The principle of fixed-angle osteosynthesis is not new and had been successfully applied in the external fixators, and also for stabilization of vertebral fractures, long before the new locked-screw plates became available for osteosynthesis of the long bones. During the search for the biological means of osteosynthesis and supported by new designs and materials, the principle of angular stability was extended to plate osteosynthesis in the mid-1980s. The range of indications for locked-screw plates is now becoming wider and wider. The object of this paper is to take stock of the present situation in the treatment of fractures of the lower extremity. Options and special indications are presented, and the limitations of plating systems of this type are also indicated.