“How do I know if my fracture is healing?”
I wear a cast for a fractured ankle for about a week and a half week now. How do I know if my fracture is healing?
18 Answers
OrthopaedicSurgeonOrthopaedicSurgeon
Fracture bone takes 6-10 wks to heal. You should have a conversation with your doctor that applied the cast to understand the realistic expectations.
It takes 6 weeks for a bone fracture to heal. Just follow the precautions by the doctor, and you should be good!
Too early for X-rays to tell you much. Just base it on your symptoms if they are getting better. An X-ray in a few weeks is a good idea.
If you have no medical conditions that impede healing, your fracture is gradually healing. The body has an immediate response to healing which makes it attempt to heal itself immediately an injury occurs. You would have to wear the cast for at least 6 weeks and your doctor would request an X-ray to assess the healing when due. Afterwards, your orthopedic specialist will advise accordingly.
Healing of her fracture can be assessed by a clinical exam, X-rays, or tuning fork. You need to go to your doctor to have it assessed.
Dr. Kathy Neuhoff, DPM
Dr. Kathy Neuhoff, DPM
Thank you for your question. The doctor that treated you for that fractured ankle and had you placed in a cast should be the one to best address this question at your next follow-up visit.
It takes a minimum of 6-8 weeks for normal fracture healing. Your physician should take serial radiographs to evaluate how well your fracture is healing at your follow up appointments. You will not 'feel' the fracture healing
You need to see your doctors so they can take another X-ray and they will be able to tell you if the fractures healed. That is the only way to know that a fracture is healed.
Healing fractures will show several signs. Clinically, the swelling and pain should improve. X rays will demonstrate the fracture line getting smaller. I recommend you follow up with a foot and ankle surgeon(podiatrist) to ensure the fracture is healing correctly
You will need to have a series of x rays done for at least 6- 8 weeks to see if the fracture has healed
Fractures take time to heal. Unfortunately we can't know for sure how the healing is going until we re-evaluate with x-rays.
Here are some helpful tips though:
Can you put weight on it? Can you move on it (i.e walking around the house, getting up and down, etc)? Is there still swelling or pain? If you can move around on it easily and you have minimal/no pain or swelling, then it is healing.
Cold level laser is fantastic for speeding up recovery time on fractures. I highly recommend finding someone that can do that for you!
Here are some helpful tips though:
Can you put weight on it? Can you move on it (i.e walking around the house, getting up and down, etc)? Is there still swelling or pain? If you can move around on it easily and you have minimal/no pain or swelling, then it is healing.
Cold level laser is fantastic for speeding up recovery time on fractures. I highly recommend finding someone that can do that for you!