Anterolateral Gutter Ankle

Patients experience anterolateral ankle pain that is intensified with supination or pronation of the foot anterolateral point tenderness pain with a single leg squat and swelling.

Anterolateral gutter ankle.

Typically the capsule and synovial lining of the ankle joint get inflamed and can develop scar tissue in either the anteromedial gutter or anterolateral gutter between the ankle bones. The leading causes of impingement lesions are posttraumatic injuries usually ankle sprains leading to chronic pain. However there is no associated ligamentous ankle instability. This irritation and hypertrophy of the tissue can cause pain with ankle dorsiflexion and subsequently symptoms with athletic activities.

Anterolateral impingement syndrome of the ankle is caused by entrapment of the hypertrophic soft tissue in the lateral gutter. These likely present sources of anterolateral gutter impingement. Patients with anterolateral impingement present with chronic ankle pain swelling along the anterolateral aspect of the ankle and limited dorsiflexion. 9 pain can be elicited with passive dorsiflexion and eversion.

The anterolateral ankle gutter is the most common site of ankle impingement. Anterolateral ankle impingement has been known under the term anterolateral meniscoid lesion which is the result of synovitis in the anterolateral gutter. Anterolateral impingement is thought to occur subsequent to relatively minor inversion injuries of the ankle. Abrasion of the anterolateral talar dome ar ticular surface and secondary chondral inju ry may develop 15.

There is scar tissue and synovitis within the anterolateral gutter as well as a 5 mm osteochondral loose body. 3 over time a meniscoid lesion is often the result of the lateral ankle injury. Soft tissue swelling is present in the anterolateral shoulder of the ankle joint and palpable masses are occasionally noted within the lateral gutter. The impingement process begins when an inversion sprain tears the anterior talofibular and or the calcaneofibular ligament.

Ankle impingement syndromes may also be congenital in origin. This click has been attributed to aitfl impingement. Patients may have a history of ankles sprains or chronic ankle instability and now present with constant lateral ankle pain upon ambulation. 3 during an inversion ankle injury the anterior talofibular ligament and calcaneofibular ligament are affected as is the distal syndesmosis.