Life can change in an instant.
February 21, 2018, 5 AM morning walk, 33 F, Sacramento, I tripped, shattering my femur. Seven bolts, one titanium plate, 4 hours of surgery, 12 weeks no weight bearing.
A second surgery, October 25, 2018, removed the plate and most of the bolts. Although walking the same day, it was months before I could hike .
The photos below show the x-ray and the actual plate, after removal. They do not, thankfully, show the 10 inch long incision, through the IT band, used to wrestle the bone fragments back to gether and install the titanium hardware. The same line of incision was reopened to remove the hardware.
The IT band attaches the glutes and the musles of the thigh, provides stability and allows us to walk or run.
Woman Walking Home 