talar tilt angle in the diagnosis of injuries of the lateral ligament of the ankle

ABSTRACT

Ninety consecutive cases of injuries of the lateral ligament of the ankle were involved in a prospective study to assess the reliability of the measurements of the talar tilt angle in determining the severity of the injury. Measurements were performed under local anesthesia. We introduced a new simple device to hold the ankle in maximum inversion by the patient. The sound side was used as a control and the difference in measurements between the affected side and the sound side was considered.It was found that a talar tilt difference of less than ten degrees indicates a mild injury which may be treated adequately by simple measures. But measures of more than ten degrees difference implies a more combined injury of the lateral ligament and should be treated accordingly