Swelling of the leg after fracture of the leg: causes, treatment. Reconstructive medicine

Why does the leg swelling after a broken leg? The reasons for this phenomenon will be considered in the materials of this article. We will also tell you how to properly treat this pathological condition.

basic information

Swelling of the leg after fracture of the leg occurs quite often. Before you tell how to get rid of this phenomenon, you should find out what it is.

Edema is the accumulation of some fluid in the soft tissues of the body. Very often, such a pathological condition develops after traumatism of the limb. Experts explain this phenomenon by the disturbed blood flow in the damaged area of the body.

Swelling of the leg after a fracture of the leg can appear immediately after the injury, and also develop after a while, including after the fracture has fully healed.

Features of edema

Swelling of the leg after fracture of the leg can be a prolonged and not passing phenomenon. Very often the cause of such consequences is not only bad blood flow, but also damage or disruption of the integrity of ligaments or muscle tissue, as well as failures in their normal work.

When a tumor appears on the injured limb, the patient may experience severe and aching pain. Also in this place the color of the skin changes.

In the event that the fracture was open or intraarticular, comminuted or dislocated, swelling can be observed not only on the injured part of the foot, but also on its entire surface.

It should also be noted that sometimes with such traumas, patients lose skin sensitivity and experience constant soreness, which eventually leads to a decrease in the motor activity of a person. Because of this, the patient can develop serious complications.

Main reasons

Gypsum on the leg with a fracture is a normal situation. In this case, very often there are such cases when, after a long immobilization of the limb, the bones coalesce well and quickly, and after removal of the bandage, during the rehabilitation of the patient, edema develops on the leg. In this case, the skin remains without visible damage. In medical practice, this problem is called "lymphostasis".

According to experts, lymphatic edema can occur due to disruption of the outflow and lymphatic drainage. At the same time, as a result of a fracture, the affected person can be damaged not only by bones, but also by vessels, nearby tissues, nerves, muscles, lymph nodes, ligaments and the like.

With the appearance of lymphostasis, the patient may experience complications such as elephantiasis, cystoses, ulcers, fibrosis and others. There are also cases when the edema of the injured area not only causes its compaction, but there is a thickening of the skin.

Other reasons

Why is the leg swelling after the fracture (what should we do in this situation, we will tell later)? As a rule, when the integrity of the ligaments is severed, the joints are limited in movement. Also in them there may be excessive mobility. Such phenomena contribute to the development of a strong puffiness, which is the cause of the appearance of the "elephant bone" or bone growths.

Gypsum on the leg does not provoke the appearance of swelling. This pathological condition is caused by completely different causes. But in any case, when such symptoms appear, you should immediately consult a doctor, since their ignoring entails very serious consequences.

How to remove the swelling after a broken leg?

There are many ways to eliminate the swelling that occurs after getting injured. However, to select the most appropriate method, you should always contact the doctor. This is due to the fact that any cure for edema has its own side reactions and contraindications.

By the way, to eliminate the swelling of the lower extremities after a serious injury can not only modern drugs, but also special procedures, which should also be recommended by an experienced doctor.

So how do you remove the swelling after a broken leg? There are several methods for eliminating such a pathological condition. They include folk, traditional and alternative.

The traditional method of eliminating edema

To remove swelling of the lower extremity, restorative medicine requires the use of various creams, gels and ointments. Such local preparations help to improve not only lymph flow, but also blood flow.

According to experts, the medicine for edema should contain heparin. This substance belongs to the group of direct anticoagulants, which prevents blood coagulability and quickly eliminates any swelling.

Also, after a fracture of a limb, doctors very often prescribe to their patients anti-inflammatory drugs and ketoprofen containing preparations for local use. In addition, to improve blood flow and lymph flow, some experts recommend the use of ketoprofenic or ichthyol ointment. "These agents produce a warming effect and have an antitumor effect.To apply these ointments should be no more than three times a day, rubbing them intensely into the skin area until completely absorbed .

Alternative methods

In addition to traditional methods in the form of the use of medicines and ointments, restorative medicine recommends removing the edema of the limb after fracture by means of various physiotherapy procedures, including UV irradiation, electrophoresis, electrostimulation and others. However, it should be remembered that such methods do not always give the opportunity to see the result of treatment immediately after its beginning.

So, to remove the edema of the lower limb after a fracture, doctors recommend:

• Electrostimulation of muscles. This procedure has a beneficial effect on the tissue after damage.
• Hydromassage or regular massage, improving the blood supply of damaged tissues, as well as the production and outflow of lymph. You can do such a massage yourself or entrust this procedure to a specialist.
• UV irradiation of the damage area.
• Electrophoresis.
• Phonophoresis.

Folk remedies

Swelling of the leg after an ankle fracture can occur in any person. Most often with this problem the patient turns to the doctor. But if traditional methods of therapy do not help, then it is worth paying attention to the already proven folk remedies.

In order to eliminate swelling of the legs, alternative medicine offers the use of a variety of oils, which must be gently rubbed into the lesions.

As such folk remedies, experts recommend using cedar, fir or other oils that promote tissue regeneration and have a warming effect. In addition, in non-traditional medicine, very many people use compresses with special clay or tincture. By the way, some of them can be taken even inside.

Consider the most effective and popular remedies that are most effective in eliminating edema:

• Pharmacy blue clay. The powder is diluted with a small amount of water, and then made from the resulting mass cake, which must completely cover the damaged area. It is applied to the fracture site for about 40-55 minutes. This compress should be done three times a day.
• Fir oil is intensively rubbed into the skin, where swelling of the tissues is observed. This procedure should be performed immediately after sleep and immediately before it.

• Infusion of arnica. To prepare such an antitumor solution, several large spoons of the crushed plant are poured hot water (steep boiling water) and insist for about an hour. It should be remembered that 1 liter of liquid should take about 30 g arnica. After a while, the infusion is filtered through cheesecloth, after which it is used for compresses and lotions, which are applied to the fracture site for 1/4 hours before bedtime.