Five-year functional outcome analysis of ankle fracture fixation

This study examines retrospectively the functional outcome of patients at 5 years following their ankle fracture surgery using the Olerud-Molander Ankle Score (OMAS) and SF-12 questionnaire. Of 69 patients, 43 were females and 26 males. The mean age was 50.7 years. There were 74 and 26% of Weber 'B' and 'C' fractures, respectively. The mean OMAS was 75.2. About 63% of the patients were still complaining of stiffness, around 45% patients were still complaining of ankle swelling, 50% of patients still had some sort of pain, 39% still thought that they had not fully recovered and 38% did not return to their pre-injury sporting activity. Apart from the age, no significant difference was seen in the OMAS due to gender, fracture type or timing of surgery. Our findings show that many patients who have had surgery for ankle fractures will still have some functional limitations even 5 years after the injury.