Adult Skin Problems Slideshow Pictures Gallery of Skin Problems and Image Collection

Medical Author:

Samuel M Keim, MD

Coauthor:

Dominic Connolly, MD

Medical Editor:

Brian F Chinnock, MD

Medical Editor:

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD

Medical Editor:

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Dr. Balentine received his undergraduate degree from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine graduating in1983. He completed his internship at St. Joseph's Hospital in Philadelphia and his Emergency Medicine residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx, where he served as chief resident.

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Broken Leg Causes

It usually takes quite a bit of force to break the bones of the leg. Bones that have been weakened somehow can be broken more easily. If the amount of force put on a bone is greater than the amount it can handle, the bone will break.

• A leg can be broken through trauma, where there has been a large force or injury (examples: car, motorcycle, or all-terrain vehicle accidents, skiing injuries, and falls from heights).

• Injury can cause a bone to break if the bones have been weakened by disease such as cancer or other tumors, bone cysts, or osteoporosis.

• Sometimes, repetitive overuse of the leg, such as the movements in distance running, can result in a stress fracture.