Could walking sooner after ankle surgery speed recovery?
NCT ID NCT07811804
First seen Sep 10, 2026 · Last updated Sep 11, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Trimalleolar ankle fractures break three parts of the ankle and usually need surgery. After surgery, patients often wait about six weeks before putting weight on the injured ankle. This pilot trial randomly assigns 50 adults to start weight-bearing at either two weeks or six weeks after surgery, with both groups doing ankle exercises from two weeks. Researchers track ankle function, mobility, quality of life, complications, and X-ray findings for a year to see whether early walking is safe and whether a larger trial is worth doing.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- a rehabilitation protocol that starts weight-bearing two weeks after ankle fracture surgery instead of the usual six weeks
- What this could lead to
- If early walking proves safe, it could shorten the recovery period for people recovering from surgically repaired trimalleolar ankle fractures and inform future rehabilitation guidelines.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small pilot study of 50 people at one hospital, so it may not detect rare complications or show a clear difference in ankle function. The findings may not apply to other hospitals or fracture types.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
-
About 50 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
-
Sep 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
-
Jun 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
18 years and older
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Age 18 years or older. * Operative fixation of an unstable trimalleolar ankle fracture, with or without a syndesmotic injury requiring fixation. * Satisfactory anatomical reduction and rigid internal fixation achieved according to established AO principles, including fixation of the posterior malleolus where indicated. * Surgery performed within 14 days of the injury. * Able and willing to provide informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * Lack of protective sensation, such as peripheral neuropathy. * Unable to adhere to trial procedures. * Bilateral operatively treated ankle fractures. * Treatment of the index fracture with a hindfoot nail. * Morbid obesity, defined as body mass index greater than 40. * Diabetes. * Neuroarthropathy.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Trimalleolar ankle fracture are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
The Ottawa Hospital
Ottawa, Ontario, K1Y 4E9, Canada