Unless you’ve had your head in the clouds post Melbourne Cup wins, or your eyes glued to your phone as you walk along the streets of Sydney, it would be impossible to miss the masses of roadworks and uneven footpaths in our city. And with all those uneven surfaces the risk of ankle sprain and fractures becomes more apparent. So how do you decide whether or not you need to head straight to hospital after a fall?
The first thing to think of, as you quickly brush yourself off, “Am I happy to stand up and put my full body weight on my foot?” The inability to weight-bear immediately after a sprain is a strong indicator of a fracture, along with inability to walk with your weight properly on the foot.
The second is location of pain. Is your pain located over the malleolar zone? This is the area from just above the bony point on both the outside and inside of the ankle down to the crease of the ankle, just below the bony process.
And finally, is it highly sensitive to touch? especially on the bony points of the ankle. This could be on both the inside and outside of the ankle.
If you answer yes to at least two of these questions, then it is a strong indicator that an X-ray is necessary to rule out a fracture. You can go straight to A&E, you could see your GP, or you can come and see your friendly Physio! We can refer you straight for an X-ray, and we can fit you into a moonboot if the X-ray comes back positive for fracture. After six weeks of rest and recovery, we can work with you to get back to your pre-fracture mobility and strength.
If you have any questions about ankle fractures or rehab following ankle fractures you can see one of our friendly Physios at Bend + Mend! We have three locations across Sydney’s CBD so you don’t even have to walk too far while you are in pain!
