Ankle Fracture – Case 1

A 60-year-old construction foreman sustained an ankle fracture 3 weeks prior to coming to our office. He thought he just sprained his ankle but the pain and swelling worsened. During his evaluation, we determined the patient had fractured the inside (medial) and (outside) ankle bone resulting in an unstable ankle and the outside ankle bone lost length. A straightforward repair would have failed in this patient. Therefore, we lengthened the fibula (outside ankle bone) with a block of bone graft from his heel to place the ankle joint in proper anatomic alignment. This was followed by the application of a fibula buttress plate to stabilize the construct. In addition, we repaired the inside ankle bone fracture (Medial Malleolus) with 2 screws after reducing the fracture to its proper anatomic position. The patient is back to work following physical therapy, walking well, and engaging in activities without any restrictions.