 months or more. Of course, time for return to activity is much
longer if surgery is necessary.
Remember: The goal
of rehabilitation is to return you to your sport or activity as soon as
is safely possible. If you return too soon you may worsen your injury,
which could lead to permanent damage. Everyone recovers from injury at
a different rate. Return to your activity is determined by how soon your
femoral fracture recovers, not by how many days or weeks it has been since
your injury occurred.
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