Ankle Fractures in Adolescents
by
Kenneth J. Rieger, MD;
Joshua Hyman, MD;
Michael Vitale, MD, MPH
Adolescent ankle fractures are fractures about the mortise of the ankle that frequently involve the physis of the tibia, fibula, or both. Most fractures of the ankle in adolescents are caused by indirect violence, in which a fixed foot is forced into different position. Ankle fractures account for roughly 5 percent of pediatric fractures, and 15 percent of physeal injuries. The two major goals in the management of ankle fractures in the pediatric patient are to achieve anatomic reduction and to avoid physeal damage. Management decisions are based on restoration of acceptable alignment as well as the particular injury?s predilection toward physeal arrest.
This article addresses management options and principles for specific ankle fractures in adolescents, including Salter-Harris fractures, fractures of Tillaux, triplane fractures, isolated fibula fractures, and tibia and fibula fractures.
Keywords: ankle joint, distal tibia fracture, distal fibula fracture, broken ankle, fractured ankle, malleolus fracture, pilon fracture, Tillaux fracture, triplane fracture, ankle pronation-external (eversion) rotation injury, ankle supination, adduction injury, ankle supination external (eversion) rotation injury, ankle syndesmotic injury, ankle trimalleolar fracture, vertical loading of the ankle, pronation dorsiflexion injury, incidence, mechanism of injury, classification, Salter-Harris classification, Lauge-Hansen classification, diagnosis, patient history, physical examination, imaging, radiography, MRI, CT, management, surgical treatment, surgical techniques, closed reduction, open reduction, internal fixation, percutaneous pin fixation, external fixation, indications, complications
If you are an AAOS Member or an OKO subscriber, you can view this topic after
log
in.
If you are a health care professional who is not an AAOS Member or OKO
subscriber, you can get more information about subscribing here.
Information for patients and the general public can be accessed through
the links in the gray box above.