Broken ankle
Overview
Get medical advice as soon as possible if you think you've broken your ankle. It may need treatment to heal properly.
Treatment
You'll usually have an X-ray to check if your ankle is broken and see how bad the break is. If you have a very minor break, you may not need any treatment. For a more serious break, you may need: a special boot to help support your anklea plaster cast to hold your ankle in place while it healsthe bones to be moved back into place by a doctor (they'll give you an injection to numb your ankle)surgery to fix the broken bones You may have follow-up appointments to check your ankle is healing properly.
When to see a doctor
If you think you've broken your ankle, there are some things you can do while you're waiting to see a doctor. You should: raise your ankle if possiblegently hold an ice pack (or a bag of frozen peas) wrapped in a towel on your ankle for 15 to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hoursstop any bleeding – put pressure around the wound using a clean cloth or dressing but do not press on the broken bonewrap your ankle loosely in a bandage to help support it (if your ankle is not at an odd angle)remove any jewellery on your ankle or toesuse painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen gel (or ibuprofen tablets if needed)not eat or drink anything in case you need surgerynot move or put weight on your ankle if possible