Broken ankle: fixing it with a plate

Types

• Outer ankle bone only
• Outer ankle bone plus the inner side (bone or ligament)
• Three parts of the ankle (trimalleolar)

What is broken

The outer ankle bone (the lower end of the fibula) has broken, usually from twisting the foot. If the ankle joint has shifted, the talus bone no longer sits evenly in its socket.

Why an operation

When the ankle joint is not exactly in place, the cartilage wears quickly and the ankle becomes painful and stiff over the years. Fixing the bone restores the joint so that it can heal in the right position.

How the operation is done

Through a cut on the outer side of the ankle, the surgeon puts the bone back in place and fixes it with a thin plate and screws. If the ligaments between the two leg bones are torn, an extra screw or button may hold them. It usually takes about an hour.

Anaesthesia and the hospital stay

You will be asleep, or the leg is made numb. Most people stay one to three days.

Possible risks

• The plate irritates under the skin, so it is taken out later — about 10 to 20 in 100
• Wound healing problems or infection — about 2 to 5 in 100, more often in smokers and people with diabetes
• Numb patch on the top of the foot (a small skin nerve) — about 2 to 5 in 100
• Blood clot in the leg or lung — about 1 in 100
• Wear of the ankle joint in later years — possible, especially after severe injuries

After the operation

Keep the leg raised for the first days. You will wear a splint or boot; how much weight you may put on it depends on the fracture: often as much as comfort allows within the first two weeks, in other cases partial weight for about six weeks. Injections against clots are given while you are less mobile.

Questions people often ask