Chronic Ankle Instability lends itself to continual ankle sprains, degenerative arthritis due to the abnormal joint pressures, tendon ruptures, ankle fractures and loss of function of the ankle joint. This is all due to the loss of the integretity of the ligament structures that hold the ankle and surrounding joints together.
When one has multiple ankle sprains per year, loss of proprioception (the ability of knowing the position of the ankle as it relates to the leg bone), soft-tissue injury ie.tendon ruptures, and wear on the ankle cartilage the treatment recommended is surgical intervention to re-create the stability of the ankle. This can be done in a multitude of ways however there are preferred procedures to allow the athelete to return to normal function in the most expedient way.
The most common procedure is the Brostrom-modified Gould procedure. The procedure is a primary repair of the anterior talofibular and calcaneal fibular ligaments with reinforcement with the inferior extensor retinaculum. This procedure is primarily used for the first time procedure in an unstable ankle joint. Common adjunctive procedures include ankle arthroscopy with synovectomy. This procedure clears the ankle of chronic inflamed joint synovium. Other procedures that may be performed in conjuction with the brostrom procedure include cartilage implantation and replacement, bone spur removal, osteotomies to correct severe alignment problems, and tendon repairs caused by the unstable ankle.
Postoperative care includes a short period of immobilization followed by aggressive physical therapy and then return back to activity. If you should have these type of problems, an evaluation with Dr. Moss, a foot and ankle surgeon is recommended.
