Trauma or personal injury to the leg or lower extremity often results from an accident or incident While leg or lower extremity personal injuries are not as common as personal injuries to the neck, mid back, or low back, there are a great many of injury victims who suffer traumatic leg injuries as a result of an incident or accident. There are essentially three bones that form the length of the leg above and below the knee as follows:
Femur which is commonly referred to as the Thigh Bone; Tibia which is commonly referred to as the Shin Bone; and Fibula which is the thinner bone that runs parallel to the Shin Bone.
It should be noted that the Tibia and the Fibula run parallel to each other. Where there is a significant trauma, there can be a fracture to one or more of the bones in the leg. Fractures can be diagnosed as a Simple Fracture or a Compound Fracture. A Simple Fracture of the Leg is a Closed Fracture that does not penetrate through the skin and involves little to no damage or injury to the surrounding soft tissues of the leg. A Compound Fracture is also referred to as an Open Fracture. A Compound Fracture is more serious than a Simple Fracture. An injury victim who suffers a personal injury in the form of a Compound Fracture is at high risk for infection due to the nature and seriousness of these personal injuries. A Comminuted Fracture can be designated as a Simple Fracture or Compound Fracture. A Comminuted Fracture refers to personal injuries or fractures in which the bone breaks into several small pieces of bone.
A significant and traumatic fracture of one or more of the leg bones can require surgical intervention and the placement of hardware in the injury victim. For Instance, for some Femur Bone fractures, a hole is drilled into the femur for placement and positioning of a metal rod for stability of the Leg due to the trauma and the fracture(s). There may also be the placement of screws and plating for some fractures of the lower extremity.
The Tibia Bone and the Fibula Bone form the lower leg and form part of the joint commonly referred to as the Ankle. A third bone, the Talus Bone, fits between the Tibia Bone and Fibula Bone. The three bones are held together by strong strands or fibers of collagen which are commonly referred to as Ligaments. Similar to the knee, the ankle is a large joint. An ankle can be injured by force or an automobile accident. There also can be severe personal injuries to the ankle and surrounding ligaments when there is a forceful and sudden twisting or turning of the ankle joint.
It is important for a personal injury victim to be treated and evaluated by a specialist who regularly treats leg injuries or lower extremity injuries. If there is fracture of the Leg or compromise or tear of the ligaments, the injury victim should be evaluated and treated as needed by an experienced and qualified orthopedic surgeon.