cracked and bent fibula (Ankle Swelling)

by fay competio
(brownfield, tx, usa)

my son cracked and bent his fibula playing football on Friday night. the doctor xrayed it and says that his ankle was good and stable and he would just wrap it in an ace bandage and put him a boot for 6 weeks and he should be fine.

On Tuesday he came home from school and his ankle was swollen and again on Wednesday. he hasn't put any weight on that leg as he is on crutches. there was no swelling of the ankle on Saturday. should we be real concerned with this ankle swelling.

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cracked and bent fibula (Ankle Swelling)

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Oct 15, 2008
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ankle swelling
by: Bart - SII

The swelling is likely due to the internal bleeding that has moved into the ankle because of gravity. IT is also likely increased because of his activity up on his feet returning to school.

This is very normal. You can use an elastic wrap around the foot and ankle to help control the swelling inside of the boot, and have him elevate it for 30 minutes to an hour after he returns home from school. The swelling should gradually decrease as he gets further out from his injury and the body stops producing fluid.

Bart

Oct 15, 2008
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cracked and bent fibula (ankle swelling
by: fay competio

My son has also said it still hurts alot. it has been 12 days and he still wakes up in the middle of the night with pain. the told him to take tylenol and advil for pain, but it still hurts pretty bad. about how long till it starts to feel better?

Oct 16, 2008
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continued pain
by: Bart - SII

He is likely going to have pain for another couple weeks - he is just getting out of the initial inflammatory stage of healing and so it is normal to have continued pain, especially at night. Tylenol is a good idea - make sure to let your doctor know about his pain levels when you recheck with him.

Bart

Oct 22, 2008
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cracked and bent fibula (ankle swelling
by: fay competio

ok we went to the dr yesterday and he said to lose the crutches and just use the boot and it would heal faster. he had told us not to lose crutches until all pain was gone but now he says since it has been 2 1/2 weeks it is time to walk on it. he has alot of pain around his knee and below but he said everything was intact maybe just bruised along with the crack. i just wander if walking on it would help it heal faster? the dr said he would have more pain and he has.

Oct 22, 2008
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healing with walking
by: Bart - SII

The body heals at a specific rate - after the first 2-3 weeks, stress on the healing tissues will help to strengthen them. The key is that the stress be controlled. By staying in the boot, he can place some controlled stress on the bone without risking damaging it.

He is likely going to continue to have pain, especially for the first few days of weight bearing. There may also be some bruising and soreness left from the initial injury as well.

Bart

Nov 08, 2008
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cracked and bent fibula (Ankle Swelling)
by: fay competio

ok we went back to dr on Tuesday. he can walk without pain without the boot but still has pain if he jogs. dr said leave boot on for 2 more weeks then he will xray again. is there any rehab exercises he can do in the mean time to help strenghen and be ready for basketball when we go back in 2 weeks? that will be 61/2 weeks since he cracked fibula. he has had no pain or swelling in a couple of weeks. what are the chances of it healing fast?

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cracked and bent fibula (Ankle Swelling)

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cracked and bent fibula (Ankle Swelling)