Femoral neck shortening as a sequela of internal fixation for femoral neck fractures and its effect on the coronal alignment of the limb: a pilot study.

We found a more lateralized mechanical axis in limbs that demonstrated post-operative ipsilateral femoral neck severe shortening. These findings may provide a possible explanation and rationale for knee pain and perhaps for the development of knee osteoarthritis as a sequalae of femoral neck shortening. Further investigation and larger cohort, long-term studies are needed to further explore this hypothesis.