The simple answer when comparing a leg break to any other injury is that it depends which bone has been broken, and how badly. The most common leg fractures in football occur in the lower leg bones - the tibia and fibula. Fibular fractions are among the quickest forms of leg break to heal, as the fibula are the smaller of the two lower leg bones that form the outer part of the shin and are not weight-bearing. The tibula is the more substantial shin bone of the lower leg pair, and can take three to four months to heal from a fracture. In much rarer occasions, the femur - thigh bone - can be fractured in a footballing injury.

Source: BBC December 22, 2025 17:26 UTC