Fractured lateral malleolus

[orthoped]

hi,
I am an orthoped myself so pls dont ignore this advice.

Firstly after seeing all these X-rays, kindly note that you may feel it as just a crack but these are pretty serious injuries.

The reason why CAST is important is
1. without the cast the fracture keeps moving slightly even if you dont step on that foot. This interferes with healing of the fracture.
2. Weightbearing on the fractured foot, can cause breaks in a partially healed fracture and impede further healing. This can result in non-union.

Time of Recovery:
Ideally it takes 6 weeks for even an undisplaced fracture to heal. So if you have a cast on then it might take 4 weeks with a cast and 2 weeks of physiotherapy to get you back on your feet.

Casting does lead to weakened muscles but it is important or else the fracture may not unite and lead to chronic pain for lifetime. (Though some fractures may heal without casting and even if the person is weightbearing, it is definitely not worth the risk.)
Additional Comment I forgot:

I have a question regarding my fractured lateral malleolus. My injury happened on a Saturday. I felt it was just a bad sprain, but my wife insisted I get it checked out so I went to an urgent-care type facility the following day, Sunday. The doctor there asked me MY opinion after manipulating my ankle and leg, then said he too thought it was just a sprain. I was told to put some ice on it, do not wrap it, and if it's not better in 5-7 days come back in. I walked on it for the next 7 days and of course it wasn't getting much better. I returned to the same center but saw a different doctor this time. He seemed very surprised that no xrays were taken during my first visit. He ordered x-rays which show what looks like a type B on the Weber System:



(I have the xray on my computer but do not have it published to the internet) He stated that it had begun healing incorrectly and I would need to have it re-broken and set with a plate and screws, which I did have done by an orthopedic surgeon.

My question is this: had the original doctor ordered an x-ray the day following the accident, therefore seeing it was broken, could he have cared for it properly at that point and could the surgery have been avoided? I appreciate any opinions given, thanks.

Rob

You are absolutely right Rob. Ideally, all sprains of the ankle should not be declared as a sprain without an X-ray of the ankle, cause its almost impossible to differentiate between them otherwise.