![]() Cutting down or quitting smoking and tight blood sugar control if you are a diabetic is important for the healing process. If non-operative care is chosen, regular follow-up care for a physical exam and x-rays are important to ensure that the fracture stays in good position and heals appropriately. Some injuries even allow for immediate weight bearing. Splints, casts, ankle braces and walking boots are all used to treat these injuries depending on the fracture type and patient characteristics. Nonsurgical treatment is also recommended for adults with poor overall health, fragile or chronically infected skin and less active patients. Small breaks or those with good overall alignment often can be treated without an operation. Many ankle fractures do not need surgery for the bone to heal. MRIs (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) may be ordered to evaluate the ligaments or cartilage of the ankle that do not show up on plain x-rays.CT (Computed Tomography) scans are often ordered to help plan treatment and surgery if the bone is in many pieces.Stress x-rays can be used to evaluate the syndesmosis.Often 3 x-rays are taken to show the injury pattern. This helps doctors and patients make an informed decision on treatment. X-rays are used to evaluate the location and severity of the broken ankle.Both require 10-14 days of waiting for skin to heal before surgery can be performed. These can be filled with blood or clear fluid. ![]() This can create blisters in the skin called fracture blisters. Some types of ankle injuries can swell a lot. Often, the bone tries to poke out of the skin or “tent.” If this is not corrected, the skin can die or the bone can eventually cut the skin. Unstable injuries likely need surgery while stable injuries heal well with nonoperative care.ĭuring the exam, the doctor will look for signs and symptoms of any open wounds over the injury as these usually require surgery. Both bones and ligaments can be injured and physical exam can help determine treatment. How is a Broken Ankle Diagnosed?Ī broken ankle is diagnosed by a physical examination and in some cases, x-rays may be needed. Physical examination is critical in the evaluation of these injuries. Trauma to the joints or irregular healing can result in arthritis. These joints are covered in cartilage which helps them move smoothly and without pain. The back of the tibia is called the posterior malleolus and the end of the fibula is called the lateral malleolus. The inside of the ankle is called the medial malleolus. Both of these can be injured when the bones around them break. It has two major joints: the ankle joint and the syndesmosis. The ankle is an important structure that provides support and stability for walking and standing. Extremely high energy injuries fall into a class by themselves and are called tibial pilon fractures. Breaks of multiple bones are described by how many bones are broken such as bimalleolar or trimalleolar fractures. Fractures of one bone include lateral malleolus fractures, medical malleolus fractures and posterior malleolus fractures. These fractures are described according to where and how the bones break. In general, the more bones that are broken and the farther apart the pieces are, the more serious the injury. Any of these bones can break in a variety of different ways. The ankle is made up of three bones: the tibia, the fibula and the talus. There is a huge spectrum of injury from those that are very minor and need no treatment to those which require multiple surgeries. John Zebrack, MD General Orthopedic SurgeryĪ broken ankle or fractured ankle involves a break to one or more bones that make up the ankle joint. Jeffrey Webster, MD General Orthopedic Surgery Nichole Joslyn, MD Hand & Upper Extremity Thomas Christensen, MD Hand & Upper Extremity James Christensen, MD Hand & Upper Extremity Nikola Babovic, MD Hand & Upper Extremity
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