How long roughly is the recovery time for a broken ankle for an elderly person?
- Wednesday Nov 18,2009 04:51 PM
- By diddy
- In Others
My gran is 78 and fell down the stairs today, resulting in a broken ankle in 2 places. She is generally fit and healthy for her age, but I presume because of her age the recovery will take quite some time. If anyone could tell me how long roughly she’ll be in plaster for, it would be great. I realise after that she will need rehabilitation/physio, but I’m wondering how long the plaster will be on. Thanks
Broken Ankle, Elderly Person, Fit, Physio, Plaster, Recovery Time, Stairs
3 Comments
Rachael, this is an interesting fact. People heal at the same rate whether they are young or old. The problem is that as you age there is muscle loss and this is the key. If there is enough muscle loss then the recovery takes longer because there is insufficient muscular strength to hold the area. Since the fracture is in two places there is a good chance that she will have to have it stabilized internally with a plate and screws. So this injury is going to depend more on two factors. The first is if there is a surgical intervention and the second is the amount of muscular loss that has happened in her life and that which will occur because of the casting. She is going to need a good calcium supplement that will help the bone knit.
It depends on their injury and their body. Sometimes it can take a few weeks or even a few months. She should keep going to her doctor for check ups. She should be resting and exercising it under a professional’s care or supervision.
At least 6 weeks, possibly more.
There is always the risk of post-trauma arthritis in the joint with an elderly person which is bad news.
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