week 0 · last reviewed 2026-06-08
Ankle ligament surgery recovery: week 0
Clinical procedure: Ankle ligament repair (Broström).
what's typical at week 0
Is pain at week 0 of ankle ligament surgery recovery normal?
typical pain · week 0
Across published cohorts, typical pain around week 0 of ankle ligament surgery recovery sits at 6.5/10 (range 5.9–7.8). This week was measured directly in the cited cohort. Typical, evidence-anchored estimate only. It is not medical advice, not a prediction for your body, and not a substitute for your surgeon or clinician.
Measured week · 1 study · Modified Broström procedure, open vs arthroscopic: VAS at preop/3/6/12 months (n=51) (retrospective cohort)
weeks 0–2
Weeks 0-2 · splint, non-weight-bearing
Most patients are non-weight-bearing in a splint with the foot held in slight dorsiflexion and eversion (to protect the repair) for the first one to two weeks. Crutches are required.
Pain in this window is interpolated rather than directly measured — pre-op baseline VAS averages 6.5/10 across the pooled cohort, and by the time the boot transitions at week 2 the pain is typically in the 3-5/10 range, mostly from positioning discomfort and the surgical site rather than acute structural pain.
Sleep is the dominant complaint; most people sleep with the leg elevated to reduce swelling.
documented at this week
This week
Splinted and off the foot
Weeks 0-2 are non-weight-bearing in a splint with crutches — the ligament repair is at its most protected stage.
milestones around now
- wk 1 ·Immobilization / non-weight-bearing in splint (0-2 weeks; splint in slight dorsiflexion/eversion, NWB with crutches)
- wk 4 ·Protected weight-bearing in walking boot (About 2-6 weeks, weight-bearing as tolerated in a CAM boot (accelerated protocols sooner))
sources
What this page is built from
- Modified Broström procedure, open vs arthroscopic: VAS at preop/3/6/12 months (n=51) retrospective cohort · reliability 7/10
- All-inside arthroscopic modified Broström-Gould: 2-year outcomes + rehab protocol retrospective cohort · reliability 7.5/10
- MGH rehabilitation protocol for Broström lateral ankle ligament repair clinical protocol · reliability 7.5/10
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