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The response to the question below was authored by Marc Mitnick DPM

ankle pain 10 years after trimalleolar fracture

Approximately 10 years ago I suffered a trimalleor fracture of the right ankle. I was on holiday at the time, and had the ankle re-aligned under local anaesthetic (and gas and air), had a back slab for a few days to allow the swelling to go down before a cast was put on my ankle and I went home. Follow up treatment was continued at my local hospital where they were concerned by the lack of surgery, replaced the cast after 4 weeks (for a further 4 wks) before removal and physiotherapy. I made, what I thought, was a great recovery, although I still had a slight lump on my leg, and the ankle could still be sore if really put through it's paces! Now, 10 years on, I have quite a lot of pain in my ankle - a sharp pain in the outside ankle bone, and a 'hot' pain radiating down the outside bone down towards my ankle. Am worried this may be a bigger problem as I haven't done anything different to normal. It's not practical to 'rest' all the time as I have two under 3 year old at home, and we have recently moved into a house that needs a lot of work! What could this be? Any ideas of treatment gratefully received!!!


RESPONSE
Hi,
I think you already know the problem. As you stated in your description, the doctors who followed up on your fracture were concerned by the lack of surgery. What this tells me is that the alignment of the bones was not optimal but in
spite of that all they did was cast your foot and ankle. The broken bones eventually healed but who knows how that left the alignment of your ankle. More than likely, keeping in mind I do not have x-rays to look at, the ankle joint ended up improperly aligned. The analogy would be driving with unbalanced tires. What happens? The tires wear out prematurely.
So, what I am saying is that if your ankle joint is improperly aligned as a result of improper care after your fracture, the ankle joint will wear out at a much more rapid rate then it would ordinarily and that is why you are having pain.
Because you have young children, I assume you are relatively young. What may happen is your pain may subside and you will feel better than you feel now, but, more than likely it will recur again and over time it will recur more frequently and will be more painful as the joint continues to wear out.
What I do not understand is if your local hospital was concerned about the lack of surgery, why they did not go in and surgically correct it. The accident had only occurred a short time earlier so the fractures were still fresh, meaning they could have been surgically repaired.
In any event you are left with this situation and the only advice I can give you is to schedule an appointment with a foot specialist in your area and have the ankle evaluated. There should be options available to you to improve your situation.

Marc Mitnick DPM
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ADDITIONAL REFERENCES

Mayo Clinic

Johns Hopkins Medicine

MedlinePlus

Arthritis Foundation

University of Rochester Medical Center

Harvard Health

Drugs.com

American Academy of Pediatrics

Penn State Medical Center

National Institutes of Health

Columbia University Department of Rehabilitation

ScienceDirect

Stanford Health Care

Illinois Bone and Joint Institute

Mount Sinai Hospital

Institute for Chronic Pain

University of Florida Health

American Family Physician

Cedars-Sinai

University of Maryland Medical Center

DISCLAIMER: The purpose of this site is purely informational in nature. It is not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any medical condition. This information is not a substitute for advice from a medical professional. Please consult your healthcare provider for accurate diagnosis and treatment. The information presented here may be subject to errors and omissions.


SITE LAST UPDATED: APRIL 2026




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(location unknown)
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(location unknown)
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(location unknown)
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UK

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Unknown location

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Unknown location

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New Zealand

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Arizona
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Florida
1st of all THANKS A LOT for your great site......

Anna

Poland
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M P

South Carolina
Hello! I want to thank you for such an informative website! I found you based on my ankle pain search and am happy to realize that there may be a relatively simple cause and solution....

Natalie

unknown location


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Arlington, VA


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San Clemente, CA


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Pam

location unknown


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Glen

location unknown


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Bre

location unknown


Dr. Mitnick, Thank you so much for your reply. I did let my physician know and they took an x-ray - all is well! Also, thank you for providing this wonderful site, it is very helpful with lots of useful information! I appreciate your gift of time! God bless.

anonymous



Dr. Mitnick, Thank you, you were 100% correct. The pain finally brought me to the ER. I spent 8 days in the hospital. The Doppler you spoke of was able to show that there was no pulse in that foot. This was an arterial clot that split and traveled throughout my leg. My leg was almost amputated. I am in rough shape but have all my parts intact!! You certainly know what you are talking about. Thank you for taking the time to answer. Yours Truly!

anonymous



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Poland



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Seattle, WA


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Bonnie

location unknown



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Bill

New Jersey



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Debbie

location unknown



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Chrissy

location unknown



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Evansville, IA



Dear Marc

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Russ W.

location unknown



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location unknown



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San Diego, CA



Dr. Mitnick, Just want to say thank you so very much for your quick response and very informative reply! After reading what you had to say, I called the doctor's office and was able to get in and see him the same day as my injury. Toe was x-rayed and luckily, it is not broken or fractured. Very badly bruised and will probably lose the toe nail. And although my toe and toe nail are still very black and blue and very sore, they ARE both starting to feel a little better. So again, thank you! I am so very happy that I came across your website. The service you provide is outstanding and immeasurable!

Rivi,

Albany, NY



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Jill S.

location unknown



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Jackie

Whichita, KS



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mark

Boston, MA



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Colorado



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annielou

Colorado

Wonderful advice

by: Anonymous

This is the best site for foot problem info.

Thank you for this information. This description fits my pain and inflammation behind my 2nd toe perfectly.

by: Max

location unknown
Again, I really appreciate that you responded to my inquiry, and that your mention of Parkinson's helped me to find my way to a diagnosis of this difficult to diagnose disease. Most patients see on average 16 doctors before they are diagnosed. I hope that you can help other people that ask for your expertise in the future.

Barb D.

Canada
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Bonnie

location unknown
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Wisconsin
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Julie

location unknown
Thank-you so very much for responding so quickly and in such detail to my question!! I will give my surgeon a call today!! This website is terrific!!!! Thank-you again!

Renae

North Carolina
Many Thanks Dr Marc!
Thank you for your response. It sounds like a good plan to me. He did not cut the wart out first ...

KG

location unknown

Thanks again doc for having this website and we STILL need qualified Podiatrists in beautiful sunny Tampa Bay (Bradenton) Florida.

Bessie Mae

Florida
Dear Dr. Mitnick, Thank you so very much for taking your time to answer my question. You have greatly relieved my anxiety related to the continual tingly I feel in my feet. I will share your response with my podiatrist next week. God bless you for having this question and answer page on your website! Most gratefully,

Lynne T.

location unknown
Your webpage is excellent, I commend you on sharing your knowledge to the public.

Robert

New Jersey


Thank you. you were more detailed than what others have told me they finally called from the last xrays and my son is now in a cast for 2 weeks he did have a fracture that was not noticeable.

a mom

location unknown


I have read your website and I have to admit that I am amazed at all the information that is on here. I have learned more than the three years I have been going to several doctors that I have seen!!

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Lenoir, NC


Thank you so much Doc for a quick and thorough response!

Rustam

Bellevue, WA


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Jodi

location unknown

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