Foot & Ankle Fractures Treatment

There are a series of different injuries that can occur in the foot and ankle ranging from injuries relating to foot ankle tendons, foot ligaments injuries, and broken ankle and foot bones. As anyone who has experienced foot and ankle injuries can tell you, ankle and foot pain can be debilitating as there's pain with literally every step. Depending on the injury our doctors will likely recommend some form of immobilization through the use of a boot but it is extremely important to not attempt to make an ankle injury diagnosis and buy a boot. If you find yourself in this category (and you shouldn't be!!) under no circumstances should your walking boot be causing ankle pain. Even if you were seen by a specialist and you are having pain while in a boot, you should contact them immediately. Below you will find more information on a couple of foot and ankle trauma diagnosis.

Ankle Fracture Treatment:

Ankle fracture treatment depends on the arrangement of the bones and the stability of the ankle joint. In the event of an unstable ankle fracture, surgery is required. The objective is to have anatomic reduction of the fracture with great alignment. A misalignment of just two millimeters in the lower leg joint can lead to increased risks of post traumatic arthritis. Certain fractures can be dealt with non surgically with a brace, short leg cast, or other off loading device. Some patients might have the option to walk immediately while wearing a boot, while others might need to restrict weight bearing.

For more serious breaks where surgery is required, patients ordinarily do not bear weight for a month and a half until the bone mends. For the primary two or three weeks, patients are in a posterior splint and are elevating the appendage 90% of the day. Following 10 to 14 days, the stitches are taken out and patients are ordinarily positioned into a removable boot. This permits patients to begin moving the lower leg (active range of motion) and to shower. Throughout this process, X-ray imaging are taken to look at boney healing.

Assuming the bone is healed well; patients are then permitted to begin weight bearing and to start ankle fracture physical therapy (sometimes physical therapy is started prior to weight bearing). This is pivotal in helping to stabilize ankle fractures. Patients will by and large have a minimum of a month and a half of treatment or more.

Regardless of whether surgery is required or not, it generally takes around a month and a half for bones to completely heal. However, it might take more time for tendons or soft tissues to completely recover.

There is always a question as to what to do for a fractured ankle and how long it takes for an ankle fracture to heal. Our specialists at Harlis Family Foot and Ankle can assist you in ankle injury treatment at Port St Lucie and will guide you on how to heal a fractured ankle.

Jones Fracture

A Jones fracture can be a debilitating diagnosis. It is commonly seen amongst athletes and in high energy, high torsion injuries. Usually patient have symptoms consistent with pain to the outside of their foot, difficulty walking, along with swelling. It is also fairly common to see jones fracture bruising, at the outside of the foot. There are a couple of different ways to approach jones fracture recovery/treatment of these injuries and these are all patient specific. That is what we specialize in at Harlis Family Foot and Ankle; patient specific treatment plans. If you find yourself with this possible diagnosis dont worry as our physicians offer the best jones fracture treatment at Port St Lucie.

Some of the most common questions/comments we have with patients that have a Jones fracture are: what are the best shoes after jones fracture, how to heal a jones fracture faster, how to increase blood flow to jones fracture, long term effects of jones fracture and how long is jones fracture recovery. Unfortunately there is no ‘one size fits all’ answer for every patient. But thankfully, these are all questions that our highly trained doctors can answer. If you need treatment for jones fracture at Port St Lucie, visit us at Harlis Family Foot and Ankle.

Calcaneal fracture

A calcaneal fracture is a heel bone fracture/ fracture of the heel bone. These are routinely seen when patients fall from heights. Most commonly when falling from ladders or from roofs, so it is no surprise that the Christmas season brings a lot of these patients into the office. Some patients are unfortunate to have bilateral calcaneal fractures Common symptoms are inability to walk, pain in the back of the foot, swelling, and calcaneus fracture bruising. Unfortunately these are not considered minor fractures and life after a calcaneus fracture, if not treated properly (and even when treated properly) can be debilitating. However fear not, our highly trained physicians can work with you to develop a plan to help ensure your success.

When patients fall from heights and experience these symptoms, they are not considered a minor heel fracture. The only time a calcaneal fracture is considered ‘minor’, is if it is a stress fracture which occurs from repeated activities that overstress the bone inducing the fracture. But sometimes those can progressively worsen and become an issue. If you are seeking calcaneus fracture treatment at Port St Lucie, or heel fracture treatment at Port St Lucie, come and visit a podiatrist at Harlis Family Foot and Ankle.