Ankle Fracture
Complications
Are there any complications that I need to be aware of?
Xray showing a fracture of the Fibula.
General complications after an ankle fracture include:
- Stiffness of the foot and ankle
- Pain
- Swelling
- Arthritis in later life - One of the most common long term complications affecting your broken ankle is osteoarthritis, or just arthritis. When bones around the joint have broken they are likely to undergo more severe wear and tear than non-injured joints. This causes pain and swelling in the joint and may be severe enough to warrant further treatment.
- Inadeuqate healing – the position of the bones in the ankle is very important, partly because they carry so much weight and partly because the great many types of movements produced at the ankle require bones that fit well into one another ('congruence'). For this reason, resetting the bones in the correct position, whether with a plaster or operation, must be exact, and even then, the bones may never fit perfectly together.
If you require an operation, there are a number of general risks as well as complications specifically associated with ankle repair:
- Bleeding from the incisions
- Delayed wound healing
- Infection – any operation has a risk of infection, either at the site of surgery or throughout the body. Infections are usually prevented by antibiotics administered the day of and day after the operation. NOTE – if you have diabetes you are at a much greater risk of infection.
- Injury to nerves – Numbness or tingling can occur at the wound or in the foot. This is usually temporary but in some it may be permanent.
- Blood clots- Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a term medical professionals use to describe the formation of clots in the leg. Normally, the large veins in the calf and thigh are emptied of blood by the actions of the surrounding muscles. However, when you lie or sit still for long periods of time the blood pools in the veins, forming clots. If the clot becomes large enough it can block the vein, resulting in a backlog of blood in the leg. This causes the leg to become red, swollen and sore. More seriously, parts of the clot can break off and travel back through the veins and into the lungs. Clots that travel into the lung are called 'pulmonary emboli' (PE), and can cause chest pain and difficulty breathing. While in hospital, you will probably be given an anti-clotting drug and asked to wear special white stockings called TEDs to prevent DVTs. If you or your family have a history please let us know.
- Compartment Syndrome – this occurs when pressure in the foot and ankle, either from swelling or a plaster, cuts off the circulation to the foot. The lack of blood supply causes extreme pain, as well as numbness and/or tingling and can cause longterm damage to the small intrinsic muscles in the foot.
- Need for further surgery:
- The metalwork may need to be removed it if becomes prominent or problematic
- Failure of the bones to heal or incorrect position may result in a salvage operation or arthrodesis.
Diagram of an Ankle looking from the front. It shows different types of fractures around the Ankle Joint
25 August, 2011