Research Articles

Comparing Ankle Fusion Techniques

When ankle pain from osteoarthritis is severe, function is low, and conservative care isn't helping, surgeons turn to a fusion procedure known as an arthrodesis. There are two ways to do this surgery: open ankle and arthroscopic. As the names suggest, open ankle involves large incisions. Arthroscopy can be done with tiny incisions or just puncture holes where the scope is inserted into the joint.Naturally, the question arises: which technique works better? Which one is preferred when measured by...

Seven Studies Shed Light on Treatment for Achilles Tendon Ruptures

You have probably heard of the "seven deadly sins" and if you watched Mickey Mouse cartoons, you may have even seen Disney's version of "killing seven with one blow." But you probably haven't seen the results of seven level I random controlled trials evaluating treatment of acute Achilles tendon ruptures. That's what we bring to you from this quantitative systematic review presented by the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the State University of New York at Buffalo.For quite some time, there...

Understanding End-Stage Ankle Arthritis

Severe ankle arthritis is less common than hip or knee arthritis but just as disabling. So say researchers at the VA Medical Center in Seattle Washington. Researchers from the Mechanical Engineering and Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine centers at the University of Washington assisted in this study.They studied 37 patients (men and women) who were expected to have ankle surgery for severe arthritis classified as end-stage arthritis. All patients in the study had failed to achieve pain control or ...

Return to Sports After Osteochondral Autologous Transplantation of the Ankle

In this study, surgeons measured the frequency, intensity, and sports choices of recreational sports athletes following bone grafting for an ankle injury. In all cases, the athletes had sprained their ankles with an associated bone lesion.Ankle sprain with an osteochondral lesion refers to a sprain severe enough to cause a piece of cartilage and bone to detach. In these patients, the talus ankle bone was the area of specific injury.Treatment was with a bone graft from the ipsilateral knee to the...

Rare But Important Ankle Injury

Ankle sprain is a common injury in athletes as well as the active adult. Most of the time, the ankle heals with a little care (rest, taping, ice). But one rare complication of lateral ankle sprains is a condition called peroneal tendon instability and is the topic of this article from Germany.A lateral ankle sprain means the side of the ankle away from the other leg is sprained. The two peroneal tendons go down the leg and around the back of the ankle bone. The tendons set down inside a tunnel f...

Surgeons Try Hyaluronic Acid Injection for Ankle Osteoarthritis

Fifteen years ago, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of an injection of hyaluronic acid for knee arthritis. It has been used ever since for the effective relief of arthritis pain in some carefully selected patients.Now surgeons are turning their attention to the possible use of this same injection for ankle arthritis. Although it has not yet been approved for this type of use by the FDA, studies are starting to trickle in. So far, it looks like the procedure is well tolerat...

Do Lace Up Ankle Braces Prevent Injury

Physical Therapistsand athletic trainers working with high school football players are concerned about the high number of players benched because of ankle injuries. They conducted this study to compare the number and severity of ankle injuries in players with and without a lace-up ankle brace. They also looked to see if there were more knee injuries in athletes who did not wear the brace.Over 2000 football players from 50 high schools participated in this study. They were divided into two groups...

Understanding the Frozen Ankle

Most people have heard of the condition known as a frozen shoulder. The medical term for a "frozen" joint is adhesive capsulitis. The diagnosis of adhesive capsulitis can apply to any joint that is painful and stiff with significant loss of motion. In this article, the concept of a frozen ankle or adhesive capsulitis of the ankle is reviewed.One of the key features of adhesive capsulitis is the overall loss of both active and passive motion. Active motion refers to your ability to move the ankle...

Getting Better Results with Ankle Joint Replacements

All of the major joints can be replaced now: the shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle. Surgeons have the most practice with hips and knees. Ankles remain more difficult because of the complexity of the joint itself. Patients may get good pain relief with ankle joint replacement but they don't always get better ankle motion.The surgeons who conducted this study may have found the reason why improvement in ankle motion is small after joint replacement. They studied something called the anteroposterior o...

Treatment Alternative to Surgery for Ankle Arthritis

What do you do if you have severe pain from an arthritic ankle and you aren't a good candidate for surgery? You need relief from the pain and some way to improve function in that ankle. You are overweight and haven't been able to lose it. Or you've tried antiinflammatories but couldn't tolerate the side effects and exercise helped but not enough. On the other hand, what if you are accepted for surgery but you don't want surgery? What are your options?In this study, physicians from Taiwan investi...

Taking a Step Back to Look at Ankle Joint Replacements

In this review and update, orthopedic surgeons at Duke University Medical Center take a look at the results of ankle joint replacement called total ankle arthroplasty or TAA. They present a thorough examination of all aspects of TAA from studies published and evidence gained so far on this topic.Total ankle arthroplasties have been around long enough now to be in what is referred to as second-generation implants. Second-generation means the original design has been improved and changed in a sign...

New Finding After Total Ankle Replacement

Problems that develop after surgery for joint replacement can include heterotopic ossification (bone forms in soft tissue where it doesn't belong). This complication is not uncommon after hip and knee replacements. Now, we know the same holds true for ankle joint replacement.In this study from South Korea, 25 per cent of the 80 adult patients followed after total ankle replacement (TAR) surgery developed heterotopic ossification (HO). In 10 per cent of the cases, it was painful and reduced ankle...

Complications of Surgery for Achilles Tendon Rupture

The diagnosis: acute Achilles tendon rupture. The treatment: minimally invasive surgery (MIS). The result: complications! The final outcome: that's what this report is all about. Surgeons in The Netherlands followed 211 patients who had surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon. The particular interest was in final outcomes for patients who developed complications following the procedure.What type of complications are we talking about here? Nerve injury was the most common complication affect...

Complications After Ankle Surgery

Long-Term Effects of Complications After Ankle Surgery Things are changing in the treatment of severe ankle arthritis. What was once treated with ankle fusion can now be managed with a joint replacement. Improved surgical techniques and better implant designs have made the shift possible. But the question remains: are the long-term results comparable?That's what the authors of this study set out to see for themselves. They compared two groups of patients with severe, disabling ankle arthritis t...

Arthroscopic Surgery for Ankle Fractures

Are We Ready for Arthroscopic Surgery for Ankle Fractures Yet? Arthroscopic reduction and internal fixation (ARIF) of ankle fractures is an emerging procedure. Until now, the complexity of the ankle joint has required an open procedure called open reduction and internal fixation, more commonly known as ORIF.In this review article, orthopedic surgeons from the United States team up with surgeons from Italy to discuss six conditions for which arthroscopic reduction and internal fixation (ARIF) ca...

Fresh Bone Graft Preferred for Ankle

Holes or defects in the surface of a joint that extend down through the cartilage to the bone are called osteochondral lesions. Various treatment approaches have been tried for this problem with some success. One particularly challenging area of the body to treat these defects is the talus bone of the ankle.The very complex ankle joint with its many bones makes it difficult to reach areas of osteochondral lesions. The talus is one of those problem areas. It is sandwiched in between the calcaneus...

Ankle Fractures in Older Adults

New Information on Ankle Fractures in Older Adults Studies show that more and more older adults are being treated for ankle fractures. Not only are there more of these injuries, but they are more severe. What's behind this change?In the past, osteoporosis (decreased bone density or "brittle bones") was blamed for most ankle fractures in adults 65 years old and older. Osteoporosis is linked with hip, wrist, and shoulder fractures. But new data suggests there are other possible more important ris...

Surprising Results From Using Platelet-Rich Plasma for Achilles Tendon Rupture

In the last few years, scientists have discovered that injecting platelets from blood into damaged tendons helps them heal faster and better. This has been good news for professional athletes who are eager to get back to work on the playing field.Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) (also known as blood injection therapy) is a medical treatment being used for a wide range of musculoskeletal problems. Platelet-rich plasma refers to a sample of serum (blood) plasma that has much more than the normal amount ...

Three-Phase Rehab for High Ankle Sprains

Ankle sprains can be very debilitating -- especially for sports athletes who are eager to get back into action. Since most ankle sprains are treated conservatively (without surgery), Physical Therapists study the best ways to go about getting athletes back into full participation.In this article, Physical Therapists at the University of Iowa describe their approach to high ankle sprains. Anatomy, mechanisms of injury, and assessment of the problem are also covered.A high ankle sprain refers to t...

Special Program Proven to Prevent Repeat Ankle Sprains

Health care reform has given researchers reason to study the cost-effectiveness of medical treatment and find ways to improve results with less expense. Athletic injuries make up a huge proportion of health care costs in young adults.In particular, lateral ankle sprains (the outside of the foot) are the focus of this study. There are literally thousands of ankle sprains occurring everyday in the United States and over half a million per year in The Netherlands. With that in mind, this report fro...

Footballer's Ankle, Otherwise Known as Medial Ankle Impingement

What are footballer's ankle, kissing osteophytes, andpeek-a-boo heels? And what do they have in common? Athletes involved in running and jumping sports can develop a condition called footballer's ankle or medial ankle impingement. Medial refers to the side of the ankle closest to the other leg.Typical symptoms include ankle pain, a clicking sensation when moving the ankle, and loss of ankle motion. These symptoms are the result of "impingement". The term "impingement" always tells us something i...

Evolving Diagnosis and Theories on Ankle Impingement

Ankle pain in athletes of all kinds is a fairly common problem. When X-rays show bone spurs called osteophytes along the front part of the joint, the condition is referred to as anterior ankle impingement. Impingement is another word for "pinching".What's getting pinched and why? Sometimes there are bone spurs called osteophytes that form along the joint line. Every time the foot and ankle move, the extra bone jams up against the joint preventing full motion. There can also be an overgrowth of j...

Treatment of Osteochondral Lesions of the Ankle

Ankle pain when putting weight on the foot can come from a wide range of problems. One of those problems can be identified using an anesthetic injection into the joint. It's called osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLT). In this article, orthopedic surgeons specializing in the treatment of OLT share their knowledge and expertise with other surgeons. Detailed descriptions of the lesions, the evaluation process, and management (both operative and nonoperative) are provided. Photos taken during s...

Rheumatoid Arthritis Increases the Risk of Infection After Ankle Replacement

Surgeons know that replacing the ankle joint (a procedure called total ankle arthroplasty or TAA) is more successful for some patients than for others. This particular operation requires selecting patients carefully for the best outcomes.

Have You Ever Heard of the Maisonneuve Injury?

For every orthopedic injury, surgeons must know the mechanism (how it occurred), details about the anatomy (part affected) and pathology (exactly what's wrong), and how to treat it. Treatment must be evidence-based meaning studies have shown what works best to give patients optimum results.

New Treatment on the Horizon for Ankle Arthritis

Little by little orthopedic surgeons are finding better ways to treat ankle arthritis besides just fusing the joint. In this report, the use of a new technique called distraction arthroplasty for ankle arthritis is presented. It is one more step in the direction of preserving joint motion, especially in young patients.

Operative Treatment Aids in Treatment of Anterolateral Ankle Impingement in Teens

Are you a teen who has sustained a sprained ankle and have not fully recovered after several months? This article reviews the outcome of surgery, and conservative treatment of ankle impingement symptoms following an anterolateral ankle sprain in adolescents. See your Physical Therapist at Moreau Physical Therapy in Louisiana for advice regarding treatment of your sprained ankle. Operative Treatment Aids in Treatment of Anterolateral Ankle Impingement in TeensSprained ankles are a very common inj...

The Latest in Diagnosis and Treatment of Ankle Osteochondral Lesions

Physical Therapy in Louisiana for Ankle Have you been told that your ankle cartilage is damaged? This article provides information on diagnosis and treatment of these injuries (ankle osteochondral injuries.)

Programmed Death of Tendon Cells May Explain Tendinopathy

What is your achilles heel all about? Moreau Physical Therapy patients who wonder about the pathology contibuting to their achilles tendonitis may find this article of interest. Tissue samples were taken from normal achilles tendon and achilles tendons that presented with symptoms of chronic tendonitis, and the samples with chronic tendonitis showed a higher concentration of nitric oxide, which is associated with causing cell death or "apoptosis". More studies need to be carried out to understan...

Natural Recovery After Ankle Sprain

Q: Just how long does it take to recover from an ankle sprain? Can you get back to normal in six weeks? Eight weeks? At all? When is ankle rehab needed? These are the questions this group of athletic trainers addressed in their biodynamics research lab at the University of North Carolina (Charlotte). By testing ankle movement three days after an ankle sprain and a second time eight weeks after the injury, the researchers were able to compare the results with a group of normal, healthy adults w...

Update on Management of Lateral Ankle Instability

Almost everyone has either sprained an ankle or knows someone who has. It's one of the most common musculoskeletal injuries. Most people recover well from sprained ankles, but about 10 percent to 40 percent end up with some problems, such as chronic instability, which can make it easier to sprain your ankle again.

Review of Syndesmotic Injuries of the Ankle

Most people are familiar with the typical ankle injury that occurs just below the ankle bones. But there are other types of ankle injuries. One of those is the syndesmosis ankle sprain. The syndesmosis is a specific location in the upper ankle where the tibia and fibula (bones of the lower leg) meet.

Getting to the Bottom of Chronic Ankle Sprains

One ankle sprain can change the course of your life. When does that happen? When one injury leads to another and another until you have a condition called chronic ankle instability (CAI). Every day in the United States, 23,000 people sprain their ankles. More than two-thirds of those folks will end up with CAI.

Preventing Chronic Ankle Instability After a Sprain

In the sports world, an ankle sprain is big news. Such injuries account for many days missed in training and in competition. An acute ankle sprain that isn't treated properly can result in chronic weakness, pain, and instability. In such cases, recurring sprains are common and can lead to disability and the end of a promising career.

Reducing the Risk of Ankle Sprains in Athletes

Ankle sprains are very common among athletes and sports participants. What's the best way to prevent an ankle sprain? Is it high top shoes? Wearing a brace of some sort? Taping the ankle? In this report, sports medicine experts review type of ankle injury and goals of treatment. Prevention of both primary (first-time) ankle sprains and reinjury is also discussed.

Arthroscopic Diagnosis and Treatment of Osteochondral Talar Lesions

Persistent ankle pain after an ankle sprain could be a sign of a condition called osteochondral lesion of the talus (OLT). The talus is a bone in the ankle between the calcaneus (heel bone) below and the tibia (shin bone) above.

Taping Ankles Back to Health

Rehabilitation programs have proven successful in helping people regain stability after an ankle sprain. A hallmark of ankle rehabilitation has been the use of proprioception exercises. Proprioception refers to the awareness of positioning and balance that is sort of like a sixth sense. Proprioception exercises are designed to help patients become aware of joint alignment and positioning. By improving proprioception, the joint's stability improves.

Payment for Another's Labor: Strengthening One Ankle Crosses Over to the Other

It's like getting paid for someone else's work. In a phenomenon called the crossover effect, the muscles of one ankle get stronger even when exercises are done only by the opposite ankle.

A Walk Through Time Shows Best Treatments for Ankle Sprains

Even though sprains of the outer (lateral) ankle ligaments are one of the more common types of injuries, opinions abound as to the best types of treatment. Over the years, treatments have ranged all the way from surgery to no treatment at all. Which treatments are best? To answer this question, the authors analyzed research articles spanning the years 1966 to 1998. In general, treatment options for lateral ankle sprains include surgery, casting for more than six weeks, or functional treatment. T...

Ankle Bone Connected to the . . . Small Arthritic Foot Bones

Ankle fusion surgery (also called arthrodesis) is a last-ditch effort to relieve pain in arthritic ankle joints. The surgery involves making the bones in a joint grow together, or fuse. This stops the bone ends from rubbing against each other and causing pain. However, fusion means that the ankle joint loses its ability to move.

Sick of Your Sprained Ankle? Spice Up Your RICE

Ankle sprains happen often in sports, especially to runners and athletes in jumping sports. To treat an ankle sprain, RICE -- or rest, ice, compression, and elevation -- is just what the doctor ordered. But can anything else be done to get you back on your feet more quickly?

A Helpful Twist for Ankles That Turn

The scourge of ankle sprain--when it happens once, it'll probably happen again, an occurrence called recurrent ankle sprain. The first sprain often harms the sensors within the joint, muscles, and ligaments of the ankle. Many times, this causes the ankle to become unsteady, a condition called functional ankle instability.

Is Swelling a Puffed-Up Measure of Ankle Wellness? The Relationship between Swelling and Function in Sprained Ankles

Ever had a Physical Therapist wrap a measuring tape in a figure eight around your ankle? If you sprain your ankle, this measurement can tell how much swelling there is from the injury. Therapists sometimes compare these measurements over time, to see whether you're getting better. But how well does the figure-of-eight reading gauge pain and function? Is amount of swelling related to patients' ability to do activities after an ankle sprain? These authors wanted to find out.

Tracking Tibial Stress Syndrome among High School Runners

Up to sixty percent of recreational runners may get injured over the course of a year. Most of these injuries come from overuse. Ten to 15 percent of them are thought to be tibial stress syndrome.

Do Tired Feet Cause Defeat? The Effects of Fatigue on the Ankle

Do you ever consider how hard your ankles are working to hold you in a steady position? Most people don't give this much thought, but the ankle is actually a very important part of standing and moving.

Giving Ankle Injury the Third Degree

Here's a dilemma for sports medicine. Say an athlete sprains an ankle. Can the medical examiner tell the coach how soon the athlete can return to the sport? Right now, ligament sprains are divided into first, second, and third-degree sprains. The first-degree sprain is mildest and usually means a faster recovery. But how quickly can the athlete return to competition? And how does this compare to a second-degree or third-degree sprain?

Stepping Up the Research on Shin Splints

Shin splints often happen to athletes, especially runners, ballet dancers, and soldiers in basic training. Though shin splints are a common problem, not much is known about what causes this painful condition and what to do about it. Since many athletes lose time in training and performance to shin splints, this condition requires careful study.

Surgery for Athletes with Chronic Ankle Sprains: Two Methods Compete

About half of all ankle sprains happen during sports. Most sprains get better without surgery. But in 20 percent of cases, one sprain leads to another. When this happens, surgery is needed.

Ankles Smile for the Camera

Tendinopathy affects tendons by causing pain, swelling, and poor physical performance. It isn't simply a problem of inflammation as in tendinitis. Rather, tendinopathy causes degeneratation in the cellular make-up of the tissue. Tendinopathy of the Achilles tendon--the tendon that joins the calf muscles to the heel bone--often comes from intense athletic training and overuse. People with this condition often get better without surgery. But about 25 percent of people with chronic problems nee...

Inside Scoop on Avoiding Future Ankle Sprains

What's the number one goal of an athlete who's been injured? Get back into the game! Trainers and Physical Therapists see this a bit differently. They want to return athletes to sport quickly, but without reinjury.

These Boots Are Made for Snowboarding

Snowboarding has become an increasingly popular sport. Injuries from snowboarding are also on the increase. Most of the injuries are to the arms, caused by falls. About 20 percent of the accidents affect the legs. Half of these occur in the lead foot. Most leg injuries are a result of wearing soft boots.

At Odds with Ankle Taping

Does ankle taping before exercise help prevent ankle sprains? Some exercise specialists think so. Some, including these authors, don't. They tested the effects of ankle tape and ankle braces on landing force. What they found suggests that ankle taping might prove harmful.

It May Pay to Ice before You Play

Icing is one of the main treatments for injured or sore joints. Athletes ice their sprains and strains after training, after competition, and after rehabilitation exercises. But could icing be useful to these athletes before training, competition, and rehabilitation? The experts disagree. Some think icing before exercise makes athletes more likely to injure a joint. Others think the healing benefits of icing can help muscles and joints perform better.

The Ins and Outs of Ankle Sprains

Ankle sprains are the most common injury to the soft tissue in the body. Most people turn the ankle inward and sprain the lateral ligament. This is called an inversion injury. After such an injury, almost half of all patients continue to suffer minor problems. Patients often report there is a sensation that the ankle is going to give way.

Comparison of Braces and Casts after Surgery for Ankle Fracture

A broken ankle is the most common fracture treated in hospitals. They are increasingly common in active younger people and in the elderly. Some ankle fractures need surgery that includes metal plates and screws to make the ankle stable again. After this type of surgery, patients usually wear a cast.

The Achilles Tendon: Use It or Lose It?

When muscles aren't used, they tend to get weaker and shrink in size. Bones that aren't used become less dense and weaker. When tendons aren't used, they become weaker too. When tendons are weak, they are more likely to tear.

Brace Yourself to Prevent Ankle Sprains

Sports injuries. If you haven't had one yourself, you've probably watched on TV as players were injured on the field. Everyone waits in silence until the player is able to get up and leave. It's the one moment when even opponents applaud the athlete.

Japanese Doctors Eye New Method for Repairing Cartilage Damage in the Ankle

How do doctors get the word out when they've made a new discovery or tried something different that worked? They use technical notes. This is a short article in a medical journal telling what they did, how they did it, and the results.

Cast and Walking Boot Used to Treat Achilles Tendon Tear

Is an operation needed to repair a torn Achilles tendon? Doctors still don't agree on the best way to treat these injuries. The Achilles is the tendon that attaches to the calf muscle in the lower leg. Everyone agrees it heals faster with tension, so patients are allowed to use the muscle early on in the recovery process.

Early Ankle Motion after Achilles Tendon Tear

Achilles was a Greek mythological hero. When he was young, his mother held him by the heel and dipped him in the river Styx. Everything the sacred waters touched became strong and unbeatable. The heel remained dry and was unprotected, leaving Achilles' heel weak and at risk for injury.

Ankles Braced for Impact

You just saw your favorite athlete take the field (or floor) wearing an ankle brace. "Oh no," you think. He or she must have had an injury! Maybe not. Many athletes wear ankle braces to prevent an injury. Studies show that ankle bracing can reduce the risk of an ankle sprain.

Bone Fracture Confused with Ankle Sprain in Snowboarders

Telling someone to "break a leg" is for good luck in the theater world. This is not such a good expression for snow boarders. They actually do break bones in their legs far too often. In fact, a rare type of ankle fracture is becoming more common among snowboarders.

A Closer Look at Injured Ankles

In 1982 a student at the University of Athens wrote a paper on a new finding in the ankle. The student's name was Constantinos Nikolopoulos. He reported a new ligament never seen before in the ankle. The paper wasn't published.

Improved Results with Guided Injections into the Achilles Tendon

One-third of all orthopedic doctors use steroid injections to treat Achilles tendonitis. The dangers of steroid injections are still questioned by many other doctors. Researchers at the University of Virginia Health System did a safety study of low-volume steroid injections. They used a special imaging method called fluoroscopy to guide the injection to the right spot.

Recovery from Achilles Rupture without Surgery

You step down or jump down and feel a sudden snap in the calf muscle. You've just ruptured your Achilles tendon. What do you do now? Doctors don't agree on the best treatment early after Achilles tendon rupture. Treatment for Achilles tendon rupture is divided into two basic groups: with or without surgery.

Long-Term Results after Ankle Joint Replacement

This new study from the University of Iowa reports the long-term results of ankle replacement surgery. The Agility total ankle replacement was used in 126 patients. An earlier report by these same authors gave the short-term results using this same implant.

Ankle Joint Replacement Measures Up

The results of ankle replacement are better than ever. Researchers at the University of Minnesota have found a way to measure true ankle motion to prove this.

Replacement for Ankle Fusion

Ankle fusion is often the best way to treat severe ankle arthritis. But major problems can occur. The patient can end up with a painful and very stiff joint that doesn't allow for walking on uneven ground or climbing stairs. This study looks at the results of a new treatment option after ankle fusion: total ankle replacement (TAR).

Balance Board Training Benefits Athletes

Volleyball players are at increased risk for ankle sprain. And once an ankle is injured, the chances of spraining it again go up. This large study of 116 volleyball teams presents some ideas for preventing ankle sprains.

Snowboarder's Fracture on the Rise

Experts in foot and ankle injuries report that a rare ankle fracture is on the rise. Snowboarders land on the foot and ankle when they are twisted in and pulled up. The force can be enough to break off a piece of bone from the talus bone. The talus is the ankle bone between the heel and the lower leg.

NHL Players Face-Off Against Ankle Injuries

Ankle injuries are common in ice hockey because of the nature of the sport. It's a high-speed contact sport played with the feet in rigid boots. The game is played on a hard surface with boards all around. This study reports the number of ankle injuries in two National Hockey League (NHL) franchises. It's the first study of its kind.

Finding Ankle Instability May Prevent Re-injury

Jumping and landing are important skills in sports like basketball, soccer, and volleyball. Ankle sprains make landing difficult. Pain, swelling, and giving way of the ankle lead to functional ankle instability (FAI). FAI occurs when the ankle is unstable but the ligaments aren't damaged.

Buttoning Up a Syndesmosis Injury

There's a fibrous band of tissue between the two lower leg bones called the syndesmosis. It holds the bones together giving the ankle stability while still allowing motion. It's a real challenge to repair the syndesmosis when it's torn during an ankle injury. This is a report about a new way to suture the two bones together.

Ankle Swelling and Function after Sprain

Treatment for ankle sprain is often directed at reducing painful swelling. The idea is to restore function by limiting inflammation. However this treatment approach has been called into question by a new study.

Exercise Alone May be Enough after Ankle Fracture

Physical Therapists need more information to help them with patients who have ankle joint stiffness after casting for bone fractures. Knowing how to stretch the muscles to regain motion is important. Is five minutes of stretching enough? Would 10 minutes be better? If 10 minutes is good, what about 30 minutes?

Whipping Cuboid Syndrome Back into Place

In this report two Physical Therapists review the exam and results of treatment for seven athletes with cuboid syndrome from a sprained ankle. Cuboid syndrome occurs when the cuboid bone inside the ankle partially or fully dislocates. A partial dislocation is called a subluxation.

First-Time Ankle Sprains in Athletes

What's the risk of first-time ankle injury for athletes? Are women more likely to sprain their ankles compared to men? Are there more injuries in high school athletes compared to college athletes? Which sport has the most ankle sprains? These are the questions researchers at the University of Vermont tried to answer in this study.

Physical Therapists Test Electrical Stimulation As a Treatment for Ankle Sprain

Swelling is often present after an ankle sprain. Swelling can delay healing and reduce ankle function. The main goal of early treatment is to control swelling. One way to do this is with a special form of electrical stimulation (ES) called neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES).

Does Taping An Ankle Sprain Improve Stability?

Ankle sprains are a common problem among athletes. Many athletes who sprain their ankles one time, resprain it again. Ankle taping is one treatment method used to prevent reinjury.The researchers in this study asked two questions. Does ankle taping work? If so, why does it work?

Diagnosing and Treating Syndesmotic Ankle Injuries

Injuries of the ankle can involve bone, soft tissues, or both. A specific ankle injury called the syndesmotic injury is the topic of this review article. The syndesmosis is made up of four ligaments and a band of connective tissue. This band is called the interosseous membrane. It is located between the two bones of the lower leg.

Bimalleolar Fractures More Frequent in Older People

Ankle fractures are very common and orthopedic surgeons see many in their practices. The fractures are classified into one of two categories, according to how they are broken; one is called the supination-external rotation (SER-2) plus a deltoid ligament rupture or medial malleolar fracture, the two together are called a bimalleolar fracture (SER-4). Both types of SER-4 fractures respond better to surgery than to casting alone. For this study, the researchers wanted to compare the outcomes of th...

Surgery to Preserve the Arthritic Ankle

The management of ankle osteoarthritis (OA) in young adults is a challenge. The two most common treatment approaches are ankle fusion and total joint replacement. But a long life expectancy and high activity levels bring both of these options under question.

Results of Total Ankle Replacement Compared with Fusion

Total ankle replacement (TAR) is still a fairly new treatment option for severe ankle pain and arthritis. Prior to ankle joint replacement, the standard treatment has been ankle fusion called arthrodesis.

Is Ankle Arthroplasty More Effective than Arthrodesis?

As some people age and develop severe arthritis in the ankle, quality of life can be affected because they have difficulty with mobility and performing every day activities. Traditionally, this type of problem has been treated with arthrodesis, or fusing the bones together. This can be effective but also can cause other problems, such as arthritis developing in the neighboring joints and it can also make it difficult for the patient to walk, because of the decreased range of motion of the ankle.

Retrograde Nailing system for Ankle Fusion

In this study, the Orthofix retrograde locking nail system was used for ankle fusion. Specifically, the tibiotalocalcaneal joints were fused. This means the ankle and subtalar joints are both fused. This type of fusion is called an arthrodesis.

Reviewing Ankle Pain From All Sides

Ankle sprains are the most common ankle injuries in the adult population. In fact, it is estimated that at least one million such injuries occur every year in the United States.

Update on Ankle Joint Replacement for Arthritis

Over the last 40 years, ankle joint replacements have gone through three generations of implant design and materials. In this article, a group of orthopedic surgeons review the history of total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) and bring us up to date on this treatment approach for ankle arthritis.

Risk Factors and Rate of Injury Among Ballet Dancers

There is limited data on the types of injuries that occur among ballet dancers. Likewise, the number of injuries each year is not widely reported. In this study, Physical Therapists conducted screening exams on ballet students. Later, they reviewed the records for each dancer. They measured the rate of injuries and compared risk factors between injured and noninjured dancers.

Surgical Treatment of Ankle Fractures in Patients with Diabetes

There is some concern that research doesn't support the use of epidural steroid injections (ESI) for spinal stenosis. Even more controversial is the use of opioid medications for pain from this condition.

Best Treatment for Tendinopathy

It’s not clear what is the best treatment for tendinopathy. That’s the conclusion of researchers reviewing all the published studies on the topic. Tendinopathy refers to a painful tendon condition caused by overuse. Although it feels like it, it’s not the same as tendonitis. There’s pain but no actual inflammation.

Treatment Options for Midfoot Arthritis

Midfoot arthrosis can be the result of several problems so the treatment varies significantly from patient to patient. The causes include trauma, inflammatory arthropathy, and idiopathic arthritis. Because midfoot pain can severely limit a patient's lifestyle, treatment is often necessary whether it is surgical or nonsurgical.