RESEARCH ARTICLE


Functional Comparison of Immediate and Late Weight Bearing after Ankle Bimalleolar Fracture Surgery



İsmail Ağır*, 1, Nejat Tunçer 2, Fatih Küçükdurmaz 2, Seyitali Gümüstaş 1, Esra Demirel Akgül 3, Fuat Akpinar 4
1 Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Adiyaman University, 02040, Adıyaman, Turkey
2 Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Bezmialem Vakif University, 34093, İstanbul, Turkey
3 Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Umraniye Education Research Hospital, 02040, Istanbul, Turkey
4 Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Abant İzzet Baysal University, 14280, Bolu, Turkey


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Creative Commons License
© Ağır et al.; Licensee Bentham Open.

open-access license: This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.

* Address correspondence to this author at the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Adiyaman University Training and Research Hospital, 02040, Adiyaman, Turkey; Tel: +90 (416) 216 10 15; Fax: +90 (416) 216 10 15; E-mail: iagir@hotmail.com


Abstract

Aim :

The aim of the study is to compare immediate weight bearing with below-knee cast or immobilization with plaster splint in 6 weeks in patients after operative treatment for ankle bimalleolar fractures.

Methods :

Fifty-three patients with ankle bimalleolar fractures were treated operatively in 2005 to 2010 and then were randomly allocated to two groups. Immediately weight bearing in a below-knee cast (26 patients) and immobilization in a plaster splint for the first six postoperative weeks (27 patients). A mean age 37.9 (min 17; max 72). An average follow-up 26.1 months. (min 14; max 55). All fractures were classified with Lauge-Hansen classification. Functional results of both groups were evaluated with AOFAS for the postoperative one year after surgical treatment.

Results :

According to the AOFAS scoring system, results were excellent and good in 17 patients in group 1. On the other hand, results were excellent and good in 14 patients in group 2.

Conclusion :

As a result we think that weight bearing protocol should be advantaged for patients with ankle bimalleolar fractures after surgical treatment immediately.

Keywords: Ankle fracture, cast, degenerative arthritis, immobilization, surgery, weight bearing.