{{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 Footballer's Ankle is a pinching or impingement of the ligaments or tendons of the ankle between the bones, particularly the talus and

tibia The tibia (; ), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outside of the tibia); it connects ...

. This results in pain, inflammation and swelling.

Causes

A common cause of anterior impingement is a bone spur on anklebone ( talus) or the shinbone (

). Repeated kicking actions can cause the anklebone to hit the bottom of the shinbone, which can lead to a lump of bone (or

bone spur An exostosis, also known as bone spur, is the formation of new bone on the surface of a bone. Exostoses can cause chronic pain ranging from mild to debilitatingly severe, depending on the shape, size, and location of the lesion. It is most commonl ...

) developing. This bone spur may then begin to impact on the soft tissue at the front of the ankle, causing

inflammation Inflammation (from la, wikt:en:inflammatio#Latin, inflammatio) is part of the complex biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or Irritation, irritants, and is a protective response involving im ...

and swelling. The condition is most common in athletes who repeatedly bend the ankle upward (

dorsiflexion Motion, the process of movement, is described using specific anatomical terms. Motion includes movement of organs, joints, limbs, and specific sections of the body. The terminology used describes this motion according to its direction relative ...

), such as footballers, hence the name.

Symptoms

- pain and tenderness over anterior ankle joint
- pain on dorsiflexion and plantar flexion
- band of pain across anterior ankle when kicking a ball
- palpable bony lump on distal tibia or superior talus

Treatment

soft tissue technique Muscle Energy Techniques (METs) describes a broad class of manual therapy techniques directed at improving musculoskeletal function or joint function, and improving pain. METs are commonly used by manual therapists, physical therapists, occupationa ...

s to stretch muscles crossing the ankle to relieve tension
-

mobilisation Mobilization is the act of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war. The word ''mobilization'' was first used in a military context in the 1850s to describe the preparation of the Prussian Army. Mobilization theories and t ...

of ankle joint
- steroid injection to reduce inflammation
- surgery to remove bony spurs

External links

What is Footballer's Ankle?

Simon Moyes: Anterior Impingement (Footballer's Ankle) American football culture, Ankle

Ankle The ankle, or the talocrural region, or the jumping bone (informal) is the area where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle includes three joints: the ankle joint proper or talocrural joint, the subtalar joint, and the inferior tibiofibular join ...

Sports injuries