These bullet points on Pilon Fracture recovery are things I have learned in the past year. I am paraphrasing many medical sources. See some good links below for more details.
- One of the rarest skeletal injuries, Less than 10% of lower leg injuries.
- Was not commonly considered an “injury” before car airbags because recipients were often dead
- Typically caused by high impact to bottom of foot (feet) such as falling from heights or impact with floorboard of car in head-on crash.
- Takes 3-4 months to heal on average. Most requiring surgery.
- Most surgeries start with external fixation to align foot and let swelling reduce. This is key to reduce issues with wound closure and reduce infection.
- Most have associated fibular fracture
- Recovery take 3-5 years of gradual improvement
More info at
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14563795
http://www.orthobullets.com/trauma/1046/tibial-plafond-fractures
Pilon Fractures Suck! 