If your ankle is broken, then it likely won’t be able to bear weight at all. If your ankle is tender around the outside or back of your ankle, then you should have it evaluated by a doctor.
Additionally, a broken ankle can affect your coordination because the fracture can affect your brain’s ability to know the position of the limb.
Believe it or not, your injured ankle actually benefits from swelling indirectly, even if it causes you feelings of pain and frustration. Swelling prohibits large degrees of movement of the involved ankle. Therefore, it promotes speedy recovery.
Until your doctor’s appointment, you can follow the acronym PRICE to guide your first aid efforts. PRICE stands for: Protect, Rest, Ice, Compress, and Elevate. Use an ACE wrap or a splint on your ankle to protect it until you’re able to be seen by a foot specialist. [7] X Expert Source Neal Blitz, DPM, FACFASBoard Certified Podiatrist Expert Interview. 22 April 2020.
If you do not have a splint but are wearing shoes that support your ankle, like hiking boots or regular boots, tighten the laces as tightly as they can go to keep your ankle immobile while you make your way to the hospital.
Rest should be continued even after your initial treatment. The first three days after injury should be dedicated to rest. Wait for the doctor’s clearance before resuming any activities that involve using your ankle.
If you can, use crushed ice because it can follow the contours of your ankle. Avoid applying the ice directly to your skin, as really cold temperatures can burn your skin just like heat will.
You can also skip the splint and wrap your ankle in elastic bandages while you make your way to the hospital.
Sitting: Your ankle must be elevated higher than your hip. Lying down: Your ankle must be elevated higher than your heart and chest.
Do not take other painkillers like ibuprofen, until after you have gone to the hospital. Painkillers like ibuprofen thin your blood and could cause problems if you have to get surgery.
If the ankle is broken, the doctor will likely put a cast on it. For a sprain or strain, they may give you a splint or bandage to wear until it’s healed. In rare cases, severe injuries may require surgery. Your doctor may prescribe painkillers for the days after your injury. In some cases, they may recommend taking over-the-counter painkillers instead. Even if you go to your primary care physician or the emergency room, you may be referred to a foot specialist for treatment. [10] X Expert Source Neal Blitz, DPM, FACFASBoard Certified Podiatrist Expert Interview. 22 April 2020.
You will most likely have to wear the cast for at least 4-8 weeks.
Casting is required after reduction to ensure that the bones stay in place. In extreme cases of ankle joint instability, metal plates and screws have to be inserted externally (called external fixation) or internally (called internal fixation) to hold the bones in place.
There are two parts to ankle surgery. First, you would undergo open reduction, during which your bones would be put back into their proper places. Then, through external fixation, metal plates are drilled into the bone and screws are placed to ensure very minute movement of the affected bones.
Don’t engage in any weight bearing activity while your fracture is healing, unless your doctor advises you that it’s okay. Some fractures may be able to bear weight under certain circumstances, such as while wearing a special boot.
Another issue with a wet cast is that it can get loose, which means it won’t hold your ankle in place properly.
Stability should be trained before mobility. Stability exercises reinforce the maximum allowable degree of movement in the ankle without risking injury. Stability is also necessary to withstand external pressure applied to the ankle. It usually takes 6-8 weeks for an ankle fracture to heal. Your orthopedist may allow you to engage in range of motion movements as early as 4 weeks. They may also transition you to a removable boot cast. Follow up with your doctor so that they can evaluate how well your ankle is healing.
Stand in front of a wall so that you are an arm’s length away from it. Push against the wall. Look straight, keep your shoulder blades down and back and make a double chin. Standing like this will make sure that your spine is properly aligned. Suck in your gut as if someone were trying to punch you in the stomach. Squeeze your butt muscles together. Doing this maneuver will train the core and posterior chain muscles. Both are vital for training the proper alignment of the ankle joint and preventing re-injury. Raise the healthy foot off the floor. Maintain this position for 30 seconds. Standing on one leg will introduce an unstable situation. This will train the injured ankle to resist unstable forces. Resist the urge to look at your foot. Looking in a straight direction throughout the movement will train proprioception as well. It is common to experience wobbling in the first few tries. Rest for 1 minute and then repeat this process twice. Do this once with the other leg to make sure that it receives the same strength training.
Sit in a chair and extend your leg with the injured ankle so that it is parallel to the ground. Pretend that the affected foot is a pen and draw the letters of the alphabet in the air from A-Z and reverse. You might feel stiffness in your ankle. Work through the stiffness but not so hard that you feel pain. Your focus should be on the movement of your ankle and not the smoothness of the strokes. Rest for 2 minutes and repeat the movement twice.
Stand with the balls of your feet on the edge of a step on your stairs with your heels hanging off. Keep the gut sucked in, stand tall, and rest your hands against a wall or handrail. Rise on the balls of your feet in a tip-toe fashion. Try to stand as high on your tip-toes as you can. You heels should lift above the step. Exhale while you do this to keep your blood pressure normal. Slowly descend until your heels are a few inches below the edge of a step. Inhale while you do this. This works the calf muscle to its whole range of motion leaving no weak point behind. Repeat 10 times for one set. Rest for one minute and do 2 more sets.
Sit in a chair or on the couch. You can even do this while watching TV or reading a wikiHow article. Place one medium-sized thin towel on the floor lengthwise. Put your foot on the end of the towel. Draw the other end of the towel towards you by curling only your toes. The heel should be planted to the ground at all times. Repeat this exercise three more times and switch with the other foot.
Stand in front of a wall and push against it with your arms. Your arms should be at chest level and shoulder-width apart. The shoulder blades should be drawn back and down. Put your right foot behind your left foot and keep your right leg straight. The heel should come in contact with the ground and toes should point forward throughout the stretch. Bend the left foot forward to stretch the right calf muscle. You should feel a stretch or a slight discomfort that is tolerable in the calf muscles of your right leg. If you feel pain, stop. Hold this position for 30 seconds for people younger than 40 years old. Those older than 40 years old should hold their stretch for 60 seconds. The muscles become stiffer as we age. Keeping longer stretches will help loosen the muscles up.
Place a regular tennis ball on the floor. Sit in a chair and place the middle part of your foot on the tennis ball. Roll the ball in circles. Do it in clockwise fashion for 1 minute followed by counter-clockwise motion for 1 minute as well. Roll the ball back and forth for 1 minute. Roll the ball side-to-side for 1 minute. Switch to your other foot. Do this process three times on both feet.
