Conservative Management and Postoperative Rehabilitation of Chronic Lateral Ankle Instability

Young Hwan Park; Hak Jun Kim

doi:10.14193/jkfas.2019.23.1.6

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Park and Kim: Conservative Management and Postoperative Rehabilitation of Chronic Lateral Ankle Instability

Review Article

Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society 2019; 23(1): 6-11.

Published online: 18 March 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14193/jkfas.2019.23.1.6

Conservative Management and Postoperative Rehabilitation of Chronic Lateral Ankle Instability

Young Hwan Park, Hak Jun Kim

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Korea University Guro Hospital, Seoul, Korea.

Corresponding Author: Hak Jun Kim. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Korea University Guro Hospital, 148 Gurodong-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul 08308, Korea. Tel: 82-2-2626-3090, Fax: 82-2-2626-1164, dakjul@hanmail.net

Received 8 February 2019 Revised 9 March 2019 Accepted 9 March 2019

Korean Foot and Ankle Society

(open-access):

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

As a result of the increased participation in recreational and competitive sports activity, the incidence of chronic lateral instability has risen. Because chronic ankle instability can cause significant comorbidity and increase the social cost, the interest in this issue is growing. Although there are well-documented and effective surgical treatments for managing this condition, conservative treatments are a viable first option in selected patients. Through conservative treatment, surgical treatments can be reduced or delayed without necessarily affecting the overall outcome, but the failure of conservative treatment results in the need for surgical treatment to reduce the long term complications. Appropriate postoperative rehabilitation is essential for adequate functional recovery, even when surgical treatment is required.

Keywords: Ankle injuries, Chronic disease, Lateral ligaments, Conservative treatment, Rehabilitation

Figures and Tables

Figure 1

Ultrasonography of anterior talofibular ligament (arrowheads). (A) Relaxed. (B) Stressed. By applying stress, the condition of the ligament can be known in real time. LM: lateral malleolus.

Figure 2

Photograph of a Thera-Band multi-direction exercise to strengthen the ankle muscles.

Figure 3

Photograph of a squat exercise on triangle board.

Figure 4

Photograph of a wall push exercise of ankle joint while lying down.

Figure 5

Photograph of balancing exercise on balance board.

Figure 6

Photograph of single heel raise on a stair.Figure

Figure 7

Photograph of jumping in single leg on a gym ball.

Figure 8

Example of the manual of the home exercise for the conservative treatment of chronic lateral ankle instability. rep: repeat.

Figure 9

Photograph of Aircast® ankle brace that helps support and protect unstable ankles in early postoperative period.

Figure 10

Photograph of single heel raise exercise with an Aircast® ankle brace.

Figure 11

Postoperative rehabilitation for chronic lateral ankle instability. ROM: range of motion.

Notes

^{Financial support} None.

^{Conflict of interest} None.

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ORCID iDs: Hak Jun Kim
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3633-6174
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