Swelling to prepare for the second stage. Patients often are asked to elevate their leg to quickly reduce their In some cases the external fixator is used as the final treatment and is kept in place for many weeks to months. The wait does not affect overall results. This delay can be frustrating for the patient, but it may be necessary to minimize the risk ofĪ wound healing problem. It may take several weeks after the first surgery before the patient's soft tissues improve and the leg is ready for the second stage of surgical treatment. This part of the procedure is knownĪs open reduction and internal fixation of the fibula (ORIF). The fibula fracture may be treated at the same time the external fixator is placed. This allows both the patient and surgeon to regularly inspect the soft tissue of the leg and ankle without frequent splint changes. This fixator is a frame applied outside of the leg that holds the leg and ankle in proper position. In many cases the first stage in treating pilon fractures is by surgically applying an external fixator to the patient's leg.
#Bone stimulator for foot skin#
A notable exception would be an open fracture where the bone has penetrated through the skin during the initial bone break. Until a patient's soft tissue improves before incisions can be made. Orthopaedic surgeons do not routinely perform incisions through areas of damaged skin because doing so may result in wound healing problems. Pilon fracture surgery usually is done in two steps to protect the skin and soft tissue.
Once the fractures are healed, the goals are to restore your ankle's movement and strength. The goals of pilon fracture surgery are to restore alignment and stability and allow healing of the tibia and fibula at the ankle joint. These fractured bones often benefit from surgery. There often are large separations between fractured fragments and instability in the tibia and fibula at the ankle joint. Most pilon fractures have multiple breaks. Pilon fractures can be treated with a leg cast. The bones are broken but simply shifted out of place and these injuries tend to be less severe. These are typically lower-energy injuries to the tibia and fibula at the ankle joint.
Some pilon fractures do not need surgical treatment. The surgeon also may get a CT scan of your ankle to view all of the broken areas of the tibia The bones may be broken in multiple places. In addition, your surgeon will take X-rays of your leg and ankle to see how badly the tibia and fibula are broken. Your surgeon will be watchful for other injuries that may be present. The results of this exam will help the surgeon to determine how best to treat the pilon fracture. Your foot and ankle orthopaedic surgeon will take your medical history and perform a physicalĮxamination of your leg and ankle. Common causes of pilon fractures are falls from heights and car accidents. Pilon fractures occur when the talus (ankle bone) is driven into the leg with such force that the leg bones break at the ankle joint.
Swelling occurs quickly and can be followed by bruising. They often result in an obvious deformity of the ankle joint.
Symptoms include pain and inability to bear weight on the leg. Pilon fractures are very painful and debilitating injuries. This crushing describes what happens to the tibia and fibula bones at the ankle joint due to the high-energy impact of the injury. A pestle is a tool used for crushing or pounding things. The word "pilon" comes from the French and means pestle. These injuries were firstĭescribed more than 100 years ago and remain one of the most challenging problems for orthopaedic surgeons to treat. Pilon fractures are injuries that occur at the lower end of the tibia and involve the weightbearing surface of the ankle joint. The tibia (shin bone) and the fibula are the bones of the lower leg.
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