Ankle Surgery: How Long Does It Take to Recover?
Lisa Vickers MD, an orthopedic surgeon at the TriHealth Orthopedic and Spine Institute, answers a Local 12 viewer question about how long it takes to recover from Open Reduction Internal Fixation (ORIF) surgery.
What Does Ankle Surgery Involve?
“If a bone has been broken and needs to be repaired, more than just a standard casting, we would make an incision to look directly at the bone and be able to put the pieces back together anatomically, and hold it still from the inside with a number of different kinds of orthopedic implants,” Dr. Vickers explains to Local 12’s Liz Bonis.
Implants typically include items like plates, screws, nails and rods.
Ankle Injury: How Long is the Recovery?
The severity of the injury and the health of the individual play a significant role in healing time.
However, generally people experience improvement within a month or two after a procedure. “But, I think it’s true that most patients that have had a significant injury would say that they didn’t really feel like they were back to themselves for, maybe, up to a year,” Dr. Vickers points out.
Learn more about ankle Injuries in our Health Library: