Hello. my 10 year old son had an x-ray today and was diagnosed with a chipped tibia. although the chip is very small, shouldn't they splint his leg?

Tibia: is a weight bearing bone if he can walk it does not seem to be badly broken and it should heal in 3 vweks\if swelling is getting wor if more symptoms he needs to be rechecked by the orthopedics doctor

Hard to say: A simple chip is an injury that may not cause any instability or compromise the function of the bone.Without having the benefit of the full history, exam and x-ray findings it is inappropriate to second guess someone who has that data. If you would feel better, get a second hands on opinion or get an over the counter splint and do it yourself.