Nonoperative Treatment of Lateral Ankle Ligament Injuries

Twenty-eight patients treated nonoperatively for injuries to the lateral ankle ligaments were seen at follow-up after 11-76 months (mean 2.9 years). Residual symptoms were present in 50 per cent, mainly in the form of functional instability, and recurrent sprains had occurred in 36 per cent. Sports performance level was down in 60 per cent of patients who had functional instabiliby. Reccurrent sprains related to the angle of anterior axis and low joint surface of the tibia, and were unrelated to the degree of primary talar tilt and anterior talar displacement.