Broken Leg Complications

A leg fracture is an inconvenient injury that can disrupt your life for several weeks, even months. If you have broken your leg in a car accident, motorcycle accident, slip and fall or other event, you know firsthand how problematic this injury can be. Your work can be impacted, you may not be able to play with your children and may be homebound during your recovery.

There are two types of lower leg fractures, known as a tibia fracture and fibula fracture. These bone breaks can result from falling on a slippery surface, jamming your leg against the dashboard in a car accident or hitting your leg on the pavement in a motorcycle accident, too name a few of the causes.

The fibula is the thin long bone that attaches at the knee and ankle to the outside of the tibia. The tibia is the only weight bearing bone, which is thicker than the fibula, in the lower leg and is the most common long bone fracture. According to eMedicine.com, the frequency of long bone fractures is 11.5 per 100,000 people, with 40 percent occurring in the lower limb.

While a broken leg may seem pretty straightforward (a cast, pain medication and crutches), there are often complications associated with this injury. In many cases, the tibia will not heal normally, despite treatment. In this case, hospitalization may be required. Some of the serious complications associated with tibia fractures include:

• Missed torn artery
• Compartment syndrome
• Peroneal nerve injury
• Infection
• Nonunion
• Poor leg circulation
• Misalignment of the bone fragments
• Joint stiffness
• Fat embolism
• Loss of knee motion
  

If you have broken your tibia in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you may be able to recover compensation. Contact an experienced injury attorney in St. Petersburg at the Law Offices of William K. Saron at (727) 345-4566 or (866) 836-4947 for legal advice. You may be entitled to compensation for your injuries.