Those who have recently seen me in the clinic will know I have been dealing with a few different injuries this year.
Unfortunately, there’s another. The positive aspect of the most recent injury is that I am very familiar with treating them here in the clinic and thought I would take the opportunity to openly discuss my first two weeks of managing the injury and how I expect the recovery timeline to unfold.
Whilst at football training, I was attempting to take a mark and landed awkwardly after making contact with a teammate in the air and landed on the outside of my right ankle. It was immediately painful beyond a rolled ankle and I suspected bone injury may have occurred. I applied a significant amount of compression and support and went home to ice it.
Image 1: ~2 hours post fracture
The following day, I had an X-ray on my ankle where it confirmed the presence of an ankle fracture. The report read “Weber A fracture of the distal right fibula with two fracture fragments visible”.
The Weber classification for ankle fractures helps locate the area within the fibula the fracture has occurred. Each zone has different implications on the stability of the ankle joint. Fortunately, a Weber A fracture is probably the best area within the fibula to have a fracture as it refers to the piece of bone that sits underneath (or distal) to the ankle joint.
I immediately transferred into an old CAM walker used for a family member of mine and applied compression through a compression sock. I also diligently used crutches to take as much pressure off my ankle as I could to reduce inflammation.
Image 2: ~18 hours post fracture
Image 3: ~48 hours post fracture
Image 4: ~72 hours post fracture
1 week later, I transitioned to a new CAM walker with inflatable chambers on the internal aspect of the boot which significantly improved my comfort and stability of my foot. I had an understanding of the benefits of this prior to wearing it, but it made a significant difference almost immediately. This is one component of my management I would definitely change if it were to happen again!
Looking ahead, I anticipate a period of 4-6 weeks in the CAM walker. Towards the latter stages of this period within the boot, I will be ramping up my ankle mobility and strengthening to help transition from the boot back into normal footwear. Once this happens, I will be slowly increasing my physical activity and monitoring any symptoms related to ongoing ankle pain.
Thank-you for reading and I will look to provide an update on my progress as I return to sport!