In most cases, a fracture of the ankle occurs as a result of a fall, manifested by puffiness, hemorrhage, pain and limited movements in the ankle. Depending on the complexity of the injury, the plaster cast on the injured limb is applied for a period of 4 to 12 weeks. To ensure that after the fusion of bone tissue the joint has fully restored its functions and complications have not developed, it is important to undergo a rehabilitation course after an ankle fracture, the terms of which can be calculated in 1-3 months. Otherwise, if the recommendations of the recovery period are not fulfilled, lameness may remain for a lifetime.
Rehabilitation after ankle fracture with displacement and without displacement
Modern approaches to rehabilitation provide for the earliest possible beginning (almost immediately after the injury) and ending after complete recovery. As a rule, after a week with fractures without displacement, when the edema subsides and the pain subsides, it is recommended to begin the first period of rehabilitation, which consists in carrying out sparing gymnastic exercises.
Physical culture is aimed at restoring the blood circulation of the injured leg and increasing muscle tone, performed in the prone position under the supervision of a doctor. Basically, therapeutic exercises involve the knee and hip joints. If the fracture is displaced, the gymnastics is appointed a little later, after carrying out diagnostic measures confirming the correct fusion of the bone (X-ray).
At the same time, patients are advised to start their own sitting in the bed, move by crutches, wiggle their toes.
Rehabilitation after fracture of the ankle after removal of gypsum
After releasing the leg from gypsum, the next stage of rehabilitation begins after the fracture of the ankle, which continues at home. In addition to gymnastic exercises aimed at joint development, patients are assigned:
- massage and self-massage;
- Physiotherapeutic procedures (electrophoresis, paraffin therapy, magnetotherapy, etc.);
- reflexotherapy .
In the subsequent patients, walking, jogging, swimming, cycling are recommended. All rehabilitation measures are appointed taking into account the general condition of a person, his age, the presence of concomitant pathologies. The correct rational nutrition, the intake of vitamins and microelements for the restoration of bone tissue, is of great importance in rehabilitation.