In a femoral neck fracture that is non-displaced, what would you expect regarding leg length?

• A. Shortening
• B. No leg length change
• C. External rotation
• D. Abduction

Answer: (B)

When a femoral neck fracture is non-displaced, the bone fragments stay lined up and there’s no collapse or telescoping at the fracture site. That means the overall length of the leg remains the same as the uninjured side, even though movement is painful and range of motion may be limited.

Leg shortening is something you’d expect if the fracture fragments shifted relative to each other, which is more characteristic of a displaced fracture. In hip injuries, you may also see the limb held in an externally rotated position, but that rotation or any abduction is not a measure of leg length—it reflects the position of the fractured hip and surrounding muscular pull. The key point for a non-displaced femoral neck fracture is preserved leg length.