How is a broken femur diagnosed in children?
It is important that the doctor know exactly how the injury occurred. Tell the doctor if your child had any disease or other trauma before it happened.
The doctor will give your child pain relief medication and carefully examine the leg, including the hip and knee. A child with a thighbone fracture should always be evaluated for other serious injuries.
Imaging Tests
Your child’s doctor will need x-rays to see what the broken bone looks like. Your child's healthy leg may also be x-rayed for comparison. The orthopedic doctor will also check the x-ray for any damage to the growth area (growth plate) near the end of the femur. This is the part that enables the child's bone to grow. If needed, surgery may help to restore the growth plate's function, and regular x-rays may be taken for many months to track the bone's growth.