An 81-year-old female falls and presents to the emergency department. What injury to this tissue or structure causes lower leg extremities to be externally rotated?

Both subcapital and intertrochanteric fractures present with external rotation of the lower extremity. The lateral rotators are attached to the bone distal to the fracture line to cause this typical clinical sign. Trochanteric fractures have a better prognosis because the blood supply to the proximal segment remains intact.