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Anatomy of the Ankle

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The Ankle in Football

Part of the book series: Sports and Traumatology ((SPORTS))

Abstract

A thorough knowledge of the ankle anatomy is absolutely necessary for diagnosis and adequate treatment of ankle injury. The ankle is among the most prevalent joints injured in sports, the ankle sprain being the most common ankle lesion. The ankle joint is formed by the distal tibia and fibula, and the superior talus. Two ligamentous complexes join the bones that form the ankle: the ligaments of the tibiofibular syndesmosis (anteroinferior tibiofibular, posteroinferior tibiofibular, and the interosseous tibiofibular ligament) and the lateral (anterior talofibular, calcaneofibular, and the posterior talofibular ligament) and medial (superficial and deep component) collateral ligaments. The anterior talofibular ligament is the main stabilizer on the lateral aspect of the ankle, limiting the anterior translation and internal rotation of the talus. Because most ankle sprains occur by inversion, this ligament is the most frequently injured, and it has been involved in the soft-tissue impingement syndrome and the microinstability and the major instability of the ankle.

The best Football referee has the sharpest eyes and the lousiest ears.

Mario van der Ende

Ex-international Referee

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Arthroscopic and Surgical Anatomy, Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, Human Anatomy Unit, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Pau Golanó MD & Miquel Dalmau-Pastor PT, POD

  2. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Pau Golanó MD

  3. Unit of Foot and Ankle Surgery, Etzelclinic, Pfäffikon, Schwyz, Switzerland

    Jordi Vega MD

  4. Orthopaedic Department, Club Atlético Boca Juniors, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Jorge Pablo Batista MD

  5. Centro Artroscópico Jorge Batista, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Jorge Pablo Batista MD

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  1. Pau Golanó MD
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  2. Miquel Dalmau-Pastor PT, POD
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  3. Jordi Vega MD
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  4. Jorge Pablo Batista MD
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Correspondence to Pau Golanó MD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Aspetar Hospital, Doha, Qatar

    Pieter P.R.N. d'Hooghe

  2. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Academic Medical Centre Amsterdam University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Gino M.M.J. Kerkhoffs

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Golanó, P., Dalmau-Pastor, M., Vega, J., Batista, J.P. (2014). Anatomy of the Ankle. In: d'Hooghe, P., Kerkhoffs, G. (eds) The Ankle in Football. Sports and Traumatology. Springer, Paris. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-2-8178-0523-8_1

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