The tibia, also known as shinbone, is the most common type of fractured long bone in your body. This long bone includes the fibula, tibia, humerus and femur. A tibial shaft fracture generally occurs above the ankle, below the knee and along the length of the bone. Your doctor may recommend you for surgery if the fracture is:

Not healing with the use of nonsurgical methods
An open fracture with injuries that require continuous monitoring
Very unstable due to large degrees of displacement and many bone fragments