Orthopedics Forum - Healing broken tibias and fibulas

Conditions and Diseases > Orthopedics Forum > Healing broken tibias and fibulas

Think you might be experiencing bone loss? Check out this Intro to Osteoporosis and evaluate your risk for developing bone weakness. ...

Q: Healing broken tibias and fibulas

asked by: DoctorQuestion on June 3rd, 2009

I recently (3 days ago) broke my tibia and fibula. Here are pictures I took of my x-ray. Clean, closed breaks. I realize that the tibia is the weight bearing bone but it is only cracked a little. The fibula is broken all the way through, but I have heard that fibula can usually be treated without surgery. I am currently in an air cast and it is causing me barely any discomfort at all. I really need to know if my overall condition (both tibia and fibula breaks) can be treated in ANY WAY at all without surgery. My x-rays are image hosted below.

Also I am a runner and would like to know if I will be able to run again 100%, but that question is secondary to the surgery question.

PICTURES OF MY X-RAYS- Copy and paste into web-browser:

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/5154/7170 1608.jpg

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/9382/4302 9989.jpg

http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/4791/8646 3547.jpg

Replies(2)

Dr. Antonio Marotta , D.C.

replied on June 12th, 2009

Orthopedics Answer A6799

Excellent job getting the images online. It helped a lot.

Although fractures are out of my scope of practice as a chiropractor... judging from the images you posted, it seems likely that the tibia should heal fine.

It is possible that the fibula may need screws and/or a plate due to the diagonal orientation. You may consider getting a second opinion on surgery from a different ortho surgeon. The casting may be enough to heal the fracture without surgery, as long as it does not displace in the meantime. Good Luck!

Antonio Marotta, D.C.

DISCLAIMER: "Ask a Doctor" questions are answered by certified physicians and other medical professionals who volunteer their time on eHealth Forum. For more information about experts participating in the "Ask a Doctor" Network, please visit our medical experts page. You may also visit our Orthopedics , for moderated patient to patient support and information.

The information provided on eHealth Forum is designed to improve, not replace, the relationship between a patient and his/her own physician. Personal consultation(s) with a qualified medical professional is the proper means for diagnosing any medical condition.

Comments (1)

This question has been answered by the doctor. This topic is now open for public discussion, however no comments below this point will be answered by a doctor.

Learn About Us

Get Help

Join In

Do More

We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health
information:
verify here.

The site is not a replacement for professional medical opinion, examination, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your medical doctor or other qualified health professional before starting any new treatment or making any changes to existing treatment. Do not delay seeking or disregard medical advice based on information written by any author on this site. No health questions and information on eHealth Forum is regulated or evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and therefore the information should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease without the supervision of a medical doctor. Posts made to these forums express the views and opinions of the author, and not the administrators, moderators, or editorial staff and hence eHealth Forum and its principals will accept no liabilities or responsibilities for the statements made. Schizophrenia health sitemap.
This page was last updated on January 1, 2009.
© 2008 eForums, Inc