Talar impingement by the anteroinferior tibiofibular ligament. A cause of chronic pain in the ankle after inversion sprain.

Seven patients who had pain in the anterior aspect of the ankle were found to have a thickened distal fascicle of the anteroinferior tibiofibular ligament. Each patient had a history of an inversion sprain of the ankle followed by chronic pain in the anterior aspect of the ankle. The thickened distal fascicle was resected without loss of stability of the ankle. Five patients needed débridement of an area of abraded hyaline cartilage on the anterolateral aspect of the talus. Six patients were followed for a mean of thirty-nine months (range, twenty-four to fifty-nine months). Four of them had no pain in the ankle or limitation in activities, and two reported marked improvement, with only occasional pain in the ankle related to overuse. A separate distal fascicle of the anteroinferior tibiofibular ligament is present in most human ankles and can be a cause of talar impingement, abrasion of the articular cartilage, and pain in the anterior aspect of the ankle. Resection of this ligament usually will alleviate the pain caused by the impingement.