OBESITY DOUBLES ANKLE FRACTURE RISK

Obesity nearly doubles the odds of a patient having the most severe category of ankle fracture, according to research published in a recent issue of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons’ Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery (JFAS). The study, which was conducted among 280 patients, explored the association between obesity and severity of ankle fractures. It analyzed the x-rays of each patient’s ankle fracture and classified the severity of each one.

 

Dr. Alan MacGill

 

Alan MacGill, DPM, AACFAS, a Florida foot and ankle surgeon and Associate Member of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, says, “We are seeing more severe injury patterns in the obese population compared to the non-obese. These severe ankle fractures tend to have a worse prognostic outcome compared to others. The findings of this study correlate with what I continue to see in my practice. It’s basic physics; as body mass increases, so does the kinetic energy associated with the injury. The higher the body mass, the greater the risk of more severe ankle injury.” 

Courtesy of Barry Block, editor of PM News.