Surgical Repair of Ankle Fractures
With current surgical technology, most ankle fractures are now surgically repaired. When possible, we still practice conservative management of broken ankles, but for unstable or displaced fractures, the ankle needs to be surgically fixated. Ankle Surgery intends to realign the complicated anatomy of the ankle joint and hold it in place while the body heals around the screws. Long term, those screws can stay intact and almost never become a problem. The surgery itself is an outpatient procedure, which takes roughly an hour to perform. Using local and general anesthesia, the fracture is reduced into a proper position and fixated with plates and screws.
Healing time is not necessarily reduced by performing surgery, however, the fixation makes the ankle more stable while it does heal. By realigning the joint services, long term deformity and pain can be prevented. Ankle arthritis is common after poorly reduced or fixated fractures, so your surgeon must be a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to surgery.
Whether your ankle fracture needs surgery or conservative care, we can take care of it at Eagle-Summit Foot & Ankle at either our Avon or Frisco office.
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