What is a broken ankle?

What is a broken ankle?

A broken ankle, or ankle fracture, is one of the most common causes of ankle pain. An ankle fracture happens when you break one or more bones in your ankle joint.

Your ankle joint consists of your tibia, your fibula and your talus. Your tibia is the big bone in your lower leg and is sometimes called your shinbone. Your fibula is a smaller, thinner bone in your lower leg. The lower ends of your fibula and tibia come together and butt up against your talus. Your talus is the main link between your leg and your foot.

You can break one or more ankle joint bones at the same time. The more bones you break, the more serious the injury. Serious fractures require ankle surgery. It can take several weeks to two years to fully recover from a broken ankle.