week 12 · last reviewed 2026-06-08
Ankle ligament surgery recovery: week 12
Clinical procedure: Ankle ligament repair (Broström).
what's typical at week 12
Is pain at week 12 of ankle ligament surgery recovery normal?
typical pain · week 12
Across published cohorts, typical pain around week 12 of ankle ligament surgery recovery sits at 1.4/10 (range 1–3.1). 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 6–12
Weeks 6-12 · out of the boot, into a shoe
Most protocols transition out of the boot into a supportive shoe with a brace around weeks 6-8. The PMC8298351 cohort reports a mean time to normal activity of about eight weeks. Strength work (calf, peroneal, tibialis posterior) and proprioceptive work fill this window.
Three-month VAS in the measured cohort averaged 1.4/10 — well-anchored data. This is the first hard endpoint in the curve. By twelve weeks most patients are walking normally, can manage stairs without holding the rail, and are about to start return-to-running drills.
documented at this week
This week
Running clears around week 12
Return to running is typically cleared at about 12 weeks, with sport training from month 3-4 and unrestricted sport around months 5-6.
What's typical
Three months out, pain sits near 1
At three months, measured pain averages 1.2-1.5/10 (arthroscopic vs open technique, n=51), easing to about 1.0-1.2 by six months. Low-grade ache on hard days fits inside the published curve.
milestones around now
- wk 12 ·Return to running (About 10-12 weeks, criteria-based (gait normalized, strength/hop symmetry))
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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