Yes, a broken femur can affect your knee.
A femur fracture, while occurring in the thigh bone, can lead to complications that impact the knee joint. Here's how:
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Indirect Effects: While the femur is not directly connected to the knee joint, its proximity means that a fracture, especially a severe one, can alter the biomechanics of the leg. This altered alignment can place undue stress on the knee.
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Non-Union and Malunion: As indicated by the reference, long-term problems include the break not healing (non-union) or healing incorrectly (malunion). This can cause pain, weakness, and knee deformity.
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Arthritis: The reference notes that if the knee joint was injured this can cause arthritis. Therefore, if the initial femur fracture also involved trauma to the knee joint itself, the risk of developing arthritis increases significantly.
In summary, although a femur fracture primarily affects the thigh, potential complications such as altered biomechanics, non-union, malunion, or direct injury to the knee during the initial trauma can all lead to problems in the knee joint.
