Femoral fracture in an amputation stump.

Abstract

Presentation: We report a case of a 60-year-old male with bilateral lower limb amputations who sustained a fracture to his right residual femur after weight bearing on his prosthetic leg during therapy. This was attributed to his raised body mass index that fell in the morbidly obese category.

Diagnosis: Patient was referred for orthopaedic management and reviewed by the multidisciplinary prosthetic rehabilitation team following the fracture recovery.

Treatment: He was deemed unsuitable for further prosthetic usage and ultimately referred to the national weight management service and the bariatric team.

Discussion: Fracture of the residual limb in an amputee is not a common occurrence. There is a scarcity of information regarding fractures in an amputation stump of obese individuals. This is an unusual case which highlights the significance of body weight on lower limb prosthetic usage, impact on rehabilitation and the need to address weight management at an earlier stage post amputations.