A tibia fracture is a break in the main bone of the lower leg, causing intense pain, swelling, and difficulty walking. Recovery can take months, and complications can occur if not treated properly. Treatment may involve a cast or surgery, and follow-up appointments are necessary to monitor healing and prevent complications.
A tibia fracture is a break in the tibia, the main bone in the lower leg, also known as the tibia. After the femur, the tibia is the longest bone in the body and is an important weight-bearing bone, which can make a fractured tibia extremely problematic. Recovery times can be months, especially in the case of complex fractures, and if the fracture is not treated adequately, patients can experience complications such as changes in limb length and compartment syndrome.
People who have a shin fracture usually know it, because they experience intense, unrelenting pain. They may not be able to walk or put any weight on their leg, and the shinbone may appear distorted or at an odd angle. Swelling is also a common symptom, and in the case of an open fracture, the broken bone will protrude through the skin.
When any area between the knee and ankle is broken, it is referred to as a shaft fracture. A plateau fracture is a fracture of the tibia that occurs just below the knee, while fractures just above the ankle are known as plafond fractures. Often the fibula, the other bone in the lower leg, is also involved in the break, because the strain on the tibia can cause the fibula to snap as well.
In addition to the basic closed fractures where the skin remains closed and the bone is broken in various ways, you may also see open fractures, where the bone breaks through the skin, along with stress fractures, where the bone is broken due to stress. Athletes are particularly prone to stress fractures of the tibia. Another special type of tibia fracture is a so-called “child’s fracture,” which occurs when a child learning to walk trips and falls against steps or other elevation changes.
To treat a tibia fracture, a doctor will need to take X-rays to determine the extent of the break. Once he has reviewed the films, treatment recommendations can be made. Sometimes a simple cast is enough to immobilize the bone once it has been fixed. In other cases, surgery may be needed to stabilize the bone. The patient also commonly needs to refrain from weight-bearing exercise while the fracture heals.
While recovering from a tibia fracture, the patient may need to attend follow-up appointments so that a doctor can monitor the progress of the healing. Doctors are concerned about nonunion, in which a fracture fails to heal, along with other complications such as uneven healing along a growth plate in children or healing at the wrong angle. If these problems are identified early, they are much less complicated to treat.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
