After the team has secured the bone, your surgeon will close the layers of skin and muscle around your leg. A fibula fracture may require surgery, particularly if the bone pieces have moved far out of alignment or if the bone has broken into multiple pieces. Others require general anesthesia for patient safety, which usually results in a longer recovery. You may need to have your stitches or staples removed a week or so after your surgery. Let your healthcare provider know right away if there is an increase in redness, swelling, or draining from your incision site. You will probably have some sort of imaging procedure, like an X-ray, done to verify your surgery was successful. If you fracture your tibia or fibula, you might need ORIF to bring your bones back into place and help them heal. These fractures often take several months to heal completely, but you should be able to resume many of your activities before this time. Recovery times vary from a few hours to weeks or months with physical therapy to rebuild strength in the involved leg. You’ll need to avoid food and drink after midnight the night before your procedure. The location of the fracture dictates restrictions placed on patients, and immobilization. A healthcare professional will carefully monitor your vital signs, like your heart rate and blood pressure, during the operation. This explains why any kind of severe injury or trauma to the shin actually leads to fracture of the fibula more than fracture of the tibia. However, fracture at the knee and ankle takes longer time to heal and restriction and immobilization are paramount. Surgical teams in these cases may include reconstructive surgeons to create a smooth and even appearance. In both major areas of fibula fracture, physical therapy is often recommended post surgery and after the healing process has reached a point that the bone can now bear weight. Fibula surgery addresses a fracture or defect in the fibula, a bone in the lower leg, or harvests material for a graft. Smokers are also at increased risk of wo… In other types of fractures, the injury moves the bone fragments out of alignment. After cleaning the affected area, your surgeon will make an incision through the skin and muscle of your leg. Ask your healthcare provider about the risks that most apply to you. Open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) is a type of surgery used to stabilize and heal a broken bone. The entire operation usually takes place while you are asleep under general anesthesia. Many people don’t. You’ll receive instructions about how you can move your leg and whether you can put weight on it. You should be able to resume your normal diet quickly. (There’s a reason for wearing shin guards in soccer.) The most common complications associated with surgery for treatment of a fibula fracture are related to the incision and the underlying hardware. At some point, you may need physical therapy to restore strength and flexibility to your muscles. Before your procedure, someone will take your medical history and perform a physical exam. What Are the Common Causes of Fibula Pain? Your healthcare provider may advise you to eat a diet high in calcium and vitamin D as your bone heals. For some, only conscious sedation with a local anesthetic is required. Doing your exercises as prescribed can improve your chances of full recovery. The reason you are having the test or procedure, What results to expect and what they mean, The risks and benefits of the test or procedure, What the possible side effects or complications are, When and where you are to have the test or procedure, Who will do the test or procedure and what that person’s qualifications are, What would happen if you did not have the test or procedure, Any alternative tests or procedures to think about, Who to call after the test or procedure if you have questions or problems, How much will you have to pay for the test or procedure. A fibula fracture is used to describe a break in the fibula bone. Depending on the extent of the fracture or break, surgery may be the most appropriate option to fully recover from a break in your fibula. Also, let your healthcare provider know the last time you ate. This might happen in the part of the bone near the knee, near the middle long part of the bone, or in the bone near part of the ankle. Patients can always seek a second opinion from another surgeon before the procedure if they want more information about their treatment options and doctor recommendations. Complications, although rare, can sometimes happen. What is Involved in Ankle Sprain Surgery. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including over-the-counter medicines like aspirin. Certain medical conditions may make tibia or fibula fractures more likely. This bone runs along the outside of the lower leg to the ankle, and commonly fractures close to the point of articulation with the ankle. The whole operation may take a few hours. One common reason to need fibula surgery is to repair a fracture. During an “open reduction,” orthopedic surgeons reposition your bone pieces during surgery to put them back into their proper alignment. In the bone graft surgery, patients are anesthetized while a sample of material is harvested and implanted in a new location, like the jaw. In some cases, your healthcare providers might perform your ORIF a little later. Some fractures can be repaired with casting and rest, but others may require surgical treatment. To do this, he or she will use tools like screws, metal plates, nails, wires, or pins. You are more likely to need ORIF if: In these cases, ORIF can place your bones back into their proper configuration, increasing the chance that your bone will eventually heal properly. (A fracture here might be called a “broken ankle.”) Only one of these bones might break, or you might have a fracture in both bones. While the fibula is the smaller of two lower leg bones (the other is the tibia), it is somewhat vulnerable in contact sports such as football, soccer or lacrosse. Internal fixation refers to a surgical procedure used to realign and mechanically stabilize a severely broken bone. What is tibia/fibula fracture open reduction and internal fixation?