Ankle Fracture
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Injury Lawyer. Have you ever sprained your ankle. Some say it might as well be broken. It seems to hurt as if it were truly broken. An ankle injury can be far more troublesome and serious when a fracture to this bone occurs.
What is an Ankle Fracture?
The ankle is made up of several bones. A traumatic injury to any of these bones can cause intense pain. The main bone of the ankle is called the talus. A bone fracture in the talus is what most medical professionals will call an ankle fracture.
Mechanism of Injury
There are several different ways that someone might fracture their talus or their ankle. Many people will do so with an extreme outward rolling of their ankle while playing sports. It is also possible that someone could fall out of a tree or off of their roof, injuring their ankle this way. Someone could also sustain a pedestrian injury if they are struck by a car or a bicycle.
Treatment of an Ankle Fracture
Before an ankle fracture can be treated, it must first be diagnosed in a proper fashion. This means that imaging scans, such as an x-ray or an MRI will be ordered by a doctor. This will allow the physician to get a proper view at all of the structures of the ankle to ensure that nothing has been missed before immobilizing the ankle in a cast for proper treatment.
Possible Complications
It is not unusual for patients to believe that their ankle has only been sprained before visiting the doctor. This delay in diagnosis could lead to several comorbidities that range from improper healing to difficulty walking after the recovery process. This is why rapid diagnosis is important.
Structures at Risk
When someone has fractured their ankle, there are several other structures that are at risk. The tibia and the fibula are right above the ankle and could be fractured. The metatarsals of the foot and the calcaneus are also at risk. For this reason, images are taken of the ankle to rule out any fractures of these other structures.
Differential Diagnosis
When someone has damaged their ankle, physicians will look above and below the injury for their differential. This means that other injuries could include:
- Fracture of the fibula
- Tibia fracture
- Calcaneus fracture
- Femur fracture
- Ligament damage in the ankle
- Fracture of the metatarsal
Injury Prognosis
The prognosis of this injury will depend on the severity with which the ankle has been fractured. This means plenty of imaging and physical exam maneuvers before establishing a prognosis.
Surgery is Possible
Any ankle fracture that has led to ligament damage or displaced bones will require surgery.
Sacramento Injury Lawyers
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Injury Lawyer. If you’ve been seriously injured in an incident due to someone’s careless or negligent actions, please reach out to me for free, friendly legal advice at (916) 921-6400 for (800) 404-5400.
I am grateful to have been selected for the California chapter of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. This esteemed group of advocates for personal injury clients has been mentioned with some of the most well-respected trial lawyers in the United States. Our forum’s injury lawyers have either won verdicts or helped to negotiate settlements valued at over $1 Million dollars.
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