When it comes to predicting your ankle fracture recovery time, you might be tempted to turn to a psychic for help. After all, you’re sick of waiting around for your ankle to get better. You want to head outside, enjoy the air, and run errands without feeling like you’re dragging a dead weight behind you. You want to meet up with friends and have fun with family members without the inconvenience of a cast or crutches.

Most of all, you want to be able to open a door again without feeling like you have a zillion appendages to fumble with!

While you may think that there’s a standard answer for ankle fracture recovery time, the truth is that the answer varies depending on the person. While this can be an extremely frustrating answer to encounter, ankles can heal at different rates. Additionally, ankle fracture recovery time can be hindered by a poor diet, a lack of physical therapy, and using unstable mobility devices to move around the home and office.

Generally speaking, the rule of thumb is that ankle fracture recoveries take a minimum of six to eight weeks in order to heal. However, this doesn’t mean that you’ll be back to your normal self by then. Ankles and feet are extremely complicated, with many tiny bones making up their structure. Therefore, it may be a few months before you can return to the normal activity you once enjoyed before your ankle fracture.

Given that you have a baseline for ankle fracture recovery time, here are a few tips that can help you expedite the healing process:

• Listen to what your physical therapist says. Those exercises and stretches are done for a reason – and if you’re ignoring them at home, you could be prolonging the time it takes to heal your injury.
• Get your hands – literally – on a knee walker. These unique mobility devices make it easier for you to move around without the risk of tripping or bumping your broken ankle against various objects. You simply kneel your injured leg on the padded seat and propel yourself forward with your good leg.
• Don’t rush yourself before you’re ready. If you’ve reached eight weeks, don’t slap on running shoes and push yourself. Treat your ankle gently and give it time to heal in order to avoid re-injury.

While you can’t predict ankle recovery time, you CAN use these tips to help make the healing process faster!