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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffYour leg contains three major bones:
- The thighbone (femur). This is the longest and strongest bone in your body. It usually takes a great deal of force to break this bone.
- The shinbone (tibia). This is the major weight-bearing bone in your lower leg, and it's the most commonly broken long bone in your body. You can break the shinbone across its length, or you can break the portion of the bone that attaches to the knee joint or ankle joint.
- The fibula. This bone runs alongside the tibia below your knee. It's more commonly broken during ankle injuries.
Common causes of a broken leg
- Falls. Falling can fracture your thighbone or shinbone. Children can fracture these bones by falling on the playground, while toddlers can break these bones by falling over a toy or falling down the stairs while learning to walk.
- Significant trauma. All three leg bones can break during a motor vehicle accident. Shinbone fractures often occur when your knees become jammed against the dashboard during a collision.
- Sports injuries. Hyperextending your leg during contact sports can cause a broken leg. So can a direct blow — such as from a hockey stick or opponent's body — or falling while climbing or biking.
- Child abuse. In children, a broken leg may be the result of child abuse.
- Overuse. Stress fractures are tiny cracks that develop in the weight-bearing bones of your body, including your tibia. Stress fractures are usually caused by repetitive force or overuse, such as running long distances, jumping, marching or ballet dancing. But they can also occur with normal use of a bone that's been weakened by a condition, such as osteoporosis.
References
- Fracture. Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary. 31st ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: W.B. Saunders; 2007. http://www.dorlands.com/def.jsp?id=100042444. Accessed April 17, 2009.
- Shinbone fractures. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://www.orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00161. Accessed April 17, 2009.
- Lower leg. Marx JA, et al. In: Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2006. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/132163627-9/830723266/1365/146.html#4-u1.0-B0-323-02845-4..50059-7--cesec116_2508. Accessed April 17, 2009.
- Thighbone (femur) fractures. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://www.orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00364. Accessed April 20, 2009.
- Fields KB. Overview of tibial fractures. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 20, 2009.
- Fields KB. Stress fractures of the tibia and fibula. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 20, 2009.
- Fractures of the lower extremity: Shaft of the femur. In: Canale ST, et al. Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics. 11th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/132633798-5/831634018/1584/388.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-03329-9..50054-4--cesec111_2919. Accessed April 20, 2009.
