Broken calf, stiff and swollen ankle

Ankle stiffness and swelling caused by calf fracture are relatively serious. At this time, there will be a lot of fluid accumulation in the ankle. We should apply some Chinese herbal medicine and then massage the ankle to allow the fluid to circulate, promote blood circulation in the ankle, and then relieve the symptoms of swelling. When the calf is fractured and the ankle is stiff and swollen, we should stop strenuous exercise, pay more attention to rest, and try to elevate the calf with a pillow.

Leg fractures are very common in clinical practice, and the more common ones are tibial fractures, fibula fractures, and tibia and fibula fractures. When a lower leg fracture occurs, it is often accompanied by local skin and soft tissue damage, resulting in restricted venous blood circulation and leading to ankle swelling. After a calf fracture, ankle swelling is a very common clinical symptom. After the calf fracture has been treated, we generally recommend raising the affected limb in the early stages and raising the back of the calf with a pillow to promote venous return and relieve swelling.

However, when walking, the calves and ankles will swell again. This is mainly due to the damage to the function of the venous valves, which leads to restricted venous return. When the lower limbs are in a drooping position, blood return is restricted, which manifests as obvious swelling of the ankles. Generally, the swelling can be relieved by lying in bed and raising the affected limb. This is a normal phenomenon and generally requires repeated exercise to fully return to normal.

For some patients with obvious ankle swelling after a leg fracture, the swelling cannot be relieved by lying in bed with the affected limb elevated. We need to rule out the possibility of deep vein thrombosis, which is generally diagnosed through color Doppler ultrasound of the blood vessels in the lower limbs.