Symptoms

What symptoms do ankle fractures cause?

As with all fractures, immediate pain and loss of function are the most obvious symptoms. The pain is felt in the ankle and is made worse by movements of the leg and foot. Even moving the toes may cause pain in the ankle because the tendons from the muscles that move the toes pass over the ankle joint.

The normal shape of the ankle may be obviously distorted and there is usually swelling and bruising. It's not usually possible (or a good idea) to put weight on a broken ankle. However, in some quite serious injuries it is possible to bear weight with caution and this may mistakenly cause you to think that the injury isn't serious. Open fractures of the ankle are relatively uncommon but if there is a wound it should be investigated immediately. Fracture blisters are common after ankle fractures.

The pain, swelling, and purple discoloration from ankle fractures last several weeks. There is always a significant injury to muscles, tendons, and ligaments (soft tissues) near the ankle and usually a considerable amount of bleeding into the area. Many small blood vessels are disrupted so the circulation is impaired. It takes time for the bones, soft tissues, and blood vessels to heal and the swelling to be reabsorbed. If the ankle is in a cast or a tight bandage the swelling may cause increased pain.

In the later stages of recovery stiffness of the ankle and foot may be a troublesome symptom. Swollen tissue and collections of blood heal to form scar tissue. The ankle has to be kept immobile for a period of time while the fracture is healing. Then adhesion (scar tissue) can bind the bones, tendons, and ligaments together and limit normal movement. It is very common to need an exercise program to recover full range of motion of the ankle after a fracture. Post traumatic osteoarthritis of the ankle joint occurs relatively rarely but if the joint surface has been damaged there may be persistent aching and pain on bearing weight.