Comparative analysis of arthroscopic debridement in osseous versus soft tissue anterior ankle impingement

Arthroscopic debridement has been a gold standard procedure for anterior ankle impingement, both in cases of osseous and soft tissue impingement. There is sparse literature on comparative outcome with respect to functional results between the two types of impingement post-arthroscopic debridement.

Our study included 14 patients diagnosed as cases of anterior ankle impingement on the basis of clinical and radiological examination. They were segregated into two groups (on the basis of cause of impingement (osseous versus soft tissue)). Both groups were treated by arthroscopic debridement. Primary outcome was patient satisfaction, which was assessed by Likert scale and clinical outcomes were measured using AOFAS ankle-hind foot scale, VAS score, range of motion and time to return to pre-injury activity level in both groups.

Mean follow-up was of 15 months where eleven patients reported an excellent recovery, two patients had good recovery while one patient reported poor outcome. Mean AOFAS ankle hind foot scale improved from 50.5 preoperatively to 85.71 postoperatively (statistically significant; p value - 0.0001). Mean Likert scale value post-operative was 4.21. VAS score showed significant improvement in patients of both the groups. Range of motion was slightly better in soft tissue impingement type with a relatively shorter time to return to sports or preinjury activity level as compared to osseous impingement group.

The patients in both the groups had comparable outcomes with no statistically significant difference with regard to patient satisfaction and clinical outcome.