How to Say It: Fib-u-luh Shaft Fracture
The fibula is a small bone that runs along the outside of the lower leg. A fibula shaft fracture is a break in the long, narrow part of this bone.
Leg Bones (male)Copyright © Nucleus Medical Media, Inc. |
Problems may be:
You will be asked about your symptoms, health history, and how the injury happened. An exam will be done. It will focus on the lower leg.
Images will be taken of the leg. This can be done with x-rays.
It may take 4 to 6 months to heal. The goals of treatment are to ease pain and swelling. Medicine can help. Other options are:
Children's bones have growth plates that let bones grow and harden with age. A child with a fracture may need to be checked over time to make sure the bone heals the right way and keeps growing.
Some fractures cause pieces of bone to come apart. These pieces will need to be put back into place. This may be done:
To lower the risk of this type of fracture:
Family Doctor—American Academy of Family Physicians
http://www.familydoctor.org
Ortho Info—American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
http://www.orthoinfo.org
Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation
http://www.canorth.org
Health Canada
https://www.canada.ca
Proximal fibular shaft fracture—emergency management. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/topics/dmp~AN~T903836/Proximal-fibular-shaft-fracture-emergency-management. Accessed July 29, 2021.
Tibia and fibula fractures. Johns Hopkins Medicine website. Available at: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/tibia-and-fibula-fractures. Accessed July 29, 2021.
Last reviewed July 2021 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Warren A. Bodine, DO, CAQSM