Why Being Shot In The Leg Can Be Dangerous

President William Ruto on July 9, 2025, directed cops to shoot protesters concentrating on companies, police stations, or attacking regulation enforcement within the legs, arguing that doing so would incapacitate however not kill. However, medical consultants warn {that a} gunshot wound to the leg can nonetheless be deadly beneath sure circumstances.

While the directive goals to keep away from fatalities, a bullet wound to the leg can have lethal penalties relying on the place the bullet lands.

Speaking to The Kenya Times, Dr Masini Aaron, an orthopaedic surgeon, explains that in widespread language, the time period “leg” typically refers back to the total decrease limb—from the gluteal area, hip, and thigh to the knee, shin, and foot.

However, anatomically, it refers particularly to the portion of the limb between the knee and the ankle.

He goes on to notice that, in circumstances of ballistic accidents—wounds brought on by projectiles—the extremities (legs and arms) are the commonest websites for non-fatal gunshot wounds.

However, that doesn’t negate the probabilities of fatality owing to different problems comparable to exsanguination (extreme lack of blood) or an infection.

Dr Aaron Masini Explains Why Being Shot within the Leg Can Be Fatal

Dr Masini factors out that gunshot wounds (GSWs) are thought of high-energy accidents and can lead to intensive comfortable tissue harm and fractures.  He provides that Velocity is without doubt one of the a number of components that decide the extent of harm brought on by a bullet.

“There are low-velocity firearms like handguns and high-velocity ones comparable to rifles; shotguns fall someplace in between,” he explains.

“The different contributing components are the form, weight, diameter, jacketing and tumbling traits of the bullets in addition to the goal attribute.”

When a bullet strikes human tissue, he adds- three main issues occur: mechanical crushing that varieties a everlasting cavity, elastic stretching of surrounding tissues brought on by the bullet’s kinetic power (creating a short lived cavity), and a shock wave that will harm tissues removed from the bullet’s path.

“A short lived vacuum may additionally type, sucking in overseas materials and growing the danger of an infection,” Dr Masini notes.

He provides that the harm prompted relies upon not simply on the bullet’s power on influence but additionally on its habits contained in the physique.

“Tumbling bullets trigger extra destruction. Bullets may cause secondary missiles after they contact dense objects comparable to belts, buttons, bone and many others. These secondary missiles may cause important harm and addition al everlasting cavities,” he stated.

The Danger of Severed Blood Vessels

One of the gravest risks of a gunshot wound to the leg is vascular harm, significantly to the femoral artery—the primary blood vessel supplying the decrease limb.

Dr Masini explains that the femoral artery, a continuation of the exterior iliac artery, runs via the thigh and continues because the popliteal artery behind the knee. Below the knee, it branches into the anterior tibial artery, posterior tibial artery, and peroneal artery.

“There is paucity of information on this particular kind of damage, nonetheless following different kinds of accidents the place the femoral artery was transected, the time to deadly exsanguination was inside 10min,” he famous.

The orthopedic surgeon emphasised that each one vessels are primarily in danger within the decrease limb on the subject of ballistic accidents.  However, he stated the femoral artery accidents pose a life-threatening danger.

“It carries a big fraction of blood, and it’s beneath excessive stress. In explicit areas such because the higher thigh, it lacks surrounding muscle tissues to compress it when severed,” he acknowledged.

On his half, Kenya Medical Association (KMA) President, Dr Simon Mucara Kigondu, helps Dr Masini’s rationalization {that a} bullet can rupture the femoral artery—a significant blood vessel within the thigh.

Once severed, the injured particular person can go into shock and die inside minutes from huge blood loss, a situation often called hemorrhagic shock.

“If a bullet severs the femoral or popliteal artery, an individual can bleed out in minutes,” stated Dr. Kigondu.

 “The femoral artery carries a big quantity of blood—almost all the blood provide passes via the leg in only one minute.”

“So, if the artery is hit, he explains it can lead to speedy and extreme blood loss,” he acknowledged.

Neurovascular Complications

While GSWs to the leg could appear much less critical, they’ll result in everlasting incapacity and even demise.

“A bullet can harm main blood vessels just like the femoral artery or trigger problems comparable to compartment syndrome, an infection, or fractures,” says Dr Masini.

When a bullet strikes bone—significantly a significant lengthy bone just like the femur—the implications may be extreme. As a significant lengthy bone, he says- its blood provide falls inside that vary.

However, it can’t be considered in isolation as a result of the power dissipated by a hanging bullet harm surrounding constructions.

He additional explains that the femur receives 5–10% of cardiac output, and a shattered femur signifies the dissipation of huge power.

“It being shattered displays a large quantity of power dissipated which can considerably decrease survival possibilities.”

A research printed within the Australasian Emergency Nursing Journal discovered that gunshot wounds to the leg can result in extreme neurovascular problems.

The research famous that such wounds produce high-velocity accidents and are related to quite a few potential problems, together with bone fractures, vascular and nerve accidents, comfortable tissue destruction, compartment syndrome, delayed wound therapeutic, danger of an infection, and varied psychosocial points.

Dr Masini lists a number of problems that may come up when a bullet fractures a leg bone, together with neurovascular damage (harm to arteries, veins, and nerves), devitalization of surrounding comfortable tissue comparable to muscle, an infection, retained overseas our bodies, and lead toxicity—significantly if bullet fragments are lodged in joints such because the hip, knee, or ankle.

Infection and Sepsis: The Silent Threat

On his half, Dr. Kigondu explains {that a} shattered bone may cause excruciating ache, and if it turns into contaminated, the sufferer might die from sepsis.

Sepsis happens when an an infection—comparable to one ensuing from a wound, surgical procedure, or sickness—spreads all through the physique, triggering an excessive immune response.

This overreaction can result in extreme problems, together with organ failure or demise, if not handled promptly.

“Immobility after a gunshot damage can result in a blood clot, which can end in sudden demise,” he added.

Dr Masini explains that an infection, and subsequently sepsis, just isn’t brought on by the bullet itself, however relatively by overseas materials being sucked into the wound, devitalisation of soppy tissue, and retained overseas our bodies—together with bullet fragments.

“The few research I’ve come throughout quote an infection charges between 8% and 16% amongst civilians,” he notes.

As for sepsis, which may happen when deep comfortable tissue or bone infections enable micro organism to enter the bloodstream, Dr Masini says there are not any large-scale research that particularly quantify sepsis charges after lower-limb gunshot wounds.

“However, charges of lower than 1% have been reported—although this possible underestimates the precise danger,” he cautions.