

They will help you sit on the bedside, get up and out of bed, and then balance to stand on your uninjured leg. A physical therapist will visit your hospital room once you are medically stable. If your ankle fracture requires surgery, your doctor will cast it or provide you with a fracture boot to stabilize it post-surgery. Recommend further care by an orthopedic doctor or emergency department.Instruct you to walk without putting weight on the injured ankle, using crutches or a walker.Instruct you to keep the injured ankle elevated to control swelling.Immobilize your ankle by wrapping it with an ace wrap or applying a stirrup brace to limit motion and control swelling.If you require surgery, you may see a physical therapist prior to surgery, who will: This treatment will be done in the hospital emergency room or, if needed, with surgery. Initial treatment involves realigning and stabilizing the bones by a doctor, often with a cast. If you have an ankle fracture, treatment will depend on the number of broken bones and whether you have a simple, complex, or compound fracture. Physical therapy also can help you safely regain strength in the ankle you have not used during casting. Whether or not you have surgery, a physical therapist can help restore proper joint movement and flexibility after your cast comes off.

Also, sometimes surgery and casting are needed to repair a fracture. When ankle fractures require immobilization using casting or a protective boot, or the use of crutches to get around, your joints can become stiff. There also is a higher risk for infection for individuals with a compound fracture. When a fracture involves several broken bones, or the bones do not line up, the fracture is unstable and requires immediate treatment. There is severe damage to the soft tissue surrounding the broken bone(s). The bone or bones splinter, or small pieces of bone break off. The two parts of the broken bone do not line up. The pieces of the broken bone remain lined up. Fractures occur at three sites: the fibula, tibia, and the posterior malleolus (located on the back of the tibia).įractures are measured in severity by whether they are: Two bones break: the fibula and the tibia. Only the tibia (the bone on the inside of the ankle) breaks. Only the fibula (the bone on the outside of the ankle) breaks. There are several ankle fracture types based on the number of bones broken. An ankle fracture is when a bone on one or both sides of the ankle joint breaks, completely or partially.
