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
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2015Volume: 9
First Page: 188
Last Page: 190
Publisher ID: TOORTHJ-9-188
DOI: 10.2174/1874325001509010188
Article History:
Received Date: 5/3/2015Revision Received Date: 11/4/2015
Acceptance Date: 20/4/2015
Electronic publication date: 29/5/2015
Collection year: 2015

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.
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.