A digital radiography machine Diagnosing a<unk>  requires a combination of medical history, physical examination, and radiographic imaging. Patients generally do not report pain near the proximal fibula, so physical examination such as palpation along the fibula is effective for differentiating a<unk>  from an isolated syndesmotic injury. Feeling pain near the proximal fibula during palpation is a positive indication of a<unk> . Ankle instability is often associated with a damaged proximal fibula in a<unk> , so patients are typically asked about the mechanism of injury. Mortise stability is examined to rule out the possibility of an isolated fibular fracture. Ankle radiographs are used to detect widening of the tibiofibular syndesmosis or medial clear space. The medial clear space is the area between the talus of the ankle and the medial malleolus. Damage to the deltoid ligament and syndesmotic ligaments result in mortise instability, causing the talus to laterally shift and widen the medial clear space. A clinical study, conducted in 2006 and published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, found that the medial clear space size of a normal ankle and an injured ankle measured at 4 millimetres and 5.4 millimetres in length respectively. To confirm diagnosis, full-leg radiographs are used to inspect for fractures of the proximal fibula and widening of the interosseous clear space (or tibiofibular clear space). The interosseous clear space is the area between the medial side of the fibula and lateral side of the tibia. A peer-reviewed study, published in Injury in 2004, found that an interosseous clear space greater than 10 millimetres indicates diastasis of the syndesmotic ligaments. If necessary, Computed Tomography (CT) or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) may also be used to clarify diagnosis. MRI scans can check for interosseous membrane or tibial tubercle damage if high instability of the ankle is diagnosed. Arthroscopy may be used to diagnose a syndesmotic lesion but is often not recommended due to operative difficulty. Stress radiographs of the ankle are used to assess the integrity of the deltoid ligament and tibiofibular syndesmosis. The size of the medial clear space can also be measured using stress radiography. Classification Types of bone fracturesA<unk>  may be a simple fracture or comminuted fracture: * A simple fracture, in the case of a<unk> , only refers to the fibula being broken in one place without any damage being done to the surrounding tissues. * A comminuted fracture is when the bone is broken in more than two places. X-ray, CT, or MRI scans can be used to diagnose the extent of the<unk> 's damage and determine whether it is a simple or comminution fracture. During diagnosis, a supination-external rotation pattern of injury may also be concluded if there is an isolated fracture of the posterior tubercle of the tibia.
Maisonneuve fracture
Sprained ankle
Bosworth fracture
Smith fracture
Monteggia fracture
Duverney fracture
Hume fracture
Rolando fracture