What to do with a broken bone from a fall?

In October 2024, I fell and sprained my ankle. Right after the fall, I used a massage medicine and did not go to the hospital. After 15 days, I still felt pain. I went to the hospital for an X-ray and the doctor concluded that there was no broken bone but possible ligament damage. Currently, I am starting to feel pain in my knee and pain near my lower back along the side of my body that I fell on. Please advise me, doctor. Thank you, doctor!

Báo Đồng Nai•18/07/2025

(Mr. Minh Tung, 52 years old, residing in Long Thanh commune)

Doctor replied:

Hello Mr. Minh Tung!

Based on the information you provided, the doctor would like to offer some explanations and advice as follows:

1. Ankle ligament injury: When you fall and injure your ankle, ligament injury is very common. Ligaments play an important role in maintaining joint stability. If ligament injuries are not treated or rehabilitated properly, they can lead to long-term pain and may even affect other joints.

2. Knee and lower back pain: The fact that you started feeling pain in the knee and lower back on the side of the leg that you fell on could be related to some of the following causes:

- Body balance and movement: When a joint is injured (like an ankle), the body may change the way it walks to protect the painful joint. This can put additional stress on other joints and muscles, leading to pain in the knees and lower back. This is a relatively common phenomenon when there is an injury to the lower limbs.

- Diffuse pain syndrome: Sometimes when there is damage to one joint, the body can react by causing pain symptoms in other areas due to changes in posture and movement.

- Knee and back pain due to spinal degeneration and knee osteoarthritis.

In terms of treatment, he may benefit from physical therapy to help restore ankle function and improve mobility without putting additional stress on other joints. This will help reduce pain, strengthen muscles, and help him walk with better posture, minimizing the risk of recurring knee and lower back pain.

Additionally, rest and support are needed to ensure that he does not put too much weight on the injured leg and support measures such as splints or crutches are used as needed.

If the pain does not subside or shows signs of worsening, you should go to the hospital for examination and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to better assess the damage to the ligaments or soft tissues around the ankle joint, knee X-ray, lumbar spine X-ray to assess the condition of the knee joint and lumbar spine.

You can also use prescription painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs for temporary pain relief. However, these drugs only help relieve symptoms and do not address the underlying problem, so long-term treatment should focus on rehabilitation.

Get well soon!

MD, PhD Vu Xuan Hoang Tri,

Deputy Head of Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, Hoan My Dong Nai Hospital