Does a broken ankle require surgery?

Most people will encounter some unexpected physical injuries in life. Some injuries will affect people's normal work and life. Ankle fracture is one of the most common injuries. This injury will affect people's normal walking and the recovery period is relatively long. Some minor ankle fractures recover quickly, while some serious fractures require patients to go to the hospital for treatment. So, does ankle fracture require surgery?

First, does an ankle fracture require surgery? Ankle fractures are intra-articular fractures and generally require anatomical reduction, that is, complete reduction. Because if the joint is not completely reduced, the joint surface will inevitably be uneven, which will cause traumatic arthritis in the future. If the reduction is good, conservative treatment with plaster fixation can be sufficient. Fractures involving the articular surface will take a longer time to recover, as the synovial fluid will dissolve the growing callus, so the fixation time will also be longer. The surgery only involves inserting two screws. If you are afraid of having to undergo another surgery to remove the screws, you can also use absorbable screws.

Second, ankle fractures do not necessarily require surgery. Whether surgery is needed depends on the condition of the fracture. If the fracture is not displaced, it can be fixed with plaster and the fracture will gradually heal. If the fracture is displaced, surgical treatment is required, otherwise it will affect the stability of the ankle joint and cause ankle pain and bone hyperplasia in the future. If the condition is not serious, you can try conservative treatment. Because the bones in the feet do not require high flexibility, you can first undergo conservative treatment and fix it with plaster. It is recommended to undergo conservative treatment first. There is no need for surgery. Even if there are some deformities or even slight effects on foot movement, it does not matter as long as it is not very obvious.

Does an ankle fracture require surgery? To ensure that the fracture can recover as much function as possible, reduction and necessary fixation are the key. The subsequent care should also be handled around fixation. First of all, after a fracture, you should always check whether the fixation is too loose or too tight. If it is too loose, you should go to the hospital to ask a doctor to tighten it. If it is too tight, it will affect the blood circulation of the limbs and you should also go to the hospital to ask a doctor to treat it. Move the affected limb as little as possible and pay attention to the blood circulation in the fingers. If numbness occurs, it means the fixation is too tight. It is recommended to eat a light diet, eat more calcium-containing foods such as soy products, seafood, milk, eat more fresh fruits, and get more sun exposure to supplement vitamin D which helps calcium absorption.