Oxford: Elderly patients with unstable ankle fractures could avoid surgery, according to research by a UK team led by Oxford University. The
study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association,
compared surgery to pin a broken ankle with a new plaster cast technique
known as ‘close contact casting’. Researcher Professor Keith
Willett, said: ‘Older adults – those over 60 –
are suffering an increasing number of ankle fractures from leading more
active lifestyles and the rising prevalence of osteoporosis. However, we
know that older patients have disproportionately poor outcomes, and
their quality of life can suffer as they lose mobility.’
