not necessarily. we often wait a week or so before casting. if you put a snug cast on a freshly-injured area the cast will not fit properly when the swelling goes down and even worse. if the area started to swell more this could compromise the blood flow to the feet/toes. many will put the person in a special boot instead of a cast but that depends on the fracture. there are many types of ankle fracture; some are more stable than others. if your doctor feels that a plate is needed this may be because this fracture is unstable. because the ankle is a weight-bearing joint there are many considerations when it comes to managing these fractures. your son should be totally on crutches with no weight-bearing and hopefully he has not had subsequent injury in the last week since the original fracture was diagnosed (this can happen). a comparison x-ray may be required. hi there is no way we can tell you via the internet whether this treatment was appropriate or not as all injuries and people are different. here is some information on ankle injuries that may be helpful. if you feel like your son's treatment was not taken care of properly you may want to have another doctor examine him in person for a second opinion. the webmd answers staff
how long should you wait to cast a broken ankle? is 8 days too long? . my 16 yr old son broke his ankle and the doctor waited 8 days for swelling to go down and on the 8th day follow up he said he needs a plate put it. is it because he wasnt casted?