Pinned broken leg. Coloured Xray of a pinned fra cture (orange areas) of both the tibia and fibula (lower leg bones). The tibia (larger bone, centre) has been immobilised by metal pins (lower & upper centre). These have been inserted into the bone on either side of the fracture. The pins are held in place by an external metal frame (white). This is known as external fixation. External fixation is often necessary when treating a comminuted fracture as seen here. Comminuted fractures are those where the bone has shattered into more than two pieces. Fractures of the tibia can take 6 months to heal as it is a weight bearing bone.