Surgical Outcome of Ankle Fractures

Dr. Vasant Gawande; Dr. Shantanu Gupta; Dr. Swapnil Joshi; Dr. Tanmay Dua

Volume : VII, Issue : I, January - 2018

Surgical Outcome of Ankle Fractures

Dr. Vasant Gawande, Dr. Shantanu Gupta, Dr. Swapnil Joshi, Dr. Tanmay Dua

Abstract :

Ankle fractures are one of the most common injuries treated by orthopaedic surgeons. Ankle fractures have been the subject of numerous studies and articles regarding the mechanism of injury, classification and treatment modalities. The ankle is a mortise joint formed by the lower end of the tibia and fibula articulating with the talus. Ankle fractures usually affect young men and older women, however, below the age of 50; ankle fractures are the commonest in men. Two commonly used classification systems for ankle fractures include the danis weber AO classification and the Lauge-Hansen classification. In the postoperative period, the protocol of mobilization of the ankle has been a topic of conflict. The final outcome of a fractured ankle is of prime importance, as the treatment should benefit the patient just not in short term but also in the long term. The treatment of fractures has its challenges in cases where the fracture is complicated by co-morbid conditions such as Diabetes mellitus, peripheral vascular diseases and neuropathic conditions which complicates the treatment and influences the overall outcome. A thorough understanding of the ankle anatomy, mechanism of the injury, interpretation of the radiographs and adherence to basic principles of fracture management are the basis for a good result.