| Ankle fracture | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Broken ankle[1] |
 | |
| Fracture of both sides of the ankle with dislocation as seen on anteroposterior X-ray. (1) fibula, (2) tibia, (arrow) medial malleolus, (arrowhead) lateral malleolus | |
| Specialty | Orthopedics |
| Symptoms | Pain, swelling, bruising, inability to walk[1] |
| Complications | High ankle sprain, compartment syndrome, decreased range of motion, malunion[1][2] |
| Usual onset | Young males, older females[2] |
| Types | Lateral malleolus, medial malleolus, posterior malleolus, bimalleolar, trimalleolar[1] |
| Causes | Rolling the ankle, blunt trauma[2] |
| Diagnostic method | X-rays based on the Ottawa ankle rule[2] |
| Differential diagnosis | Rheumatoid arthritis, gout, septic arthritis, Achilles tendon rupture[2] |
| Treatment | Splinting, casting, surgery[1] |
| Frequency | ~1 per 1000/year[2] |
An ankle fracture is a break of one or more of the bones that make up the ankle joint.[1] Symptoms may include pain, swelling, bruising, and an inability to walk on the injured leg.[1] Complications may include an associated high ankle sprain, compartment syndrome, stiffness, malunion, and post-traumatic arthritis.[1][2]
Ankle fractures may result from excessive stress on the joint such as from rolling an ankle or from blunt trauma.[1][2] Types of ankle fractures include lateral malleolus, medial malleolus, posterior malleolus, bimalleolar, and trimalleolar fractures.[1] The Ottawa ankle rule can help determine the need for X-rays.[2] Special X-ray views called stress views help determine whether an ankle fracture is unstable.
Treatment depends on the fracture type. Ankle stability largely dictates non-operative vs. operative treatment. Non-operative treatment includes splinting or casting while operative treatment includes fixing the fracture with metal implants through an open reduction internal fixation (ORIF).[1] Significant recovery generally occurs within four months while completely recovery usually takes up to one year.[1]
Ankle fractures are common, occurring in over 1.8 per 1000 adults and 1 per 1000 children per year.[2][3] In North America this figure increases to more than 14 in ever 10,000 patients admitted to the Emergency Room.[4] They occur most commonly in young males and older females.[2]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Ankle Fractures (Broken Ankle) - OrthoInfo - AAOS". www.orthoinfo.org. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wire J, Slane VH (9 May 2019). "Ankle Fractures". StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. PMID 31194464.
- ^ Yeung DE, Jia X, Miller CA, Barker SL (April 2016). "Interventions for treating ankle fractures in children". The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2016 (4): CD010836. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD010836.pub2. PMC 7111433. PMID 27033333.
- ^ Ptak NA, Rigby RB (2024). "Subluxation of the posterior tibial tendon into the tibiofibular syndesmosis secondary to high-level ankle fracture or dislocation: Surgical reduction technique guide and case study". Foot & Ankle Surgery: Techniques, Reports & Cases. 4 (1): 100357. doi:10.1016/j.fastrc.2023.100357. ISSN 2667-3967.