Importance of anatomical reduction for subjective recovery after ankle fracture

237 patients with ankle fractures treated during 1977 were evaluated with the object of studying the treatment results and the factors influencing the results. About one half of the patients were treated conservatively and the other half operatively. The type of treatment was determined by the type of injury; hence the milder injuries were usually treated conservatively and the more severe cases operatively. A good radiological primary result was obtained in 82 per cent of the malleoli with operative treatment and in 34 per cent with conservative treatment. The evaluation of the end-result was based on a questionnaire study made 1.5-2.5 years after the accident. All those employed before their injuries had returned to their previous occupations. 27 per cent of the patients responded that they had recovered completely. The subjective end-result was found to correlate with the radiological result at the end of the treatment, but not with the type of injury, the type of treatment, or the patient's age.