Current treatment modalities focus on obtaining a satisfactory union of the fracture, often at the expense of anatomical alignment. Severely comminuted fractures treated with a standard plate-hip-screw device thus commonly result in significant degrees of mal-union and shortening. In the past, implants designed to restore and maintain the anatomy of the hip have resulted in high failure rates with the implant breaking out of the femoral head. In the mid 1980's, recognition of this led to the development of various intramedullary devices for fixation of these fractures. The weight-bearing portion of the implant is therefore shifted medially, resulting in reduced lever forces on the implant and femur. Additionally, the IM device does not rely on fixation to the lateral cortex of the femur with screws. From a biomechanical standpoint, the intramedullary device has distinct advantages, as it is a load- sharing device more closely located to the axis of weight bearing than the plate-hip-screw device.