Broken ankle
A broken ankle occurs when bones in the ankle fracture. Another term is ankle fracture. It can range from minute cracks in your bones to penetrating your skin.
Symptoms indicating a broken ankle
You can experience a few of the following symptoms and warning indications if you have a broken ankle:
- Immediate throbbing ache
- Swelling
- Bruising
- Tenderness
- Deformity
- Pain or difficulty in walking or bearing weight
When to seek a doctor?
See a doctor if there is a deformity, if the swelling and pain did not improve with personal care, or if the pain and swelling worsen over time.
Things to ease broken ankle
It will help if you obey the recommendations made by the hospital or fracture clinic.
- When feasible, take a break and elevate your ankle
- To relieve pain, consume paracetamol or the medicine your doctor prescribed
- While wearing the boot or cast, gently flex your knee and stretch your toes to loosen up your muscles
- Wear proper shoes
- Strengthen your bones
Medical assistance
You will typically get an X-ray to determine the severity of a broken ankle.
You might not need treatment if your break is relatively mild.
You might require:
- An ankle-supporting boot with specific features
- A plaster cast to stabilize your ankle as it heals
- A doctor will give you an injection to numb your ankle before moving the bones back into position.
- An operation to repair the fractured bones
Complications of experiencing a broken ankle
A broken ankle rarely develops complications, but they could occur.
-
- Arthritis. Joint-extending fractures can result in arthritis years down the road
- Infected bones If you have an open fracture, microorganisms that cause infection may get into your bone
- Compartment syndrome. Rarely, this disease may coexist with ankle fractures
- Damage to blood vessels or nerves. Ankle trauma can damage blood vessels and nerves
Reviewed by – Dr. Priyanka, MBBS MD Microbiology
Page last reviewed: 16 JULY 2022