Broken Ankle Compensation, Symptoms And Treatment

A broken ankle occurs when the bones in the ankle joint are fractured or broken. The joint is where the tibia, fibula, and talus bone meet. The tibia and fibula run the length of the lower leg and the talus is the connector between the leg and the foot. This bone is fractured less often than the rest. In addition, the ligaments that support these bones can become damaged when a fracture occurs. The most common ankle fractures are the lateral malleolus facture, which occurs at the base of the fibula on the exterior of the leg, and the medial malleolus fracture, which occurs around the tibia and the talus on the interior of the leg.

Causes of a broken ankle

A broken ankle has many causes, including:

• Falling or even a good stumble
• Twisting
• Direct hits to the ankle
• Collisions, such as car accidents
• Sports injuries

Symptoms of a broken ankle

The symptoms of a broken ankle are similar to symptoms of other broken bones, and can include the following:

• Immediate pain that can be moderate to severe
• Continuing pain
• Bruising, swelling, and tenderness at the injury site
• Discoloration
• Being unable to put weight on the foot without pain

Treatment of a broken ankle

Once x-rays have been performed and the fracture has been pinpointed, there are many courses of treatment. More severe injuries will require more serious treatment. Ultimately, there are two goals with the treatment of any broken bone, including a broken ankle: to put the pieces of bone back together properly and to hold the pieces in place until the fracture heals.

Casts are the most common tool used to do this in mild and severe broken ankle cases. In some situations, if the injury warrants, plates and screws or a metal rod will be used. This requires surgery, however, and is only used in the most severe cases that exist. With a broken ankle, crutches are often prescribed to keep the foot resting until the injury heals, although mild fractures could warrant the use of a boot or an air cast. Exercise can begin once the fracture has healed significantly. Some patients will require physical therapy while some will be able to heal and exercise their newly healed ankle on their own. Broken ankles are not as common as many other broken bones, but they are something that needs to be taken seriously when they do occur. Failure to obtain treatment can result in permanent injury or loss of use of the leg or foot involved in the injury.

Compensation for a broken ankle

Many people are unaware that they can claim compensation for a broken or fractured bone but help is at hand. Whether you have been injured at work, on the road, playing sport, in hospital, in the street, in a shop, an office, commercial or public building, at home, a friend's house or any kind of slip, trip or fall.

In addition to claiming compensation for you or a loved ones suffering, you may also be able to claim for medical expenses, lost wages and any other out of pocket expenses.  For an idea of what you could get see some typical compensation amounts.

Pinstripe make it easy for you to claim compensation. All you need to do is complete the simple online form opposite and the experienced and friendly claims team will handle it from there. It's that easy!