Using an Aircast for a broken ankle

A clinician should confirm the diagnosis with an examination and imaging. A removable boot is not permission to walk freely: weight-bearing limits and the time spent in the boot must follow the treating team's instructions.

An ankle fracture may involve one or more bones and can be well aligned, displaced or associated with ligament injury. A stable, aligned break may be managed with immobilisation and monitoring. An unstable or displaced injury may need reduction, firm casting or fixation surgery to restore and hold alignment.

Pain and swelling commonly accompany an ankle fracture, but their intensity alone cannot show whether the bones are aligned. Follow-up imaging may be used to check that the position remains acceptable as swelling settles and healing develops.

Keep the boot fitted as demonstrated, with the heel seated fully and straps snug without causing pressure or numbness. Use crutches or another aid if instructed. Elevating the leg can help swelling, and the liner and skin should be checked only when removal has been authorised.

Do not change weight-bearing, drive in the boot or start ankle exercises without clearance. Attend fracture-clinic appointments even when pain improves. Once the bone is sufficiently protected, rehabilitation may address stiffness, strength, balance and a gradual return to ordinary footwear.

Seek urgent assessment if the toes become blue, unusually pale or cold, or if new numbness, weakness or severe pain continues after elevation and loosening an over-tight outer strap. A wound, bone visible through skin, new deformity, fever, spreading redness, foul drainage, chest pain or sudden shortness of breath also needs urgent care.

Contact the fracture team promptly if the boot rubs a sore area, becomes damaged, no longer fits as swelling changes, or pain increases after a new twist or fall.

Confirm whether any weight may pass through the injured leg, when the boot can come off for washing or sleep, and what follow-up imaging is planned. Ask when movement can begin, which pain medicines suit your health history, and what milestones must be met before work, driving or sport.