The triple ankle fracture refers to the medial, lateral and posterior ankles, with the distal tibia projecting medially as the medial ankle, the distal tibia with a labral protrusion at its posterior edge as the posterior ankle, and the distal fibula projecting as the lateral ankle. The outer ankle is not on the same coronal plane as the inner ankle and is slightly more posterior than the inner ankle. The distal end of the outer ankle is about 1 cm lower than the distal and posterior end of the inner ankle, and the three ankles together form the ankle cavity, accommodating the talar body. A triple ankle fracture can occur when a sprain is sustained, and the fracture is usually unstable and requires surgical treatment.
Both the medial and posterior ankle fractures can be fixed with screws, while the external ankle fracture requires fixation with plate screws. After surgery, the patient will need to be immobilized for a short period of time, and rehabilitation will be required to gradually remove the immobilization and increase the intensity of the rehabilitation to promote fracture repair while preserving the function of the ankle joint.