A broken ankle can cause chronic pain and even disability issues. You can have a fractured ankle when one or more bones of your ankle joints are broken. You might not experience severe pain while walking if the injury is minor. However, it might lead to a severe condition after a while. Therefore, it is important to consult your doctor to know the cause of your ankle pain and discomfort. Normally, people ignore ankle pain and misinterpret it like an ankle sprain. Both these are different conditions and might come simultaneously. So, you will have to take medical help instead of deriving a conclusion on your own.
What Are the Causes of Ankle Fracture?
You can get a fracture in your talus bone and malleolus while rolling your ankle. A car accident can lead to a fractured ankle. You can say the same about falling or tripping. Rotating and twisting can cause fractures in your ankle. Sometimes, we do not get any major injuries after an accident. We think that it is a normal sprain and will be cured on its own. However, if it is not a sprain, you are only worsening the condition during your waiting period. You can avoid all these speculations by an evaluation from a physician.
What Are The Symptoms?
As stated earlier, you can have a fracture in your medial malleolus, lateral malleolus, or talus bone without experiencing any major pain or disability issues. You can consider the following symptoms to decide on the severity. Even if none of these symptoms are present, it is better to be evaluated by an expert.
- Sudden and severe pain
- Bruising and significant swelling
- Unable to walk comfortably and bear the pressure of the bodyweight
- Tender to touch
- Blisters and deformity
All these conditions should not be ignored. They indicate a fracture in your ankle bone and warrant medical attention.
What Are the Types of Ankle Fractures?
There are different types of ankle fractures. The area of the fracture will decide the type. Some common types of ankle fractures are fibula fracture, trimalleolar fracture, stress fracture ankle, and avulsion fracture ankle. In the trimalleolar fracture, the injury involves your medial malleolus and lateral malleolus. This fracture normally leads to dislocation and ligament damage. The fibula fracture causes injury to smaller bones of your lower leg.
You can also have a stress fracture ankle. This injury might cause pain in your foot and ankle. The pain will be more with physical activities and pressure on your foot. You can have swelling on the top of the ankle. An ankle avulsion fracture is caused by ligament or tendon tears. You will feel like you have an ankle sprain and might overlook the condition. These are the more common types of ankle fracture and all of them need medical attention.
When Should I Consult My Doctor?
Needless to mention, you cannot diagnose the types of ankle fracture you are experiencing. It might be a simple sprain as well. When the pain is severe, swelling is significant, and you notice deformity and dislocation, then this is a medical emergency. The sooner is better. You can look for the following symptoms to decide an emergency medical consultation.
- Unable to bear the weight
- Intolerable pain after taking medications
- Deformity in bones and visibility of bones outside the skin
- Unable to move your toes
- Blue or cold feet
What Are the Treatment Options?
The foot and ankle surgeon will examine the affected ankle to know the severity of the injury. They might ask for an x-ray if they suspect some fracture. The extent of the injury will decide the treatment. If it is minor, you might be asked for rest, ice pack application on the injury, compression, and elevation. These are normal treatment procedures for minor ankle injuries. They might prescribe you some medications as well. However, when the fracture is severe, you might need to go through a surgical procedure. The surgeon will select the procedure. You should inquire about all the possible options before going ahead with the decision.
Surgery needs more care and detailed attention. After the surgery, you will have to carefully follow the aftercare instructions. Any negligence can lead to deformity, infection, chronic pain, and arthritis. So, follow all the instructions to speed the recovery and avoid any further complications. Feel free to Contact us or request an appointment TODAY at Fredrick Foot and Ankle.
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