The term lower leg medically describes the area of the lower extremity that is further away from the knee and extends to the foot. This area is formed by two bones, the tibia and fibula. These bony structures are held together by ligaments and muscles, with the majority of the musculature being located at the back of the limb, which, among other things, enables humans to walk upright.
Various causes, usually accompanied by considerable mechanical forces, can cause these bony structures to fracture, thus reproducing the medical picture of a lower leg fracture. In the case of a lower leg fracture, combined fractures of the tibia and fibula often occur, whereby a fracture of only one of the bones is also possible. The location of the lower leg fracture is highly variable.
We speak of lower leg shaft fractures when the tibia and fibula are equally affected. A distinction is made between three different types of tibial shaft fractures: The simple, complex and wedge fracture. Depending on the type of fracture, the therapy may have to be adapted. Tibial head fractures must be distinguished from tibial shaft fractures. The part of the tibia belonging to the knee joint (tibial head) is affected.
Causes
Lower leg fractures are usually caused by trauma. This means that large mechanical forces act on the bone until these forces exceed the resistance of the bone and the bone finally breaks. A distinction is made between two types of trauma, whereby a distinction is made as to whether the forces act directly or frontally on the bone, or whether, for example, rotation is the cause of the fracture.
In sports injuries that are associated with a lower leg fracture, there is usually an indirect trauma in which the leg is moved in such a way that large rotational or bending forces act on the bone. Predestined for this type of lower leg fracture are sports such as soccer, or skiing and snowboarding. Direct trauma usually occurs in traffic accidents in which strong forces act frontally on the lower leg bones and break them under the heavy load.
Especially motorcyclists are often affected by this injury after an accident because of their poorer protection in an accident. A distinction is also made as to whether the lower leg fracture is open or closed. An open tibia fracture means that either the tibia or the fibula penetrates the skin of the lower leg and is exposed.
Closed fractures can lead to a so-called compartment syndrome, in which bleeding occurs that increases the pressure in the lower leg to such an extent that muscle tissue can be partially lost. Compartment syndrome after a lower leg fracture is therefore a surgical emergency and requires immediate treatment. Tibial head fractures, i.e. a fracture of the tibial head, are more common in people with osteoporosis. In this disease, the bone structures are so weakened that only slight trauma can be responsible for the fracture.
