Chronic Ankle Instability
Clinical Presentation
When eliciting the history from a patient with chronic ankle
instability, the main complaint usually includes intermittent
“giving out of the ankle” with a past history of at least two
or three severe lateral ankle sprains. The patient often complains
of difficulty and apprehension on uneven surfaces.
Even a mild exacerbation can lead to short-term dysfunction;
however, these patients are normally without pain or dysfunction
between episodes. Bracing or taping may provide
only partial relief or improvement.
On physical examination, the lower extremity is inspected
and palpated while noting any existing hindfoot varus. The
hindfoot motion should be recorded and peroneal muscle
strength should be tested. Signs of generalized ligamentous
laxity should be elicited. Stability testing consisting of the
anterior drawer and talar tilt test should be performed. Proprioception
is often abnormal in these patients as grade III
ankle sprains have been noted to have up to 86% and 83% of
peroneal nerve and tibial nerve stretch injury, respectively.37
The modified Romberg test is used to examine proprioception
as the patient stands on the normal ankle with their eyes
open and then closed and is repeated for the injured ankle.
Up to 53% of basketball injuries and 29%
of soccer injuries can be attributed to ankle injuries and 12%
of time lost in football is due to ankle injuries.3,4 Patients
presenting with ankle sprains comprise 10% of emergency
room visits in the United States with an incidence of 30,000
ankle sprains a day