broken ankle, cast from knee down, crutches for next 4 weeks

by Jane
(windsor, ON)

What effect will this have on a person's ability to perform the occupations that are important?
What kind of physical therapy would you do for a broken ankle?
What are the steps to recovery?
What is involved in recovery, time line, equipment, needs, daily life?

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broken ankle, cast from knee down, crutches for next 4 weeks

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Nov 18, 2009
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recovery
by: Bart - SII

The first step is to allow the bone to heal. You didn't give specifics on which bone was fractured, so I would assume the tibia since you are on crutches. General timeline for bone healing is 6-8 weeks, but that varies significantly from person to person and injury to injury.

Once the bone heals enough for the cast to come off, therapy can start, it is is highly recommended in order to restore range of motion, strength, and neuromuscular control.

Overall recovery can be anywhere from 3-5 months if things go well, up to 12-18 months if things don't go just right. Depending on the type of fracture and how it heals, there may be residual effects of pain, swelling, and motion loss forever.

Bart