tibia
Meaning of tibia: The tibia is the larger, weight bearing bone of the lower leg, forming the knee joint above and the ankle joint below.
Definition of tibia
The tibia is the larger of the two bones in the lower leg, situated on the inner side and bearing most of the body's weight when standing or walking. It forms the lower part of the knee joint together with the femur, the thigh bone, above it, and the upper part of the ankle joint together with the talus, a small foot bone, below it.
A thinner bone called the fibula runs alongside the tibia on the outer side of the lower leg, providing additional support and serving as an attachment point for muscles, though it bears comparatively little of the body's weight.
Because the tibia carries most of the mechanical load of the lower leg, it is a common site for stress related injury during repetitive activity, and a break in the tibia, called a tibial fracture, is generally considered a more significant injury than a similar break in the fibula alone.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
Imaging confirmed a fracture of the tibia following the fall.
Good to know
A fracture of the tibia is generally treated as a more significant weight bearing injury than an isolated fibula fracture, since the tibia carries most of the lower leg's mechanical load.
Word origin
Where “tibia” comes from
Formed from Latin tibia, meaning shin bone, a word originally also used for an ancient flute, a name thought to reflect the bone's resemblance in shape to the instrument.