Fibula fracture | Physiotherapy after a tibia fracture

Fibula fracture

As described above, the fibula is the narrower and weaker of the two lower leg bones. In the event of severe injuries, both bones may therefore break. In general, the fibula breaks much more often in comparison, but more often due to twisting or twisting injuries of the leg. Accidents or generally external force with possible additional twisting or bending often result in a double bone fracture. More information under: Physiotherapy fibula fracture

Ankle fracture

Bone fractures with joint involvement are problematic. In the case of a tibia fracture, the ankle joint is more affected than the knee joint. An ankle joint fracture is one of the most common body fractures.

However, it usually affects the outer ankle, i.e. the fibula, rather than the tibia. Fibula fractures involving the ankle joint are classified according to the Weber classification and differ in the height of the fracture. The problem with fractures with joint involvement is the risk that, even after healing, arthrosis, i.e. premature wear of the cartilage, may develop later on, which painfully limits the mobility and load-bearing capacity of the joint.

Joint forming bone ends are covered by hyaline joint cartilage, which is smooth and even like a glacier. This enables the body to move smoothly for almost a lifetime. If the joint, including the cartilage, is now damaged by a fracture, an unevenness in the cartilage coating may remain even after the fracture has healed, or the position of the joint partners may not be optimal. Even a slight deviation from the norm causes uneven wear and tear, which can lead to the described late effects.

Unnoticed bone fracture?

A bone fracture can indeed occur unnoticed. In addition to the above-mentioned causes of external violence, accidents, sports injuries, twisting or similar, there is also the form of a stress or fatigue fracture: affected are often competitive athletes with chronic overloading. Regeneration times are not adhered to, all structures are overloaded – muscles shorten, pull on the bone, which in itself overloads bone.

The bone cannot withstand the eternal overstrain, its tissue reacts with small injuries, which add up over time until the bone finally gives way and a hairline crack forms: A fatigue fracture. Since no trauma was triggered, swelling, hematomas and stress restrictions often fail to appear. Pain can be felt, but is often ignored, especially in sports, because it generally subsides after the strain.

However, the danger of this unnoticed fracture is that it cannot heal with further training. The bone is not given enough rest to form new fibers that allow the bone to grow back together. What develops is a so-called false joint. It is not a real joint in the sense of large movements.However, on the one hand it limits the stability of the leg and on the other hand it is irreversible, i.e. once it occurs it cannot heal by itself.