Leg breaks in fighting
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One of the most gruesome injuries in fighting is when the shin breaks after a kick. The most famous example of this injury is when Anderson Silva fought Chris Weidman at UFC 168, however there are other examples, such as Corey Hill and Tyrone Spong. Why does this injury happen?
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Anatomical structure of the shin: The lower leg is composed of two bones: tibia and fibula. The tibia is the main weight bearing structure (90% of the force) and the point of contact for round kicks. The fibula is a thinner bone that absorbs some force from the tibia (10% of the force). The tibia is a bone that is triangular shaped so the “blade” of the tibia or tibial crest is very strong and resilient. While the tibia is resilient there when the point of contact of the tibia is on a flat edge the bone is significantly less resilient.
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Technical faults:
1️⃣Offensive angle fault: When attacking with a kick the attacker has to step out to open up their hips or turn their hip over to make sure they use the thick point of the shin.
2️⃣Mirrored Stance: Fighter with opposing stance low kicks the opponent. Many fighters stand with their lead leg slightly inward so it was much easier for defending fighter to check with the tibial crest while kicking fighter did not get the correct angle and connected with the flat part. While the mirrored stance does increase the likelihood of injury, it does not always happen this way as Spong vs. Saki both stood in an orthodox stance when Spong injured his leg.
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While combat sports are entertaining to watch fighting is still a dangerous activity. These type of injuries often involve a prolonged recovery period that can take several months before the athlete is able to resume normal activities.