A fracture of the lower limb is a fairly serious injury that requires long-term therapy and rehabilitation. It is accompanied not only by severe pain and bone deformation, but also by the appearance of swelling. Everyone who has encountered this injury needs to know how to relieve swelling after a broken leg.
By edema, doctors mean the accumulation of fluid in the soft tissues surrounding the bone tissue. The appearance of swelling is due to the fact that blood flow in the injured limb is disrupted.
Primary edema often appears immediately after injury to a limb. Secondary ones can occur after removal of the plaster, when the integrity of the bones and surrounding tissues is completely restored. But prolonged lack of physical activity and being in a cast have a detrimental effect on blood flow and lymph outflow, which actually causes swelling during the rehabilitation period.
Often, swelling can appear when the ankle or heel bone is damaged. They are quite difficult to treat. In the case of these injuries, swelling can be caused not only by deterioration of lymph and blood flow, but also by damage to the surrounding soft tissue.
Swelling is accompanied by severe aching and bursting pain. In addition, it is accompanied by the appearance of a hematoma and changes in the color of the skin around the broken bone. If the fracture is complicated by the presence of fragments, then swelling can be localized not only at the site of injury, but also affect the entire lower limb.
Exercise therapy and massage
Therapeutic techniques that help relieve leg swelling due to a fracture, first of all, consist of methods that help normalize blood flow in damaged tissues. You can start using them immediately after applying a plaster cast.
Therapeutic exercises and massage can help relieve swelling. From the first days, doctors advise doing light exercises, starting to work out the leg from the toes. But it’s also worth considering that you can’t put any stress on the fracture site at first. As the bone heals and the tissue is restored, it is necessary to systematically increase the intensity of physical activity.
If, while performing therapeutic exercises, the patient begins to notice that the injured leg hurts and swells, the number of exercises should be slightly reduced. When the fracture begins to heal, the doctor will select the necessary exercises and their quantity in order to stimulate blood flow and reduce swelling in the injured leg.
Massaging muscle areas after a fracture helps improve blood flow, eliminate lymph congestion and quickly restore damaged tissue. You can entrust this procedure to a massage therapist or learn massage yourself. In addition to this procedure, the traumatologist often prescribes hydromassage sessions performed by a specialist in the traumatology rehabilitation department.
Limb massage should begin from the fingertips, moving to the proximal part of the leg. Movements should be stroking and gentle. Next, you should move on to rubbing and kneading the muscle areas free from the plaster cast. It is impossible to massage a fracture so as not to displace bone fragments and not lead to excessive growth of callus at the fracture site.
You should not massage the popliteal area, since it contains large regional lymph nodes, which can increase swelling and worsen the general condition of the patient. Massage procedures can be carried out with special absorbable and anti-inflammatory gels. After the doctor removes the plaster, massage must be done daily in order to prevent atrophy of the muscular system, which has been without movement and stress for a long time. If massage procedures and therapeutic exercises cause discomfort, they can be performed by lowering the injured limb into a basin of water at a comfortable temperature.
Hip fracture: prognosis for recovery
Recovery after a hip fracture (after surgery or long-term immobilization) involves special therapy. The start date is determined by the doctor. Neglecting his recommendations worsens the prognosis for the restoration of walking skills and the patient’s return to normal life. The recovery program may include various sets of procedures and manipulations.
If traction is used for a femoral neck fracture, the first priority is to prevent atrophy of the muscles of the immobilized limb. On the doctor's recommendation, the patient is given a massage during the recovery period. You can do it yourself, but it is better to entrust the procedure to a qualified specialist. Massage errors are fraught with post-traumatic complications from the appearance of swelling to increased pain.
Exercise therapy for a hip fracture is also not carried out without a prescription. As a rule, rehabilitation exercises are divided into two groups:
- intended for a bedridden patient;
- aimed at restoring walking skills.
The first are carried out directly in bed. They do not place any strain on the injured limb. Exercise therapy, on the contrary, is intended to restore walking skills. But the load is given carefully and gradually. The recovery process must be strictly controlled by the patient himself, his attending physician, and also the person providing care.
Therapeutic exercise therapy includes various exercises. The simplest ones involve tensing the thigh and gluteal muscles in a lying position. Complex rehabilitation exercises are performed directly while walking on crutches.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy has a good effect on edema. But we should not forget that the procedures do not help immediately, but gradually, so to obtain the desired result you will have to be patient. Magnetic therapy to relieve swelling can be done even through a plaster cast. The remaining physiotherapeutic procedures are carried out after the plaster is removed.
In order to relieve swelling, they often use:
- Myostimulation.
- Electrophoresis with absorbable gel.
- Applications with paraffin and ozokerite.
- Phonophoresis.
- Treatment with an ultraviolet lamp.
How to relieve swelling
The accumulation of fluid after the removal of the cast is normal, if you do not take into account the discomfort it causes to the person. At a consultation with a surgeon, you can get recommendations on what creams and ointments will help get rid of it. To provide the limbs with rest and thermostable conditions favorable for relieving swelling, as well as to strengthen the joints and muscles, a regular bandage is prescribed to be applied to the site where the plaster is removed.
There are a number of popular tips for solving this problem. However, whether it is worth listening to them after such a serious intervention as the application of a plaster splint, or whether it is better to trust professionals in the field of medicine - everyone decides for himself.
Medicines
Medications will also help reduce swelling during a fracture. Traditional decongestant therapy consists of the use of various ointments and gels to relieve swelling, inflammation and resolve hematomas. This treatment is aimed at improving blood flow and eliminating congestion in damaged tissues.
For this purpose, heparin-based gels containing non-steroidal anti-inflammatory components are used, for example Diclofenac and Ortofen. Their analgesic and anti-edematous effect consists of blocking mediators that cause inflammatory processes. Using the gel drug Troxevasin, you can strengthen the vascular walls, thus relieving the swelling of the affected tissues. The above-described drugs can be used only after consultation with a surgeon or traumatologist.
Drug therapy is prescribed in the first few days after the fracture. Then the traumatologist can prescribe warming and absorbable applications containing ichthyol ointment. It can also be rubbed into the skin around the damaged area until completely absorbed. The duration of treatment is determined by the doctor. Read more about ointments for fractures here.
FAQ
In the relevant thematic sections of our website you can familiarize yourself with the features of various interventions on the foot and ankle joint and the nuances of postoperative rehabilitation for certain diseases and conditions. The information presented is general in nature, so you should understand that the healing process for each person proceeds differently, for some it is faster, and for others it is slower.
Patients are often surprised at how long rehabilitation can take even after the most seemingly harmless operations. Before you decide to have surgery, you should probably think about this. If you have any urgent matters, plans for the upcoming holidays or vacation, you have planned a trip, it may be worth postponing the operation or it may be that you will eventually have to cancel your plans. Again, it makes sense to discuss all this with your surgeon before surgery.
Foot and ankle surgery can put you out of action for several weeks and significantly limit your activity and ability to care for yourself. After some surgeries, you will be advised to stay indoors and keep your foot elevated 95% of the time for the first two weeks and 75% of the time for the next 4 weeks. With major surgeries, you may not be able to drive until several weeks or even months after surgery, especially if your right foot was operated on. Therefore, you should take note of the following points:
- Will you have someone nearby to help you with daily tasks such as grocery shopping and cooking?
- Will you be able to go up and down stairs if necessary?
- If the toilet is on the ground floor of your house, is it possible for you to live on the ground floor during the rehabilitation period?
- If you have pets, who will look after them, say, walk the dog?
- If you yourself are caring for one of your relatives, can someone replace you for a while?
- Will you be able to walk with crutches without putting weight on your operated foot if necessary?
- If you have children, who will take them to school and look after them?
The healing process is influenced by many factors: age, circulatory conditions, concomitant diseases, smoking, nutrition, initial condition of the foot, the nature of the surgical intervention and compliance with the recommended postoperative regimen.
Generally speaking, over the next 3 months after surgery on your foot or ankle, you will experience some discomfort and some degree of swelling will persist. You will be able to really evaluate the result of the operation in about 12 months. Only then will you finally feel that your foot has become normal.
ethnoscience
If you don’t know how to relieve swelling after a broken leg, try doing it using folk remedies, but before doing this, be sure to consult a doctor.
Traditional therapy aimed at reducing swelling often takes quite a long time, so in order to speed up this process in combination with it, you can use folk recipes whose effectiveness has been tested by time. Unfortunately, the use of folk remedies does not have a scientific evidence base.
After removing the plaster cast, you can rub essential oils into the fracture area. Fir oil is best suited for this purpose. To avoid burning the skin, it must be diluted with neutral oil, for example, massage oil. This mixture is suitable for both massage procedures and compresses. Coniferous oil concentrate allows not only to warm damaged tissues, but also to accelerate regenerative processes and blood flow.
Clay applications are also great for dealing with swelling. To do this, you can use any cosmetic clay that is sold in a pharmacy. Blue clay is often used in decongestant compresses. To make such a compress, you need to apply clay diluted with water to the affected area and cover it with a film, leaving the compress for an hour. Thus, it is necessary to be treated until the swelling disappears completely.
You can also make lotions from arnica infusion. To prepare it, take 3 tablespoons of this plant and add boiling water, leaving the infusion for an hour. Then soak gauze in it and apply it to the affected leg for thirty minutes. It is recommended to conduct treatment sessions before going to bed. Foot baths with the addition of salt and horsetail relieve swelling. You can apply a leaf of burdock or white cabbage to the site of swelling.
Using all of the above methods, you can get rid of swelling much faster and reduce the rehabilitation period after injury. Be healthy.
Hip fracture: recovery time at home and in hospital
Patients with such trauma often remain in the hospital for a long time. Here they are provided with professional care. Relatives usually hire a caregiver. Her tasks include monitoring the patient’s condition, following the doctor’s recommendations, changing a diaper in case of a hip fracture, organizing meals, etc. The nurse does similar work at home.
The recovery time of the patient depends very conditionally on his place of stay. The quality of care plays a big role. If it is properly organized and constant, the average prognosis for restoring walking skills is six months.
How to restore ankle function after injury
How doctors will treat depends on the severity of the injury and the nature of the damage to the joint. After all, ligament tears are much easier to treat than, for example, displaced fractures or fracture-dislocations. Specialists decide on treatment tactics only after examining the patient, having a complete understanding of his condition and the severity of the injury.
Several methods are used to restore the functions of the ankle joint:
- Conservative treatment. Effective for minor injuries that are not accompanied by fractures, dislocations and complete rupture of ligaments. The functions of the ankle are restored with the help of rest, fixation with an elastic bandage, painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs, physiotherapy and exercise therapy.
- Plaster immobilization. Used in the treatment of fractures in which there is no displacement of the bone fragment and instability of the ankle. Plaster is also applied for fresh ruptures and tears of the ligaments (no later than two to three months after the injury). Plaster immobilization is also used after osteosynthesis and skeletal traction as a final treatment method.
- Closed reduction with further plaster immobilization. Used for closed displaced fractures. It is not recommended for use in cases of concomitant ankle subluxations due to the high risk of unsatisfactory treatment outcome.
- Open reduction with fixation with immersion structures. All open and some closed fractures are treated in this way. In some cases, after surgery, the joint is additionally fixed with plaster.
- Skeletal traction and transosseous compression osteosynthesis. Used to treat complex and chronic fractures in the ankle joint. It is carried out using special external fixation devices.
- Surgery. It is performed for chronic ligament injuries, post-traumatic osteoporosis, severe fractures and fracture-dislocations. Allows you to restore ankle function even when it is impossible to do this in other ways.
Traditional way to remove swelling from a leg after a fracture
To relieve swelling from an injured limb, modern medicine involves the following set of measures:
- The use of warming ointments based on ichthyol, ketoprofen, etc., which are applied to the swollen area twice a day (in accordance with the instructions). They stimulate the outflow of lymph and blood.
- Massage or hydromassage complex. The patient is able to perform a massage with his own hands only after a short instruction from a specialist, or this procedure is carried out in a medical institution.
- Electrical stimulation of leg muscles.
- Ultraviolet irradiation of the injured area.
- Electrophoresis, phonophoresis.