Broken Leg OUCH

CastCoverz! has sold more Legz! and Legz! Sleeperz! in the last two months due to broken tibia and fibula’s than any other broken bone. OUCH! The tibia bone, the larger of the the two, carry 90% of a person’s body weight. The fibula about 10%. Unfortunately, and more often than not, when a fracture occurs in this part of the leg, BOTH bones are broken. DOUBLE OUCH!! All fractures are painful and inconvenient, but this particular injury almost always lands a patient in a wheelchair for a period of time. The closer to the ankle (the talus) and the severity of the break always leads to a period of immobility. There can be no weight bearing at all on the fractured tibia. When my daughter broke her tibia it was split vertically! Yep, up and down! Think of a dried carrot…they always split vertically. My scrappy 7 year old was no match for a 1,200 pound horse. Bottom line: each break is unique and needs to be considered individually. For more information on tibia fractures and the various treatment options, click on Dr. Jonathon Cluett’s article on About.com.