Footballer's ankle

Footballer's ankle is a pinching or impingement of the ligaments or tendons of the ankle between the bones, particularly the talus and tibia. This results in pain, inflammation and swelling.

Causes

A common cause of anterior impingement is a bone spur on anklebone (

), such as footballers, hence the name.

Symptoms

• Pain and tenderness over anterior ankle joint
• Pain on dorsiflexion and plantar flexion
• Band of pain across anterior ankle when kicking a ball
• Palpable bony lump on distal tibia or superior talus

Treatment

• Soft tissue techniques
  to stretch muscles crossing the ankle to relieve tension
• Mobilisation of ankle joint
• Steroid injection to reduce inflammation
• Surgery to remove bony spurs

External links

• Simon Moyes: Anterior Impingement (Footballer's Ankle)