Emergency Medicine articles covering diagnosis, lab studies, imaging, procedures, prehospital care, emergency department care, prognosis, follow-up.
What's the management of this distal fibular fracture?
Splint, crutches, orthopedics follow up; with orthopedics likely recommending non-weight bearing for 3 weeks and cast for 6 - 8 weeks.
Management of isolated distal fibular fractures depends on ankle stability with more proximal ones being more unstable and likely requiring surgical management.
Danis-Weber type A - fractures below the tibiotalar joint, as the one pictured above, rarely disrupt other bony or ligamentous structures and can often be managed non-surgically.
Danis-Weber type C - fractures above the tibiotalar joint frequently, but not always, disrupt ankle stability and commonly require surgical management.
Danis-Weber type B - fractures at the level of the tibiotalar joint sometimes disrupt ankle stability and sometimes require surgical management.
Source
Images: http://www.radiologyassistant.nl/en/420a20ca7196b
Marx: Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice, 6th ed.