The main objectives in the treatment of a fracture are (1) the best possible end result and (2) the shortest period of disability consistent with such a result. The chief concern of the community at large and also of the patient is how long he will he disabled. Even in cases in which wage earning is not involved, as in those of school children, housewives, and aged persons, confinement and dependence on others are considerations of the first importance. The literature and hospital records are conspicuously lacking in data on when patients return to work or resume useful occupations.
Fracture of both the tibia and the fibula has become increasingly common with the development of the machine age, constituting 8 per cent of the fractures for which patients have been admitted to one representative municipal hospital. It is also one of the most disabling common injuries. Fracture of the shaft
LINCOLN JR, GORDIMER H. FRACTURE OF THE SHAFTS OF BOTH BONES OF THE LOWER HALF OF THE LEG. Arch Surg. 1943;46(5):697-704. doi:10.1001/archsurg.1943.01220110113020