When my daughter broke her leg just above her ankle a few years ago, the doctor said that the bones didn’t join properly and that the leg bone wasn’t straight. How can this happen if it was set? She had surgery on the leg to set it.

The shin bone, called the tibia is one of the bones that is most commonly broken. Because of this, doctors and surgeons have a lot of experience in treating broken tibias. One thing they know is that if the tibia is broken in the lower third, the part of the shin bone closest to the foot, it is harder to treat and keep straight than if it happens higher on the bone.

Although your daughter had surgery on the leg, there are many variables that can affect if the surgery is completely successful or not. These include the type of hardware (screws, nails, and/or plates) that are used, the amount of damage to the bone and the surrounding tissue, and if there is an infection.