The fibula is one of the long bones on the lower part of the leg. The fibula is also known as the calf bone. It is located on the outside of the leg. It is just a small bone. When there is a fibula fracture, the bone of the fibula becomes broken. Hight impact movements, such as landing hard on the legs after jumping high or getting hit hard on the lower part of the leg can cause a fracture. Spraining or rolling on the ankle can cause a fracture to the fibula.
When this happens, stress is placed on the fibula bone. Fibula fractures are common in sports that involve jumping, changing directions quickly, and running. Some sports that can cause a fibula fracture are football, soccer, and basketball. When you have a fibula fracture there are symptoms to look out for.
There are eight known symptoms of a fibula fracture.
1. Pain is a known symptom that you will experience when you have a fibula fracture.
The pain will be felt in the outside of the leg and ankle. When it first happens, a person may not pay any attention to it and continue playing on the leg. It will continue to get worse and the pain will become intense. If this happens while playing sports, you’ll need to get immediate treatment right away. You can’t continue to play.
Some players like to continue playing and they end up making the fracture worse. Their coaches will allow them to play while the player is experiencing pain. One more hit will send the person to the ground and he or she won’t be able to walk for some time.
A doctor needs to take imaging tests to see how severe the fracture is. If it’s not too bad antibiotics will be given along with a tetanus shot.