Functional outcome after operative treatment for ankle fractures in young athletes: a retrospective case series.
BACKGROUND
No reports describe the outcome for distal fibula and tibia fractures in athletes, although 10 to 15% of all athletic injuries occur around the ankle joint.


METHODS
Forty-seven competitive or recreational athletes with ankle fractures underwent open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF). Thirty-six met the inclusion criteria, of which 27 returned for clinical and radiographic exams and also completed validated surveys and a subjective questionnaire.


RESULTS
Nineteen of the 27 were male. The average age of all patients was 18.1 +/- 5.9 years. The final evaluations occurred 12 months to 3.7 years after surgery. Injuries occurred in 13 different sports, of which football had the most (n = 10). Bimalleolar fractures were the most prevalent (n = 10) followed by isolated lateral malleolar fractures (n = 6), syndesmosis injury (n = 4), Salter-Harris (n = 4), medial malleolar fracture (n = 2) and pilon fracture (n = 1). The patients with isolated lateral malleolar fractures returned to competition soonest (6.8 +/- 2.4 weeks) while patients with isolated medial malleolus fractures took the longest to return at a mean of 17.0 +/- 9.9 weeks. Scores for function and pain on the Lower Limb Core Module and for pain on the Foot and Ankle module were all greater than 90.


CONCLUSIONS
Athletes who undergo ORIF followed by early motion and early weightbearing are able to return to their pre-injury level of competition within 2 to 4 months with minimal functional morbidity or pain.
Porter
David A
DA
Methodist Sports Medicine, 201 Pennsylvania Pkwy, Suite 325, Indianapolis, IN 46208, USA. davidaporter@sbcglobal.net
May
Benjamin D
BD
Berney
Timothy
T
D000293:Adolescent; D016512:Ankle Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000601:surgery*; D000843:Ankle Joint / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000601:surgery*; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012189:Retrospective Studies