Broken leg: symptoms, treatment and how long it takes to heal

The NHS says you may have broken your leg if you have injured it and it is painful, swollen and bruised, difficult to move, shorter, twisted or bent, or 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, and you will probably need an X-ray.

The NHS adds that pain in the leg that has come on over a few weeks could be due to small cracks or breaks in the bone, known as a stress fracture, usually caused by a repetitive activity such as running.

The NHS says to get medical advice as soon as possible if you think you have broken your leg.

The NHS says you should avoid moving your leg or putting weight on it, avoid raising your leg, put padding such as clothing or a blanket around the leg to support it, stop any bleeding by pressing a clean cloth or dressing on the wound, use painkillers such as paracetamol, and avoid eating or drinking in case you need surgery.

The NHS says treatment depends on the type of break and how bad it is. A stress fracture needs rest and avoiding the activity that caused it, with crutches or a padded boot to take weight off. A cast may be used to keep the leg still and hold the bones in place while they heal. For serious breaks, surgery may use plates, rods or screws to keep the bones in position. A weight and pulley (traction) to pull the bone back into place is often used to treat small children with a broken thigh bone.

NICE says non-complex fractures are usually managed in a local hospital, while complex fractures, including open fractures where the bone has broken through the skin and severe ankle fractures, usually need care by a specialist team, and some need a major trauma unit or centre.

The NHS says a broken leg usually takes 6 to 12 weeks to heal but can sometimes take longer, and you will usually have follow-up appointments to check it is healing properly. After the cast is removed you may need physiotherapy for several months to reduce stiffness and help strengthen the leg. Ask your doctor when you can return to contact sports or other activities that put a lot of strain on your leg.

The NHS says to follow any advice from the hospital or fracture clinic. It suggests resting and raising your leg whenever possible, taking paracetamol or the painkiller your doctor has given you, and gently moving your toes while wearing a cast to ease stiff muscles. It advises not getting a plaster cast wet, not carrying heavy things, not moving your leg too much and not using anything to scratch under your cast.

The NHS says to get help from NHS 111 if, while recovering, the pain in your leg gets worse, your temperature is very high or you feel hot, cold or shivery, your leg, foot or toes feel numb or like they are burning, they look swollen or turn blue or white, your cast is rubbing or feels too tight or too loose, or there is a bad smell or it feels wet under your cast.

The NHS compartment syndrome page says that acute compartment syndrome can start after an injury or if a cast is too tight, with severe pain, swelling, numbness, weakness or pins and needles, and that sudden severe pain needs a 999 call or A&E.

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

On the NHS, a broken leg is assessed through A&E or a minor injury unit and followed up in a fracture clinic, with physiotherapy afterwards. Private orthopaedic care can offer quicker follow-up or surgical options, but emergencies should go through urgent NHS services. Ask who will manage follow-up scans, cast removal and rehabilitation.