Lateral Ankle Ligament Injuries in Athletes: Diagnosis and Treatment

Nonsurgical management is preferred in most ankle sprains, even in the athletic population. However, patients presenting with chronic lateral ankle instability refractory to an appropriate bracing and rehabilitation program may benefit from lateral ligament reconstruction. Recognition and management of other associated injuries or conditions is critical to a successful outcome. We present 2 surgical techniques for reconstruction of the lateral ankle ligaments in athletes. The periosteal flap augmentation of the modified Brostrom reconstruction should be considered for primary cases. Patients who have failed prior surgical reconstruction or have a systemic condition resulting in generalized ligamentous laxity may require further surgical augmentation with an anatomical allograft ligament reconstruction technique.