What happens to the lower leg after the fibula bone is removed?
• The fibula is a minimally weight bearing bone and acts as a strut for muscle attachment. • Only the middle portion of the bone is removed leaving the top and bottom of the fibula without change. The lower portion of the fibula remains in place with its ligament attachments, which prevents the ankle joint from being unstable. • No major change in the appearance of the lower leg is seen except for a scar on the skin from the incision. • Sometimes patients have swelling, numbness, pain, and/or weakness in the leg, which usually resolves during the recovery period after surgery. • Stretching exercises of the toes, foot, and ankle are necessary to avoid flexion contracture from scarring of muscles in the leg to the foot. But simple stretching exercises starting early after surgery eliminate this problem.
