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High Ankle Sprain, Sports Medicine

Brandon Eck, DO and Delmas Bolin, MD, PhD, FACSM Reviewed 04/2019
 


BASICS

  • A syndesmosis is defined as a fibrous joint in which two adjacent bones (in this case, tibia and fibula) are linked by a strong membrane or ligaments.

  • Involves disruption of ligaments supporting...

DIAGNOSIS

HISTORY

  • Patient is often unable to adequately or completely describe mechanism; patients commonly report an inversion mechanism.

  • The clinician should delineate any prior ankle injuries.

  • Focus h...

TREATMENT

  • High ankle sprains/Syndesmosis injuries without fracture 1[B]: Consensus is three- to four-phase rehabilitation protocol. If no frank diastasis, most injuries result in inability to bear wei...

REFERENCES

1
Fort NM, Aiyer AA, Kaplan JR, et al. Management of acute injuries of the tibiofibular syndesmosis. Eur J Orthop Surg Traumatol.  2017;27(4):449–459.
2
Herscovici DJr, Anglen JO, Archdea...

ADDITIONAL READING

  • Amendola A, Williams G, Foster D. Evidence-based approach to treatment of acute traumatic syndesmosis (high ankle) sprains. Sports Med Arthrosc Rev.  2006;14(4):232–236.

  • Hopkins...

CLINICAL PEARLS

  • A high ankle sprain involves ligaments that stabilize the ankle mortise joint. It is not a “routine ankle sprain” and must be treated differently.

  • High ankle sprains should be immobiliz...

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