Active clinical trials for "Ankle Fractures"

Over the course of a year from the start of the research study, twenty subjects will be randomized evenly into one of two groups after an informed consent is obtained: a traditional tight rope fixation group or a tight rope fixation with an anterior inferior tibiofibular ligament (AITFL) repair augmentation with an internal brace group. Subjects in both groups will acquire a bilateral WBCT pre-operatively and 6 weeks post-operatively at Atlantic Orthopaedic Specialists office. A within group statistical analyses will compare the volume of the syndesmosis acquired by the WBCT at 6 weeks.

The investigators aim to evaluate the fixation of the ankle syndesmosis in appropriate ankle fractures with bioabsorbable screws. Ankle fractures are common, and a proportion of them involve both fracture of the bone and also disruption of the syndesmosis, a strong ligamentous complex connecting the distal fibula and tibia. If left without fixation this causes a high incidence of pain and early arthritis. The most common technique for fixation of this syndesmosis involves the use of the same type of metal screws used to fix the fractured bones. As the syndesmosis permits small degrees of movement in normal subjects, fixation of this with metal usually leads to screw breakage and, or pain. It is common practice to remove these screws after a period of time once the syndesmosis has healed in the correct position. Bioabsorbable screws have the advantage of allowing small increments of movement, and also resorb naturally therefore do not have to be removed with a second surgical procedure. They are used in other centres worldwide, and the investigators therefore seek to evaluate syndesmosis fixation with them in their unit. The investigators would aim to recruit patients who have a syndesmotic injury requiring fixation, and who can consent to participating. They would undergo an identical surgical procedure to the standard current practice, apart from using a bioabsorbable screw in exchange for the metallic screw for syndesmosis fixation. All other components would remain unchanged, as would post operative protocol and management. To evaluate the fixation the investigators would use a limited CT scan (equivalent of about 3 months background radiation) after the time of fixation and at one year. This will help to assess the maintenance of reduction of the syndesmosis with time. The investigators would also assess patient reported outcome measures and pain scores, length of procedure and intraoperative radiation levels, weight bearing distribution tests, as well as any complication that may arise.

Ankle injuries are among the most common traumatological injuries of the lower limb accounting for approximately 50% of all sports injuries and 25% of musculoskeletal injuries in general. Correct initial diagnosis and proper management is important to reduce the risk of recurrent ankle instability and other complications, such as reduced range of motion, increased ligament laxity, instability, tendon enthesopathy, possible swelling, formation of calcifications, reduced load on the affected limbs while standing and walking, increased pain intensity and pain duration. To date, few studies showed that the effectiveness of physical therapy increases when it is modified based on diagnostic ultrasonography findings. Sonography is not burdensome for the patient, has high reproducibility, and enables dynamic examination and comparison of the interrelationships of individual structures. The aim of this study is to investigate if targeted physiotherapy for post-traumatic ankle conditions designed based of diagnostic ultrasonography findings is more effective than standard physiotherapy. The study hypothesis is that in the experimental group there will be a smaller number of complications of post-traumatic ankle conditions than in the control group. If confirmed the study could have clinical implications.

Ankle injuries are common in musculoskeletal practice with high incidence rate in physically active individuals. Ankle injuries are complex to managed and further complicated with the high recurrence rate, chronic ankle instability, and osteoarthritis (Herzog et al., 2019). The prime ankle stabilizer against valgus forces is the deltoid ligament, which is a triangle band of strong connective tissues to prevent inward ankle rotation. The deltoid ligament is vital for maintaining ankle stability against valgus forces by its deep and superficial components as it restrains eversion and external rotation of the talus on the tibia (Lee et al., 2019). The superficial components of the deltoid ligament are the tibiospring, tibionavicular, tibiocalcaneal and superficial posterior tibiotalar ligaments, while the deep components are the anterior and posterior tibiotalar ligaments. The deep components of the deltoid ligament are the main stabilizers for the ankle joint, while the superficial components have minimal stabilization role (Michelsen et al., 1996; Pankovich, 2002; Jeong et al., 2014). Retraction of the deltoid ligament could cause medial ankle instability, pain, reduce function and early osteoarthritis (Lee et al., 2019). The deltoid ligament is essential for normal functioning of the foot and ankle and to maintain the normal kinematics of the talocrural kinematics. Dodd, Halai and Buckely (2022) discussed based on Ramsey and Hamilton's (1976) and Lubbeke et al..'s (2012) studies that a one mm lateral shift of the talus reduces the contact area of the tibiotalar up to 42%, and medial-sided injuries including an injury to the deltoid ligament would lead to long-term arthritis (Ramsey and Hamilton, 1976; Lubbeke et al., 2012; Dodd, Halai amd Buckley, 2022). More importantly, the deltoid ligament frequently raptures in association with ankle fractures (Wang et al., 2020). However, a recent systematic review stated that there is no consensus regarding deltoid ligament repair and its associated effectiveness and complications (Dodd, Halai and Buckely, 2022). Moreover, no study has explored the long-term effect of deltoid ligament repair in reducing post-traumatic ankle instability and osteoarthritis in patients with weber B fibula fractures. Therefore, the aim of the study is to determine the effect of deltoid ligament repair in patient with Weber B fibular fracture using randomized controlled trial design and two years follow-up period.

The aim of our study is to identify if there is statistically significant difference in patient reported functional outcomes in cases of unstable ankle fracture managed by ORIF with and without ankle arthroscopy.

The purpose of this study is to compare the postoperative results after ORIF (Open Reduction Inner Fixation) with a partial weight-bearing protocol versus an early full weight-bearing protocol. But in addition, we will measure every patient's actual load by the means of walker integrated bio-feedback insoles for the first six postoperative weeks to record the adherence to the protocol.

The purpose of the study is to determine whether the use of waterproof padding in short leg walking casts will lead to an increase in cast-related complications, as compared to the standard non-waterproof casting in children.

Ankle fractures account for 10 % of fractures in the adult population. A part of patients (40%) is treated surgically. After healing of the fractures, about one year after the operation, a surgery is often performed to remove the hardware in order to diminish pain. If this surgery is necessary is debated in the literature. The aim of our study is to evaluate the outcome of hardware removal surgery after a surgery of the ankle for a fracture. For that, we will perform do a controlled randomized trial with two arms: one arm includes the participants who will have a hardware removal and the other arm will not have a surgery. Outcome parameters are the patients reported outcome and pain related disability. They will be assessed by the questionnaires FAAM score (Foot and Ankle Ability Measure) and PDI (Pain Disability Index) at the beginning and at the end of the study, at six months. The third outcome parameter will be the complication rate after an anklehardware removal surgery, which will be assessed through the Ernst-Ssink classification.

A one third of all ankle fractures are bi- or trimalleolar. Traditionally these fractures are treated by both medial and lateral osteosynthesis, sometimes accompanied by osteosynthesis of the posterior malleolus. There is significant evidence that fractures of the lateral malleolus can be treated conservatively if the medial side is stable. However, there isn't a single study comparing standard bi- or trimalleolar fixation with only medial side osteosynthesis and postoperative immobilization with a cast.

The proposed study evaluates the effect of carbon fiber brace design on forces across the ankle. Research suggests that ankle arthritis develops following ankle fracture due, in part, to elevated forces on the cartilage. It is expected that carbon fiber braces can reduce forces in the ankle joint thereby reducing the risk of developing arthritis following injury. In this study, carbon fiber braces will be tested to determine how they influence the forces acting on the ankle cartilage. The proposed study will provide evidence that can be used by clinicians and researchers to design carbon fiber braces to effectively reduce forces on ankle cartilage.