“Impingement” occurs when structures in or around a joint catch on or collide with each other, causing pain. Many joints may develop impingement “syndromes”, and in the ankle the condition is a possible long-term consequence of previous injury.

Ankle impingement may be caused by catching of bone spurs, pinched soft tissue, or both. It may also occur at the front or back of the ankle, and so symptoms will vary depending on the type of impingement.

In anterior ankle impingement, pain is felt at the front of the ankle when running, during sport or walking, along with stiffness in the joint. Posterior impingement cases pain whilst pushing the foot downwards, particularly during dancing or jumping. Other symptoms, such as giving way or swelling, may be present also.

If measures such as physiotherapy1 fail, a steroid injection will occasionally be helpful, or surgery may be considered. After investigations to determine the type of impingement, most ankle impingement lesions can be removed with keyhole surgery, via an ankle arthroscopy2 or posterior ankle endoscopy.

The success rate in terms of pain relief and return to sport for this kind of treatment is 70-80%, unless significant arthritis is discovered in the ankle, when there is a 50% chance of success.

1/ Physiotherapy.doc
2/ Ankle Arthroscopy.doc