THE EFFECT OF MAXIMAL INVERSION ON THE LENGTH OF THE ANTERIOR TALO-FIBULAR LIGAMENT IN ASYMPTOMATIC PATIENTS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11603/1811-2471.2025.v.i2.15311Keywords:
ankle joints, anterior talo-fibular ligament, inversion loading, sonographyAbstract
SUMMARY. Sprains of the ankle joint ligament are among the most common injuries of the lower limb. Of these, 65 % are isolated injuries of the anterior talo-fibular ligament. Long-term consequences of ligament rupture can cause the development of osteoarthritis. Studying the response of the anterior talo-fibular ligament (ATFL) to inversion loading is an important sonographic study, however, we have not found normative values for these indicators in young people.
The aim – to study the change in ATFL length in an asymptomatic population of young patients in both joints using ultrasound under inversion loading.
Material and Methods: The length of the anterior talo-fibular ligament was measured in 60 boys and 60 girls. Sonography was performed on both joints, in the two studied positions.
Results: According to sonographic studies, the average length of the anterior talo-fibular ligament of the right ankle joint in boys in a neutral position was 19.08±0.3mm, the left 19.08±0.31 mm. In girls in a neutral position it was 16.92±0.2 mm, and 16.9±0.19 mm, respectively. With inversion loading, the average length of the ligament in boys was 19.65±0.3 mm on the right, 19.63±0.3 mm on the left, in girls – 17.37±0.2 mm on the right and 17.36±0.20 mm on the left. Comparison of the length of the anterior talo-fibular ligament of boys and girls in different positions during testing in both joints indicates a statistically significant difference between the indicators of boys and girls at the p<0.001 level.
Conclusions: In boys and girls, there is no statistically significant difference between the length indicators of the anterior talo-fibular ligament of the right and left ankle joints, both in the neutral position and at maximum inversion (p>0.05).
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