Over 50,000 people suffer an ankle injury every year in Australia requiring numerous different treatments including braces, plaster casts or surgery. Dependent on the cause, circumstances and location it may be possible for an ankle injury solicitor to make a compensation claim against a negligent third party responsible for causing the accident. If you have been injured due to the negligence of another person, do not hesitate to contact an ankle injury solicitor - time is limited for legal action.
In most cases this injury will not have been caused by a car accident however there is a significant proportion that is a direct result of motor vehicle collisions. Car accidents are a major cause of traumatic injury and represent more than half of all cases handled by personal injury solicitors. If you have been injured in a car accident and you want to make a compensation claim for personal injury and loss just complete the contact form, email our lawyers offices or use the solicitor's helpline. Our ankle injury solicitors offer free advice without further obligation. If our ankle injury solicitors deal with your claim it will be on a no win no fee basis, compensation is paid in full and you do not have to fund or finance your car accident compensation claim.
If you have suffered an ankle injury, you may be entitled to make an ankle injury compensation claim for all financial losses directly attributable to the accident including loss of past and future earnings, pain and suffering, disadvantage on the job market, loss of congenial employment, loss of lifestyle, medical aids, charges and prescriptions. A lawyers personal injury compensation claim must be made within three years of the accident. Our ankle injury solicitors will deal with the matter using the no win no pay scheme.
An ankle injury can occur in car accidents and workplace accidents although the cause is usually due to stepping into a pothole or a slipping or tripping accident. Common injuries include strains, sprains, dislocations and fractures. There are thousands of solicitors ankle injury compensation claim settlements every year where negligence is proved against a third party most often a local highway authority as a result of slipping or tripping due to inadequate maintenance of a pavement.
Strains and Sprains
Strains and sprains occur when a muscle or tendon over stretches. A sprain is more serious than a strain. In some cases, a ligament tear may pull a fragment of bone with it, resulting in a fracture. Most ankle sprains and strains occur when the foot twists inward, damaging the ligaments on the outside of the foot. Less common are injuries to the ligaments on the inside of the foot. In most cases of a strain or sprain, x-rays are performed to rule out a fracture or dislocation. Treatment usually involves rest, ice, compression and elevation. A badly torn ligament may need to be surgically reattached to the bone or a chronically unstable ankle may need to be strengthened by surgery.
Dislocation
This medical problem occurs when adjoining bones are displaced and no longer touch each other. They are almost always associated with sprains or fractures. The dislocation may involve the tibia, fibula or talus.
Fractures
Broken bones in this location are serious because they involve an important weight-bearing joint. They are severely painful and may take a long time to heal. Complications of a fracture include traumatic arthritis and chronic pain. This injury can lead to substantial awards of damages in an ankle injury compensation claim dependant on the long term prospects for full recovery. The bones may be broken in a number of ways. A stress fracture is a crack in the outer shell of the bone. Stress fractures require limited weight bearing and possibly a cast to facilitate healing. A simple fracture is more serious than a stress fracture. A simple fracture involves a complete break of the bone into two pieces. In a comminuted fracture, the bone is shattered into several fragments. When a fracture becomes displaced, the broken bones have moved out of their normal position. A non-displaced fracture is where the bones become misaligned. If a portion of the broken bone cuts through the skin, then this is called a open fracture. In closed fractures, there is no skin breakage. These fractures often require surgical repair to reset the bone however complications can occur. Traumatic arthritis may develop when there is damage to the cartilage. There may also be chronic pain and stiffness, functional and/or mechanical instability.
If you have suffered an ankle injury through a trip, slip or fall, the owner or occupier of the premises or land where the accident occurred could be held liable in negligence to pay you compensation. For example, if you slipped and fell in the changing rooms at your local sports centre due to a spillage that was not mopped up, you could be entitled to claim compensation against the sports facility for failing to ensure that the premises were reasonably safe. Ankle injuries frequently occur whilst playing contact sports and it is possible to make a sports injury compensation claim against another player's club or association provided it can be demonstrated that the player who caused the injury was reckless or negligent or that the state of the pitch or facility was such that an injury was likely to occur.
An ankle injury compensation claim can be made following an accident at work against an employer who fails to meet obligations under health and safety regulations. If an ankle injury occurs due to a trip slip or fall at work as a result of negligence on the part of the employer, they may be held liable. Industrial accidents resulting in ankle injuries commonly occur due to an unsafe working environment, dangerous or faulty equipment or a lack of sufficient training or supervision.
If you have suffered physically, mentally or financially, you should consider making an accident compensation claim. For telephone advice at no cost from experienced ankle injury solicitors just call the helpline. Our lawyers will assess the strength of your claim and will advise you on your potential award of compensation without any further obligation.
Ankle injuries are extremely common. About a million people a year visit the doctor or emergency room because of a sprained ankle. This is the most common ankle injury. The ankle can also be fractured, depending on the strength of the bones over the strength of the ligaments. The ankle joint is as far distal to the centre of gravity as possible and is therefore prone to becoming injured during a trip and fall or inversion injury of the ankle. An inversion injury is when the ankle is flexed inward and you land on the outer aspect of your foot and ankle. This can stress ligaments and fracture bones. It is most common when the terrain is uneven or if there is an unusual amount of force placed on the lateral aspect of the joint. More rarely, medial or inside injuries of the joint can occur with an eversion injury.
Ankle injuries can happen during sports injuries, motor vehicle accidents, dancing injuries and just walking on uneven surfaces. The ankle can become sprained or fractured, depending on the degree of injury and the strength of the bones. The joint itself is made up of three bones. The first is the tibia, which is the main supporting bone of the lower leg. It doesn't get fractured often because it is so strong. The fibula is a weaker bone on the lateral aspect of the lower leg. It supports the ankle in the proper position and is frequently fractured. Ligaments attached to the fibula are often damaged in an inversion injury to the ankle. The talus is the square-shaped bone that is attached to the rest of the foot. It is the most distal bone in the ankle joint and sometimes gets fractured.
There are several tendons attached to the ankle to allow it to rotate and move freely. Any of the tendons can be pulled away from the bone or can be ruptured at any point along their length. An avulsion fracture is when bone is pulled away along with the tendon and there is a tiny fracture of the distal bone. Normal stress can damage the tendons of the ankle. There are also a lot of ligaments that can be stretched or injured in the ankle. Stress on the ligaments can cause them to tear or rip. The most common injury to the ankle is a tear or pulling of the anterior talofibular ligament. Typical strains are from injuries to this ligament.
The most common injury to the ankle is the sprain. The ligaments are not as strong as the bones are so they pull away from the bone in an avulsion injury or they tear along their length. It can happen in a running injury, when walking or when awkwardly climbing or going down stairs. Even getting out of bed can contribute to getting an ankle sprain. You can step in a hole and sustain an inversion injury, which can cause a sprain. Sports injuries commonly cause sprain. As mentioned, inversion injuries are much more common than eversion injuries.
Signs and symptoms of an ankle injury are an ankle that is swollen and red due to increased blood in the area. Later, there will be bruising, which travels down onto the foot. The ankle is very tender and can be tender specifically at the spot of the injury, helping the doctor diagnose the type of injury you have. The blood vessels within the ankle become leaky and spill blood into the spaces around the ankle. The ankle can be spongy in appearance and to the touch. It can be difficult to place the foot on the floor due to extreme pain in the ankle.
Doctors do a detailed history and physical examination of the ankle to better define where the ankle is injured. The doctor palpates the anterior talofibular ligament and the posterior talofibular ligament
along with the bony tip of the fibula. The medial ankle is examined as well to see if there is a fracture of that side of the ankle as well. Nerves and arteries are assessed for their integrity. X-rays can show if there is a bony injury to the ankle and an MRI or CT scan of the ankle can show if there is significant ligamentous injury in the affected area.
Treatment of the ankle injury involves either casting the ankle or applying a splint to immobilize the ankle. Pain medications are given and the person is asked to walk with crutches or a walker in order to make the patient comfortable while the ankle heals. It takes from three weeks to six weeks to heal the ankle completely, depending on the severity of the injury.
LAWYER HELPLINE: ☎ 1800 339 958The author of the substantive medical writing on this website is Dr. Christine Traxler MD whose biography can be read here