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Acute ankle lateral ligament injury: an up-to-date review
Arthrosc Orthop Sports Med 2023;10:1-9
Published online May 1, 2023;  https://doi.org/10.14517/aosm23002
© 2023 Korean Arthroscopy Society and Korean Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine.

Sung Hyun Lee1,2, Min Seok Kim1

1Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Wonkwang University Hospital, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, 2Musculoskeletal and Immune Disease Research Institute, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Korea
Correspondence to: Sung Hyun Lee, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6468-1456
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Wonkwang University Hospital, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, 460 Iksan-daero, Iksan 54538, Korea. Tel: +82-63-859-1360, Fax: +82-63-852-9329, E-mail: kensin06@hanmail.net
Received March 2, 2023; Revised April 6, 2023; Accepted April 7, 2023.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Ankle lateral ligament injuries are common in everyday life and sports. Because most lateral ankle ligament injuries occur during sports, proper diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation are critical to the patient’s prognosis. A physical examination is necessary for determining ankle injuries. Radiographic examinations include radiography, ultrasonography, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and there are differing views on these tools. The goal of treatment for acute ankle lateral ligament injuries is to prevent chronic ankle instability. Exercise and bracing are more evidenced-based recommendations that should be incorporated into the rehabilitation process. A comprehensive and progressive exercise program should include range of motion, stretching, strengthening, neuromuscular, proprioceptive, and sport-specific exercises. Many systematic reviews have found insufficient evidence to support the clinical usefulness and necessity of primary surgical repair for acute lateral ankle sprains. Surgical treatment for acute lateral ankle sprain without concomitant pathologies is not recommended and should only be considered in cases of severe injury with large bony avulsion or frank dislocation or professional athletes with complete ligament rupture (Grade III) and severe instability.
Keywords : Ankle; Diagnosis; Sprain; Treatment
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