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World J Meta-Anal. Apr 28, 2021; 9(2): 128-138
Published online Apr 28, 2021. doi: 10.13105/wjma.v9.i2.128
Ankle injuries in athletes: A review of the literature
Jenita Jona James, Oday Al-Dadah
Jenita Jona James, The Medical School, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE2 4HH, United Kingdom
Oday Al-Dadah, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE2 4HH, United Kingdom
Author contributions: Jona James J contributed to the literature reviewing, writing and editing of the manuscript; and Al-Dadah O conceived the original idea and design of the study and extensively revising the manuscript critically for important intellectual content. All of the authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript as submitted.
Conflict-of-interest statement: We confirm that all authors have no conflicts of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Oday Al-Dadah, MBChB, FRCS (Eng), MD, FRCS (Tr & Orth), Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE2 4HH, United Kingdom. oday.al-dadah@newcastle.ac.uk
Received: January 3, 2021
Peer-review started: January 3, 2021
First decision: March 8, 2021
Revised: March 26, 2021
Accepted: April 23, 2021
Article in press: April 23, 2021
Published online: April 28, 2021
Processing time: 114 Days and 17.5 Hours
Abstract

Ankle injuries are commonplace in the athletic population, with lateral ligament sprains accounting for the majority of them. The medial ligament complex, the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis as well as any of the bones that constitute the ankle joint can also be injured. Typical mechanisms of injury include inversion-plantarflexion and external rotation on a supinated, dorsiflexed or pronated foot. Lesions of the ankle present with similar symptoms of pain, swelling and tenderness. Therefore, a thorough history and physical examination must be obtained to make the correct diagnosis. This is especially critical for athletes as certain injuries can lead to termination of their career if not treated accurately on time. Imaging may be useful in some cases to confirm or rule out differential diagnoses. Most injuries can be managed conservatively using the Protection, Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation protocol followed by a comprehensive rehabilitation programme. Surgery is reserved for grade III ligament tears that are refractory to initial non-operative treatment and displaced fractures that are unlikely to unite without surgical intervention. The objective of this review is to discuss the common ankle injuries encountered in the athletic population and the approaches to their diagnosis and management.

Keywords: Ankle sprain; Athlete; Deltoid ligament; Lateral ligament; Syndesmosis; Fracture

Core Tip: This is an up-to-date literature review on the topic of ankle injuries that encompasses both ligamentous injuries as well as fractures.