Compression therapy after ankle fracture surgery: a systematic review.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Trauma Care
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Ankle fractures are common injuries requiring effective perioperative management.
• Optimizing patient outcomes, including pain, mobility, and healing, is crucial for ankle fracture care.
• Compression therapy is a potential intervention to improve the perioperative course of ankle fractures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the effects of compression treatment on the perioperative course of ankle fractures.
• To evaluate compression therapy's impact on edema, pain, ankle joint mobility, wound healing, length of stay (LOS), and time to surgery (TTS).
• To provide evidence-based recommendations for clinicians regarding compression therapy in standard ankle fracture care.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search for studies on adult patients with unstable ankle fractures undergoing surgery.
• Inclusion of studies evaluating intermittent pneumatic compression, compression bandages, or stockings.
• Narrative synthesis of data from included studies, with systematic bias assessment.

Main Results:

• Seven of eight included studies reported a significant effect on edema reduction.
• Two studies showed a significant reduction in pain, and one noted improved ankle mobility.
• Two studies indicated positive effects on wound healing, one on LOS, and two on TTS, though methodological limitations were noted.

Conclusions:

• Compression therapy demonstrates a beneficial effect on edema reduction in ankle fractures.
• There is probable positive impact on pain and ankle joint mobility, warranting further investigation.
• Solid conclusions on wound healing, LOS, and TTS are limited by methodological shortcomings in current literature.