HA

The Fibula


The Fibula



The fibula, or calf bone, is a bone placed on the lateral side of the tibia, with which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones, and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. Its upper extremity is small, placed toward the back of the head of the tibia, below the level of the knee-joint, and excluded from the formation of this joint. Its lower extremity inclines a little forward, so as to be on a plane anterior to that of the upper end; it projects below the tibia, and forms the lateral part of the ankle-joint.


Musculoskeletal Fractures



A fracture can be simple or compound. There are 7 types of fractures:



1) Avulsion: A fragment of bone is pulled away at the muscle or tendon attachment.



2) Transverse: A perpendicular crack along the length of the bone. A transverse fracture is a complete break, traveling all the way through the bone.



3) Green-Stick: A splintering of a soft bone. Most common in children because their bones are calcifying and have not hardened completely.



4) Oblique: A diagonal jagged break, not yet displaced.



5) Spiral: Similar to the oblique break, most common in ski accidents.



6) Impacted: Caused when a bone breaks and one end of the bone is driven into the other end.



7) Comminuted: May be referred to as a “blow out” fracture. Best described as a multiple amount of fragments that need to be repaired with screws or wires.



Fracture Care

May require up to 6 weeks of casting for long bones, and up to 3 weeks of either splinting or casting for smaller bones. If a stress fracture occurs, there should be at least 14 days of rest.

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