A broken ankle is a common injury, affecting millions of people each year. Broken ankles have some everyday causes, but this type of break can turn serious without proper, speedy treatment. For early treatment and return to your regular activities and goals, it’s important to know some specifics about this particular type of injury. In this article, we’ll discuss what a broken ankle looks like and the causes, symptoms, and risks if left untreated. We’ll also discuss fractured ankles and sprained ankles vs. broken ankles, including the differences and similarities between these injuries.
What Causes a Broken Ankle?
A broken ankle is an injury that occurs in the ankle bone of a given foot. Causes of a broken ankle can vary from a simple fall or misstep that causes a twisting injury to a car accident or crash that causes more direct trauma. This injury is usually the result of a twist but can also be the result of more direct blows. The most common causes of a broken ankle are falls, car accidents, and missteps. With a fall, tripping and falling as well as landing too hard on your feet from a height cause the break. In a car accident, a crushing injury causes the break. Missteps include poor foot placement and then twisting of the ankle.
Certain activities and hobbies can increase your risk of breaking an ankle. You can be more at risk if you participate in higher-impact athletic activities, abruptly increase your activity level, or use improper sports equipment or techniques. You are also at a higher risk if you have certain health conditions such as osteoporosis, keep your home poorly lit or cluttered, or engage in regular smoking, which can increase your risk of having osteoporosis. Studies also show that healing from a fracture can take longer for people who regularly smoke.
Broken Ankle Symptoms
Some typical symptoms of a broken ankle include swelling, immediate and throbbing pain, bruising, deformity, tenderness, and difficulty or pain when bearing weight or walking on the ankle. You can also have associated fractures in your foot, such as on the sides of the smaller toes or the knee. Pain in the ankle is what stops you from walking and getting around regularly. If there is swelling, it can suggest soft tissue damage, including fluid or blood in or around the joint. Your skin may also appear stretched over the break. Injured blood vessels or nerves can cause numbness or inability to move the area.
Broken Ankle Risks
A broken ankle can range in seriousness, the break being either internal or external and piercing through the skin. As with other serious injuries you could face, there are some risks if your break is left untreated, including a bone infection, arthritis, blood vessel or nerve damage, or in rare cases, compartment syndrome. An open fracture can expose the bone to bacteria, causing infection. Fractures can move into the joint, causing arthritis later. Ankle trauma can cause injury or a tear in the nerves and blood vessels. Compartment syndrome can cause pain, swelling, and sometimes disability in the muscles.
What Is a Fractured Ankle?
There is no distinguishable difference between a broken bone and a fractured bone. The definition of a fractured bone is any decrease or loss of continuity in the given bone. When a bone loses its structural integrity, whether it’s a hairline crack, or a shattering of the bone into many pieces, it’s identified as a fracture. The terms “break” and “fracture” are interchangeable. As there is essentially no difference, the causes, symptoms, and risks remain largely the same.
Sprained Ankle vs. Broken Ankle
Some of the symptoms and pain of a sprained ankle and a broken ankle can be similar. However, proper distinction and diagnosis can help you heal more quickly. The definition of a sprained ankle is a torn or stretched ligament beyond normal limits. An ankle fracture can lead to ligament damage and a sprain. A sprain can occur silently while a break can make a crack noise. A break more often causes ankle misshapenness, numbness, and tingling. Pain more directly on the bone is probably a break, while pain in the soft ankle area is probably a sprain.
Treating Broken and Sprained Ankles
Treating a broken ankle depends largely on the area and severity of the break. A more severe break could require surgery to implant rods, plates, or screws to maintain the proper bone and ankle positioning during healing. You should see your podiatrist for any obvious deformities, if the swelling and pain do not improve with self-care, if the injury interferes with walking and movement, or if swelling and pain worsen over time. Some procedures to determine the severity of your break can include a CT scan, bone scan, or MRI.
Treatment for a sprained ankle is typically less involved. You can take an anti-inflammatory drug, such as naproxen or ibuprofen, or your podiatrist may recommend the RICE (rest, ice, compress, elevate) method. Motion exercises can also help a moderate sprain once swelling and pain subside. Your podiatrist may recommend surgery for severe cases if other less-invasive treatments fail.
Preventing Ankle Injuries
There are also some ways to prevent ankle injuries. Analogous to some safety and sports tips, some of the top preventative tips for this type of injury include replacing your athletic shoes when they wear out or lay unevenly, wearing proper shoes for fit and activities, starting exercise activities slowly, and cross-training with alternating activities. You can also declutter your home to avoid trips and falls, build bone strength with calcium and vitamin D, and do exercises to strengthen the ankles.
Early Treatment of Your Ankle Breaks and Sprains
Broken or sprained ankles are common enough and have some definitive causes, symptoms, and treatment options. For the earliest possible diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of your ankle breaks and sprains, look to the Foot & Ankle Specialists of Illinois and get back to the activities you love.
