Important Service Update

A broken leg often happens after a serious accident like a car crash.

You may have broken your leg if you've injured it and it's:

• painful, swollen and bruised
• difficult to move
• shorter, twisted or bent
• making a grating noise (if the ends of the broken bones rub together)

If the break is severe, you may have a wound with the bone sticking out.

It can sometimes be hard to tell if a bone is broken. You'll probably need an X-ray.

Stress fractures

If you have pain in your leg that has come on over a few weeks, it could be due to small cracks or breaks in the bone. This is known as a stress fracture.

Stress fractures are usually caused by doing a repetitive activity, such as running.

Get help from NHS 111 if:

Call 999 or go to A&E if:

If you think you've broken your leg, there are some things you can do while waiting to see a doctor.

You should:

• avoid moving your leg or putting weight on it
• avoid raising your leg
• put some padding, such as clothing or a blanket, around the leg to support it
• stop any bleeding – put pressure on the wound using a clean cloth or dressing
• use painkillers, such as paracetamol, to help with the pain
• avoid eating or drinking in case you need surgery

Treatment for a broken leg depends on the type of break and how bad it is.

Treatments can include:

• rest for a stress fracture – you'll need to avoid the activity that caused the fracture and take the weight off it by using crutches or wearing a padded boot
• a cast to keep your leg still and hold the bones in place while they heal
• surgery – for serious breaks, plates, rods or screws may be used to keep the bones in position while they heal
• a weight and pulley (traction) to pull the bone back into place – this is often used to treat small children with a broken thigh bone

A broken leg usually takes 6 to 12 weeks to heal, but it can sometimes take longer.

You'll usually have follow-up appointments to check your leg is healing properly.

After the cast is removed, you may need physiotherapy for several months to reduce any stiffness in your leg and help strengthen it.

Ask your doctor when you can return to contact sports or other activities that put a lot of strain on your leg.

Things you can do to help your recovery

It's important to follow any advice you're given by the hospital or fracture clinic.

There are some things you can do to ease pain and help your broken leg recover.

Get help from NHS 111 if:

Things you can do to help lower your chances of breaking your leg include:

• wearing the right shoes and taking enough rest time if you do a lot of running
• eating a healthy diet that includes protein, calcium and vitamin D (this is particularly important for preventing osteoporosis in women after the menopause)
• trying to prevent falls by making sure rooms and staircases are well lit, using non-slip mats and doing strength exercises and balance exercises