home Calculators Types and methods of rehabilitation after limb fractures. A set of rehabilitation measures after a broken leg

Types and methods of rehabilitation after limb fractures. A set of rehabilitation measures after a broken leg

Rehabilitation for fractures includes a set of tools rehabilitation treatment, which is based on physical therapy. Important for medical and vocational rehabilitation patients also have massage, mechanotherapy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, etc.

The main form of carrying out therapeutic exercises for fractures are individual sessions, the methodology for carrying them out must correspond to the stage of the reparative process. On early stages fracture consolidation tasks physical therapy is stimulation metabolic processes in the body, prevention or elimination of the consequences of hypostatic complications, muscle wasting in damaged segments of the limbs or torso, prevention of contractures, normalization of the patient’s psycho-emotional background.

To implement these tasks in case of bone fractures, hygienic gymnastics and training in self-care skills are used. A set of hygienic gymnastics exercises usually includes 10 - 12 general tonic exercises for the muscles of intact limbs or torso, which alternate with breathing exercises. To prevent and eliminate hypostatic complications during this period, massage is used chest in combination with breathing exercises. To prevent muscle wasting and contractures, isometric muscle tension and imaginary (ideomotor) movements in immobilized joints are used. For the purpose of a general tonic effect, active physical exercise in undamaged segments and non-fixed joints of the damaged limb. In case of fractures of the bones of the lower limb, the tasks of physical therapy also include training the support function of the damaged lower limb.

After the patient can exercise in vertical position, he is taught to walk with the help of crutches, initially without support on the damaged limb, and later, if there is confidence in the strong fixation of bone fragments, with partial or full axial load. The axial load when walking with crutches, in the absence of contraindications (the possibility of secondary displacement of bone fragments, infection in the fracture area, etc.), is constantly increased, and over time the patient is allowed to walk with a cane or with full load. Walking with one crutch as an intermediate stage is impractical, because... can lead to the development of a vicious gait.

After stopping immobilization in tasks of exercise therapy include: restoration of mobility in joints, muscle strength, complexly coordinated movements, especially those found in everyday life, and production skills, training endurance for various physical activities. This allows for complete medical, professional and social rehabilitation sick.

For a number of skeletal injuries (some fractures surgical cervix humerus, uncomplicated fractures of the spine, pelvis, etc.) physical therapy is the leading method in the complex therapeutic measures. Reposition, immobilization and restoration of function in the functional method of treating fractures are carried out from the first days after injury in parallel, in the process of performing special physical exercises.

Physiobalneotherapy is widely used in the treatment of fractures. IN early dates After injury, UHF, ultrasound, and inductothermy are used to relieve pain, reduce swelling and improve blood circulation. Later, after removal plaster cast, electrophoresis or phonophoresis with various medicinal substances, UV irradiation, electrical stimulation of muscles. After complete healing of the fracture, coniferous or pine-salt, sodium chloride, radon, and iodine-bromine baths are indicated.

Violation of the integrity of the bone, unfortunately, is common and belongs to the category of severe injuries. Injuries of the spine, lower and upper limbs, require a lot of attention. Depending on the type of fracture, surgical intervention is performed. The recovery process is quite lengthy and consists of two stages:

treatment;
rehabilitation after a fracture.

Since while the bones are healing, the injured limb is in a motionless state - in a plaster cast, a partial or complete loss of motor ability is observed. To eliminate this deficiency, it is necessary to carry out recovery after a fracture, aimed at increasing the tone around the articular muscles and ligaments, as well as at developing the joint.

Let us immediately note that a fracture is a complex disorder in the human body that entails a number of negative phenomena:

bone fracture;
damage to soft tissues (even rupture is possible);
inflammatory processes;
movement restrictions;
Sudeck's syndrome.

It will take a lot of time to eliminate all of the above. It takes at least a month for bones to fuse (this is provided there is no concomitant diseases). Then begins an equally important moment when it is necessary to develop the damaged limb or joint. There are a number of means for this. However, you should not make appointments yourself. It is the doctor who, after examination, must prescribe a set of procedures, which will include rehabilitation after a fracture.

Rehabilitation measures after a fracture

As soon as the bones grow together, the doctor removes the plaster and prescribes further recovery. Physiotherapy for a fracture is prescribed in the first days. These procedures help develop the joint, relieve swelling, stimulate tone muscle tissue. Gymnastics for the limbs is simply a must, and to prevent atrophy of muscles and ligaments, it is performed under the strict guidance of a specialist for several months (it all depends on the degree of injury). Exercise therapy for a fracture is prescribed to the patient strictly individually. When developing exercises, the type of injury, the condition of the bones, muscles, ligaments, and the general well-being of the patient are taken into account. Rehabilitation exercises can improve the functioning of the circulatory system and increase the tone of soft and connective tissues. It is also useful to massage for bone fractures. It is even prescribed over a splint or plaster cast using magnetic therapy, and it is also continued after the fixing bandage is removed. Massage must be done very carefully so as not to damage the weak joint.

It is good to undergo rehabilitation in case of bone injuries special institutions, where a full range of services for recovery from injuries is provided.

In order to develop the joint, you should make special compresses, take “pearl baths”, and perform therapeutic gymnastic exercises, accept special drugs, which strengthen bones and accelerate the regeneration of soft tissues.

Let us outline the general stages and actions for limb rehabilitation:

Swelling after a fracture must be completely eliminated. It always appears after prolonged immobilization of a limb. Warming compresses, warming ointment, herbal and salt baths, physiotherapy are indicated;
restore motor activity to the joint. You can do this using mineral baths, special exercises, also assigned special massage after a fracture;
restoration of muscles that were completely inactive during the injury and began to lose their basic functions. You should pay attention to nutrition, special training, you can use ointment externally, prepared yourself or purchased at a pharmacy. At first, any physical exercises can be done only in the presence of a rehabilitation doctor.

Salt and fir baths help quickly relieve swelling and strengthen the joint. They can be prepared at home. For baths use water at 37-38 degrees. Either sea or table rock salt is added to it at the rate of one tablespoon per liter of water. This procedure is indicated before bedtime for fifteen minutes. Water soothes overworked legs and improves tissue tone. Efficient withdrawal Swelling is also observed when taking fir baths from an infusion of fresh twigs.

Also, in order to restore the joint in case of fractures, ointment is prescribed. Its advantage is local action, which reaches desired effect V as soon as possible. The ointment is used for:

restoration of atrophied muscles;
relieving swelling;
tissue nutrition;
improve blood circulation.

Data medications used for pain relief, warming and inflammation relief. Popular products include: Lidocaine, Ketonal, Diclofenac, Nise, Nurofen. These drugs are not recommended for use for more than two weeks and for children under twelve years of age.

The ointment is also used externally to relieve swelling. Doctors prescribe Troxevasin, Heparin, Indovazin, Lyoton for these cases.

For healing, an ointment based on snake or bee venom. Among the drugs include Viprosal and Virapin. They are used after the bones have fused, the swelling has gone and the pain has become unnoticeable. Thanks to its composition, the medicine effectively saturates the blood with oxygen, amino acids and protein, which is what the body needs after an injury. The advantages of ointments are in their local action, minimizing side effects and good therapeutic results.

Sudeck's syndrome. Symptoms and treatment methods

Sudeck syndrome is a complication resulting from damage to the limbs. Occurs during prolonged immobilization (fracture, burns) and is manifested by inflammation and damage to bone, tissue, nerve endings. Most often, the complication manifests itself in older people. The disease occurs as a result of incorrect and untimely care for limb injuries.

Stages of development of Sudeck syndrome:

Redness, swelling, pain and increased temperature in the affected area;
Blue skin, muscle spasms, lack of x-rays bone areas;
The joint becomes immobile, any movement is accompanied by severe pain.

Sudeck syndrome at the third stage cannot be cured.

This complication occurs as a result of excessive load on the bones, which have not yet fully strengthened and recovered after the fracture, due to damage to the soft tissue through a tight fixing bandage.

A neurologist should diagnose Sudeck syndrome. It is imperative to take an x-ray of the damaged limbs and conduct laboratory research blood. Treatment in this case will be strictly individual. IN general outline Sudeck's syndrome is eliminated with the help of medications and therapeutic exercise. It is worth noting that treatment folk remedies does not produce results and can lead to the third, irreversible stage of the disease.

We also note that Sudeck syndrome is quite difficult to prevent, especially in adulthood. Therefore, it is important to be attentive to injured limbs and, at the slightest change, seek the advice of a doctor in order to prevent the development of this complication.

The disease occurs as a result of incorrect and untimely care for limb injuries.

Rehabilitation after a fracture is a series necessary measures, which effectively restore physiological abilities and functions lost by organs. It is important to understand that this is a complex effect, including:

specially selected diet;
physiotherapeutic procedures;
physical therapy and other types of physical activity;
special types of massage;
magnetic therapy;
UV irradiation;
electrical stimulation;
ultrasound therapy;
therapeutic baths, mud therapy.

Each of these types of rehabilitation interventions is aimed at achieving a certain therapeutic purpose. Therefore, focus on one of the methods, for example, physical activity, ignoring dietary recommendations, unacceptable.

The course of rehabilitation measures is prescribed by the attending physician, taking into account the type and degree of complexity of the injury, the age and general condition of the patient, possible concomitant diseases and how the fracture is healing. It is necessary to start procedures as early as possible. They are often prescribed within a few days after the injury and the provision of the necessary medical care: surgical intervention or applying a plaster cast.

Early initiation of rehabilitation therapy helps prevent complications and ensure good functioning of the injured body part later. The patient begins many procedures even before the plaster cast is removed.

Some features of rehabilitation after a fracture

Rehabilitation for fractures has several areas of influence:

Removes excess liquid, formed in the tissues (edema) due to injury and prolonged immobility of the damaged part of the body. Physical activity helps restore blood circulation, strengthens blood vessels and eliminates the effects of congestion.
Enables the restoration of all motor functions to an optimal level.
Restores muscles damaged by injury and weakened by prolonged immobility. This is facilitated by a specially selected diet, which is designed to provide the body with the necessary “ building material", restore the body’s performance and the possibility of its self-renewal.

If the fracture is complicated by displacement or the bone was broken in several places, then recovery after the fracture takes long time, since the damaged part of the body was motionless for a long time. And the rehabilitation measures themselves should in this case be carried out very carefully and responsibly. In case of complicated fractures, it is the complex, coordinated effect that becomes important. This will prevent you from overloading a weakened, vulnerable place. Excessive stress during massage and physical therapy, excessive physiotherapeutic procedures or not balanced diet can cause no less harm to the body than their deficiency.

In simple cases, rehabilitation measures can be carried out at home, in more difficult cases necessary procedures better to go to medical institutions- in a hospital during the patient’s stay there or on an outpatient basis. Recovery from severe fractures or prolonged immobility may require a course of special procedures in a sanatorium.

Physiotherapeutic procedures

Physiotherapeutic procedures used for fractures include:

UHF therapy and low-frequency magnetic therapy - to reduce pain and elimination of edema.
Interference currents of constant and rhythmic frequency.
Ultraviolet irradiation and summer time- sun and air baths. These procedures accelerate the formation of new bone tissue.

At the first stage after a fracture (up to 10 days after injury), physiotherapy promotes:

reduction of pain;
eliminating the consequences of hemorrhages, eliminating swelling, reducing inflammation;
healing of bone tissue;
improving blood circulation and mineral metabolism.

In the second stage (from 10 to 45 days - depending on which bone is broken), the goal of physical therapy is:

acceleration ;
warning functional disorders in joints and muscles.

The third stage of recovery can last up to 3 months. At this time, physiotherapeutic procedures are aimed at improving cellular nutrition and preventing possible complications.

What is therapeutic massage?

Massage after a fracture allows you to:

restore muscle and joint function faster;
improve general health patient; quickly restore activity and the ability to move independently;
normalize metabolism, lung function, and cardiovascular system;
reduce pain in the damaged organ.
accelerate the recovery of bone and muscle tissue.

Massage begins 2-3 days after the fracture. They massage not only the damaged organ, but also the paired one. If the injured part of the body is immobilized with a plaster cast, massage is also possible through a splint.

The impact of massage must be strictly dosed and aimed specifically at achieving the required effect. Simple kneading of muscles, rubbing and other similar techniques do not give therapeutic effect and are rarely used after fractures. This is how rehabilitation massage differs from preventive and restorative massage. Therefore, massage should be carried out by a specialist and strictly in accordance with the doctor’s instructions.

Medical nutrition

2/3 of bone tissue consists of minerals, and 1/3 - from bone cells and elastic proteins (collagen). Therefore, to accelerate the growth of healthy bone tissue, the body requires a balanced diet, including:

amino acids - primarily lysine, arginine, proline, glycine, cysteine and glutamine, which are part of the proteins that form bone tissue;
antioxidants that destroy free radicals, formed in damaged cells, and thereby reduce inflammation and increase protective functions organism, and also serve as catalysts for intracellular chemical reactions; most powerful antioxidants are vitamins C, D, K and B 6;
microelements - calcium, zinc, copper, phosphorus, silicon are needed for the formation of bone tissue.

In order for these substances to enter the body in the required quantities, you need to eat food, rich in proteins, with a minimum content of saturated fat: beans, low-fat dairy products, fish (preferably fatty), poultry. The main source of antioxidants is fruits and vegetables.

At the same time, you should reduce your consumption of red meat, sugar, and caffeine. Extremely Negative influence Alcohol affects the treatment of a fracture - it interferes with the body's absorption of calcium and other elements necessary for the formation of bone tissue.

Therapeutic exercise (physical therapy)

Prolonged immobility after a fracture causes the muscles to weaken and become unable to function normally. Physical therapy helps restore muscle performance. The types of exercises depend on the location and severity of the fracture.

Loads during physical therapy should be moderate. Under no circumstances should you be allowed to experience severe pain while performing exercises. If pain occurs, it is necessary to reduce the load, and perhaps, on the recommendation of a doctor, change the set of exercises performed.

Also plays an important role breathing exercises, which improves the body's oxygen supply.

Breathing exercises are extremely necessary for complex fractures (for example, the femoral neck), in which the patient is unable to move independently for a long time, and forced immobility complicates the functioning of the lungs.

The recovery period is a necessary part of treatment after a fracture. Correctly selected and fully carried out measures after removing the plaster or fixing bandage help to fully restore the motor functions of the limb, ensure full mobility, smooth gait, and avoid post-traumatic complications and pain. Rehabilitation after a broken leg includes a number of necessary types treatment and exercises, without which it will not be possible to fully recover.

Features of rehabilitation after a broken leg

After removing the cast, even after a short immobilization and fracture of small bones of the foot, discomfort is felt in the leg, muscles and ligaments lose elasticity, firmness, and joints lose mobility.

Goals rehabilitation:

restoration of muscle tissue;
stimulation of blood supply and lymph movement;
strengthening blood vessels, overcoming stagnation in them;
reduction of edema, acceleration of metabolic processes and fluid outflow from tissues;
restoration of full joint mobility, overcoming contracture.

For complex fractures of large bones and joints, long-term immobility, long and comprehensive rehabilitation is required. It is especially difficult for weakened or elderly people with serious diseases in which metabolism, hematopoiesis, and vascular patency are impaired.

Before rehabilitation after a displaced leg fracture, it may sometimes be necessary to additional operation due to improper fusion of bones.

A recovery period is necessary after any fracture. It includes:

First stage– massage, rubbing the sore spot, light exercise, using local funds stimulating tissue repair.
Second– performing increasingly complex exercise therapy complexes, physiotherapy.
Third– Exercise therapy, constantly increasing physical activity, walking, sanatorium and balneological treatment.

All stages are accompanied by a diet that helps speed up metabolism and strengthen muscles and bones. To position the foot correctly and help with movement, it is recommended to wear special insoles and orthoses so as not to overload the limb.

Please note: on initial stage movements are accompanied by pain, which is considered normal. Gradual development of muscles and the return of motor activity will gradually reduce pain.

Complexes of rehabilitation exercises

The type of exercises is selected by a rehabilitation physician, depending on the nature of the injury. Exercises during rehabilitation after a fracture tibia legs will be different from physical therapy for a foot injury. For any limb injury, the following movements are useful:

bending your legs at the knee can be done without getting out of bed in the morning;
standing, shift your weight on different legs in turn;
perform swings with maximum amplitude (forward, backward, to the sides), holding the leg in the final position for 2-3 seconds, if necessary, holding the support with your hand;
squats, starting with shallow ones, with the arms fixed upward, to the sides, in front of the chest;
transferring weight from heels to toes;
from a lying position, do scissors, alternating limb lifts, and a bicycle.

Exercises on an exercise bike, swimming, and walking are useful.

Walking

The best and easiest way to exercise your leg with natural movements is walking. You need to walk away from highways, starting on a good, flat road, gradually increasing the load. It is useful to move around by changing your pace, moving from a fast to a slow step. It is also necessary to go down and up low hills.

You should include walking backwards and sideways with cross steps. With absence pain syndrome It is necessary to gradually switch to running, ending the walk with a calm step.

Rules for performing exercises

For each type of injury, special complexes have been developed that take into account the location and type of fracture, the presence of displacement and surgery, the patient’s condition, and his age.

Exercises for rehabilitation after a fracture of the tibia of the leg are performed in the following volume:

morning and evening exercises – 10-15 minutes every day;
exercise machines – 45 minutes 2 times a week;
daily walking in the prescribed volume (distance);
warm-up complexes – 3-4 times a day for 3-5 minutes;
swimming lesson – 45 minutes 2 times a week;
exercise therapy complex – 45 minutes 2 times a week.

Similar loads are also necessary during rehabilitation after a broken ankle; only special exercises can differ.

A prerequisite for exercise is to resume it several times during the day in order to constantly stimulate the muscles.

If it is not possible to perform some types of recommended exercises, you should increase the time and complexity of the possible ones. In this case, you should have a rubber band and a foot expander at home.

Exercising only in the gym will not create the necessary load; you need to study at home.

Classes end half an hour before meals and 1.5 hours before bedtime.

Rehabilitation after a fracture of the little toe or other toe is faster. In this case, more movements are performed on fine motor skills– lifting small objects with fingers, rolling balls, walking barefoot on uneven surfaces.

A necessary condition for successful recovery is the full loading of all joints and muscle groups of the injured limb, and not just the diseased area.

Rehabilitation and exercises after a broken leg after osteosynthesis surgery begin after the sutures are removed. After using the Ilizarov apparatus or traction, classes begin 10-14 days after removal of the devices.

Important: you cannot remain motionless for a long time, especially incorrect position. You should sit without crossing your legs; you will have to forget about your favorite cross-legged position.

Recovery diets

Proper nutrition should be organized while wearing a cast. It will help bones heal and improve muscle condition. At a fracture lower limbs A protein intake of up to 120 g per day is required.

To quickly heal bones, the body needs the following elements: calcium, zinc, magnesium. Sources:

For better absorption calcium requires vitamin D, in large quantities contained in fatty types fish.

Phosphorus, necessary for bone restoration, is contained in liver, grains, dairy products, beans, and nuts.

Vitamins help improve metabolism in tissues. In case of fractures, it is necessary to increase the consumption of products with vitamins D, C, A, group B or take pharmaceutical complexes.

The most suitable is diet No. 11, with the necessary amount of protein to restore muscle and bone tissue, as well as calories to perform rehabilitation exercises after a broken leg. Meals – 5 times a day, cooking – normal processing. It is necessary to avoid fried and smoked foods.

Fluid intake – 1.5 liters.

Application of massage

Massage is the first and the best remedy restoration of muscle tissue. In most cases, it is indicated when a cast is placed on the free part of the leg. Even if movement is not recommended during immobilization, you can improve blood flow by gently massaging exposed areas.

After restriction of mobility, muscle atrophy, swelling due to fluid accumulation and metabolic disorders in tissues are observed. Massage helps stimulate the movement of blood and lymph, strengthen the walls of blood vessels, develop joints, helping with hands in moving the legs.

It is better to entrust the initial stage of massage to a specialist in order to understand how to perform the movements correctly. In the future, relatives will help, and it is also possible to do it yourself.

To enhance the effect, you can use massage cream or medications for external use.

Features of rehabilitation at home

Even if the patient attends exercise therapy or physiotherapy in the clinic, at home he should do a warm-up, follow a motor regimen, and adhere to a diet. A complex approach promotes rapid recovery.

Sea salt baths help relieve swelling and increase blood circulation in the sore limb, medicinal herbs And essential oils. They are done at first every day, as they improve - once every 2-3 days.

It is necessary to wear insoles to help straighten the position of the foot. At home, you should walk barefoot more to avoid hypothermia. If swelling and pain persist, on the advice of a doctor, you can use external agents - Nise, Troxevasin, Diclofenac.

Recovery from injury takes a long time and requires great effort and perseverance. Even with a minor fracture of the small bones of the foot, rehabilitation takes 2 months. In difficult cases unpleasant consequences injuries are eliminated from several months to 1.5-2 years. All this time it is necessary to adhere to a diet, do exercises, and walk the recommended distances to prevent the development of lameness.

Elderly patients often fail to overcome complications. Another circumstance that aggravates rehabilitation is excess weight.

Conclusion

Rehabilitation after a broken leg bone continues until full recovery mobility, absence of swelling and absence of pain. Its success depends on the patient’s determination and the correctly selected set of treatment methods.

Trauma follows a person everywhere, especially in childhood. And especially leg fractures. In medicine, a fracture of the lower extremities is an absolute violation of the integrity of the bone. This is possible as a result of the influence various reasons external character, which exceeded the strength limits of bone.

In this case, qualified medical assistance is required, long-term treatment and an equally long period of rehabilitation after a broken leg.

Briefly about fractures

IN human body There are about 206 bones, and almost any of them can be broken in one situation or another. There are many divisions of fractures according to different classifications.

In case of incomplete violation of the integrity of the bone, fractures can be in the form of:

broken;
cracks;
perforated fracture;
marginal fracture.

Complete violation of the integrity of the bone is divided into fractures in the form of:

open;
closed;
single;
multiple.

Fractures can be with or without displacement, accompanied by burns, wounds, and so on. But almost all fractures are characterized by the presence of a variety of symptoms, among which complaints of pain, swelling and hemorrhage are of primary importance. Often with fractures there is external shortening of the limb and its pathological mobility.

Diagnosis and treatment

In the diagnosis of leg fractures great importance has established the fact of injury and the patient's complaint. They should be supported by a physical examination and x-ray examination injured leg in two projections.

Only if all the components are present, a final diagnosis is made and appropriate treatment is prescribed.

The complex of treatment measures for a fracture includes:

removing the victim from a state of shock;
performing pain relief at the fracture site;
if necessary, stop bleeding and reposition bone fragments;
applying a plaster cast.

In cases where the fracture is multiple, osteosynthesis surgery may be required. The final decision in this case is made solely by the doctor. After completing all of the above procedures, all that remains is to wait for bone fusion and engage in rehabilitation measures to speed up this process.

5 main tasks of rehabilitation

Prolonged contact of the leg with a plaster cast entails inevitable atrophy of muscle cells due to circulatory failure and low supply of nutritional substances. To avoid this, a whole complex was developed rehabilitation activities for broken legs.

After completing the rehabilitation program, the following goals should be achieved:

eliminated vascular pathology with muscle atrophy;
increased muscle tone and elasticity;
improved joint mobility;
congestion in the fracture area is eliminated;
increased motor activity of the leg as a whole.

To achieve all of these goals, there are three stages of rehabilitation:

massage with physiotherapy;
physiotherapy;
proper nutrition.

Let's look at each of the listed stages in more detail.

First stage

It is logical to assume that long stay legs in a plaster cast leads to poor circulation. Lymphatic drainage from this area is also impaired.

In order to improve them, rehabilitation after a fracture necessarily includes a leg massage, which is often supported by various rubbing with warming ointments or cedar oil.

As a result, we can achieve:

improving local blood flow;
getting rid of swelling and congestion in the legs;
increasing recovery speed cartilage tissue;
promotion muscle tone and physical activity.

We should not forget about contraindications. These include:

Availability open damage on the foot;
heat;
spicy infectious diseases and exacerbation of chronic;
skin rashes;
blood diseases.

Only in the absence of all of the above, a massage course of at least 10 procedures is recommended.

Important! Massage should be carried out on both legs at once, so that after removing the cast, overall mobility and functionality are restored faster. Not only a professional massage therapist can perform massage procedures. The patient is allowed to do the massage on his own, which will significantly speed up the recovery process.

Special baths, which may include: sea salt. It is enough just to dissolve 100 grams of salt in 100 ml of water and immerse the injured leg in the solution for 10 minutes to notice a noticeable improvement after just a few such procedures.

At the first stage, physical procedures are required. For rapid fusion of bones after a broken leg, warming procedures in the form of applications with wax or ozokerite are useful.

Sessions of magnetic therapy, UHF, ultrasound and electrophoresis will be useful for fractures. After just a few physical treatments general state will improve and the recovery process will go faster.

Second phase

Physical therapy has long proven its effectiveness in treating many diseases. And fractures are one of them. Specially designed exercises will help restore lost leg functions as a result of a fracture, prevent trophic and nutritional disorders, and improve blood flow in the tissues. This will create all the conditions for rapid bone fusion. But the most active activities are prescribed only after the plaster is removed.

Rehabilitation after a fracture of the lower extremities includes two main types of movements - active and passive. The latter are performed with the help of a specialist in physical therapy, using special devices. Active ones should be started after removal of the plaster cast or formation of a callus.

There are several basic rules for physical therapy after a broken leg:

The load on the legs must be dosed.
If pain occurs, you should stop and stop exercising.
You need to exercise regularly, gradually increasing the load.
Perform exercises with both legs.

Before starting the class, you should massage or take baths to warm up the limb. Breathing exercises play an important role in the rehabilitation of fractures, which is recommended from the very first hours after applying a plaster cast or performing surgery to connect bone fragments. Ideomotor exercises, which represent the mental imagination of one or another, are also useful for fractures. active movement.

Set of exercises

Experts have developed a whole gymnastic complex that allows you to restore lost mobility in the leg after a fracture in a short time.

Hiking. Exactly walking- the gold standard that will eventually return the former mobility to a broken leg. You should walk regularly, with full support of the injured limb. In the first days of classes, this can be done with the help of crutches. Then they should be abandoned.
Rotation of the foot. This exercise is very useful, but should only be performed after a week of removing the cast. From a sitting or lying position, you just need to rotate your foot to the right and left.
Swing your legs. For this exercise you will need a chair for support. You need to stand next to him, holding his back. Then you should raise the sore leg forward and the top in horizontal position. Must be held for 10 seconds. The same must be done with the second leg. Over time, the duration of holding the leg in the air should reach one or two minutes. It is recommended to swing not only forward, but also to the sides. The number of approaches must be at least ten.

Rolling from heel to toe. You should stand next to a chair, holding onto its back. Then you need to rise on the toe of one leg and slowly move the support from the toe to the heel. Repeat the same with the second leg. Over time, the exercise can be complicated by doing rolls while standing on only one leg.
Cross swings. From a lying position on the floor, you should swing your legs, slightly raising your limbs and crossing them.

Important! Exercises on exercise machines are allowed only two months after a leg fracture. Only after the permission of the treating doctor and under the strict guidance of a professional and experienced instructor.

Third stage

A proper, nutritious diet is always important, and especially with fractures. To restore the musculoskeletal system and form callus at the fracture site, proteins, vitamins, microelements, hyaluronic acid and chondroitins are important. The diet should contain foods with high content calcium and silicon.

For fractures, you must include in your diet:

fermented milk products, cheese;
milk and cottage cheese;
sea fish;
bran bread;
radishes and greens;
black currants, apples, raspberries, pears;
cauliflower.

Vitamin D facilitates the rapid absorption of calcium. Vitamins A and E will be of great benefit. It is often recommended to take multivitamin complexes for fractures. If cartilage tissue is damaged, chondroprotectors will be useful, but only a doctor can determine their need.

Important! When taking any medication on your own, there is always a risk of overdose or side effects. For example, the formation of stones in the kidneys and liver. There are also a number of contraindications for use that you may not be aware of. As a result, the effect will be exactly the opposite.

On last stage rehabilitation can be connected Spa treatment which will allow the entire body to fully recover. Afterwards, you can begin to perform your daily duties in full.

Prevention of fractures

From all of the above, it becomes clear that rehabilitation after a fracture is a very difficult and lengthy process. And only from stubborn collaboration The final result depends on the doctor and the patient.

That is why it is important to prevent fractures. It is always easier to prevent their occurrence than to later spend a lot of physical and moral effort, time and money on treatment.

There are several tips to prevent fractures:

Observe proper diet. It is necessary to consume foods containing calcium. You need to spend more time outside in sunny weather, which will promote the production of vitamin D.
Warm up before physical activity. When visiting sports clubs and fitness centers, you should be aware that before performing any exercises, a full warm-up warm-up should be carried out.
Refuse bad habits. Alcohol abuse and smoking have an adverse effect on all organs and systems, including the musculoskeletal system.
Plan your daily routine wisely. You should never work to the point of exhaustion. Loads should be measured and diluted with rest breaks.
Watch your weight. Excess weight can play a role in causing a fracture due to injury. If possible, you should get rid of extra pounds.

It is recommended to comply with the most simple rules: wear comfortable shoes (steady heels are important for women), cross the street carefully, avoid icy conditions. When riding a bicycle or rollerblading, wear a helmet and elbow pads with knee pads. The bathroom must have an anti-slip mat and slippers on your feet. You never know where you will slip and fall, but it is quite possible to prevent such a development of events.