Chronic Lateral Ankle Instability-Considerations in the Female Athlete.

Source: PubMed, NCBI / U.S. National Library of Medicine

Ankle sprains are a very common injury in the athletic population, with up to 30% of acute ankle sprains progressing to chronic ankle instability. Female athletes are at greater risk of developing chronic lateral ankle instability, likely secondary to hormonal fluctuations. Despite this, further work is needed to investigate the relationship between gender and chronic lateral ankle instability. When conservative management fails, surgical reconstruction of the lateral ligaments, typically in the form of an open modified Brostrom-Gould procedure, is required to restore stability. Recent evidence suggests arthroscopic Brostrom-Gould procedure may be the new gold standard.