One of your friend's femurs is abnormally short and curved. When asked about it, they tell you that when they were very young, they fell from a tree and fractured the femur at the distal end. Their pediatrician urged the parents to allow your friend to receive surgery for the fracture, but they refused. What most likely happened to result in the abnormal femur?
A)Lack of physical therapy caused the muscles of the leg to not heal correctly, inhibiting bone growth.
B)Because the epiphyseal plate was not repaired, any subsequent growth in the bone was stunted and abnormal.
C)The hematoma stage of the fracture never filled in with fibrocartilage, which caused the bone to never heal properly.
D)Because he was young, the femur healed so rapidly that it grew incorrectly and no medical intervention prevented this from occurring.

Question

One of your friend's femurs is abnormally short and curved. When asked about it, they tell you that when they were very young, they fell from a tree and fractured the femur at the distal end. Their pediatrician urged the parents to allow your friend to receive surgery for the fracture, but they refused. What most likely happened to result in the abnormal femur?
A)Lack of physical therapy caused the muscles of the leg to not heal correctly, inhibiting bone growth.
B)Because the epiphyseal plate was not repaired, any subsequent growth in the bone was stunted and abnormal.
C)The hematoma stage of the fracture never filled in with fibrocartilage, which caused the bone to never heal properly.
D)Because he was young, the femur healed so rapidly that it grew incorrectly and no medical intervention prevented this from occurring.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The fracture at the distal end of the femur likely involved the growth plate, also known as the epiphyseal plate. This is the area of the bone responsible for growth in length, and damage to it can lead to abnormal growth patterns. Without surgery to repair the damage, any subsequent growth in the bone would be stunted and abnormal, leading to a femur that is abnormally short and curved.

One of Your Friend's Femurs Is Abnormally Short and Curved