Minimally invasive management of syndesmotic injuries

Ankle sprains are one of the most common foot injuries, and the severity and degree of these injuries vary greatly.¹⁸ Their complexity remains a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge.¹¹ Syndesmotic injuries occur less often in the general and sport populations when compared with lateral ankle sprains, with a reported incidence from 1% to 11% of all ankle injuries.²¹ They usually require a longer recovery period than lateral ankle sprains.²¹ Though the injury of the syndesmosis is the most important predictive factor for chronic ankle dysfunction 6 months after ankle sprains,^14,19 diagnostic protocols, which include physical examination, radiographs, stress examinations and MRI, do not completely quantify the extent of ligament damage.¹³