- #ANKLE FRACTURE HOW TO#
- #ANKLE FRACTURE FULL#
Several classifications exist and are used to determine the severity of injury and management. Ottawa rules provide clinicians with a tool to decide whether the joint should be imaged or not.
You have shortness of breath or difficulty breathingĪlso call your provider if you have questions about your injury or your recovery.Ankle fractures are most commonly diagnosed through clinical examination and x-ray. You have increased swelling in your calf and foot. You have numbness, tingling, or coldness in your foot, or your toes look dark. Your foot or leg is swollen above or below your cast or splint. Your cast or splint is too loose or too tight. Most people need at least six to 10 weeks to fully heal. Your provider will let you know when you can return to regular activities and sports. Your provider may do x-rays seven to 10 days and one month after your injury to see how your ankle is healing. #ANKLE FRACTURE FULL#
You will need to have full strength in your calf muscle and full range of motion back in your ankle before returning to sports or work activities.
You may be referred to a physical therapist to help with this process. You will begin learning exercises to help you rebuild your strength. Your muscles will likely be weaker and smaller, and your foot will feel stiff. You may need to have your duties at work changed if your job requires walking, standing or climbing stairs.Īt a certain point, you will be switched to a weight-bearing cast or splint. Putting weight on your ankle too soon may prevent the bones from healing properly. Most of the time, this will be at least six to 10 weeks. Your provider will tell you when it is OK to place any weight on your injured ankle. You may need prescription pain medicines (opioids or narcotics) to keep your pain under control at first. If you have liver disease, ask your provider if this medicine is safe for you. Sometimes, they will not want you to take the medicines as it can affect healing.Īcetaminophen (Tylenol and others) is a pain medicine that is safe for most people. Check with your provider about taking anti-inflammatory medicines like Ibuprofen or Naprosyn after fracture. NOT take more than the amount recommended on the bottle or more than your provider advises you to take. Talk with your provider before using these medicines if you have heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease, or have had stomach ulcers or internal bleeding in the past. NOT use these medicines for the first 24 hours after your injury. You can buy these medicines without a prescription. After two days, use the ice pack for 10 to 20 minutes, three times a day as needed.įor pain, you can use ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, and others) or naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn, and others). Apply an ice pack 20 minutes of every hour you are awake for the first two days. Sit with your foot elevated higher than your knee at least four times a day. #ANKLE FRACTURE HOW TO#
How to take care of your cast or splint.In most cases, you will not be allowed to bear weight on your injured ankle at first.Īt some point, you will use a special walking boot as the healing progresses. Your cast or splint may be changed more than once, as your swelling goes down. The length of time you must wear a cast or splint depends on the type of fracture you have. Without surgery, your ankle will be placed in a cast or splint for four to eight weeks. DO NOT put any weight on your injured ankle or try to walk on it.You will need to keep your cast or splint on at all times and keep your foot raised as much as possible.You may be referred to an orthopedic (bone) doctor. The hardware may be temporary or permanent. When surgery is needed, it may require metal pins, screws or plates to hold the bones in place as the fracture heals. In children, the fracture involves the part of the ankle bone where bone is growing.Your provider thinks that surgery can allow faster and more reliable healing.Your provider thinks your bones may not heal properly without surgery.Tendons or ligaments (tissues that hold muscles and bones together) are torn.The fracture extends into the ankle joint (intra-articular fracture).
The ends of the bone are out of line with each other (displaced). Some ankle fractures may require surgery when: Occur on one or both sides of the ankle. Be complete (the bone is broken through and is in two parts). Be partial (the bone is only partially cracked, not all the way through). An ankle fracture is a break in one or more ankle bones.
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