A preliminary analysis of the forces in screws in tibial fracture fixation

If a fracture of the tibia is incorrectly reduced and a plate fixed across the fracture site, then all of the load during subsequent weight bearing can be considered to be taken by the screws fixing the plate to the bone. An analysis of this extreme situation and determination of the magnitude of the consequent forces on the screws indicate that the screws are in danger of failing due to the shear forces but are in little danger from the tensile forces.