Foot and Ankle

Ankle Fracture Surgery

Ankle Fracture

"I broke my ankle." A broken ankle is also known as an ankle "fracture." This means that one or more of the bones that make up the ankle joint are separated into pieces. There may be ligaments damaged as well.

Simply put, the more bones that are broken, the more unstable the ankle becomes.

A fractured ankle can range from a simple break in one bone, which may not stop you from walking, to several fractures, which forces your ankle out of place and may require that you not put weight on it for three months.


Cause

• "Twisting" or rotating your ankle
• "Rolled" your ankle
• Tripping or falling
• Impact during a car accident

Since there is such a wide range of injuries, there is also a wide range of how people heal after their injury.

Broken ankles affect all ages. Ankle fractures occur in 184 per 100,000 persons per year. During the past 30 to 40 years, doctors have noted an increase in the number and severity of broken ankles, due in part to an active, older population of "baby boomers." In 2003, nearly 1.2 million people visited emergency rooms because of ankle problems.


Surgical Treatment

If the fracture is out of place or your ankle is unstable, your fracture may be treated with surgery. To make your ankle stable, a plate and screws on the side of the bone or a screw or rod inside the bone may be used to re-align the bone fragments and keep them together as they heal.



More information.

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Source from AAOS, Arthrex, Viewmedica, WebMD