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Updated: Oct 17, 2025
A Mouse Model of Ankle-Subtalar Complex Joint Instability
Published on: October 28, 2022
Correlation of stress radiographs to injuries associated with lateral ankle instability
Joshua W Sy1, Andrew J Lopez1, Gregory E Lausé2
1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, HI 96859, United States.
Background:
Stress radiographs have demonstrated superior efficacy in the evaluation of ankle instability.
Aim:
To determine if there is a degree of instability evidenced by stress radiographs that is associated with pathology concomitant with ankle ligamentous instability.
Methods:
A retrospective review of 87 consecutive patients aged 18-74 who had stress radiographs performed at a single institution between 2014 and 2020 was performed. These manual radiographic stress views were then correlated with magnetic resonance imaging and operative findings.
Results:
A statistically significant association was determined for the mean and median stress radiographic values and the presence of peroneal pathology (P = 0.008 for tendonitis and P = 0.020 for peroneal tendon tears). A significant inverse relationship was found between the presence of an osteochondral defect and increasing degrees of instability (P = 0.043).
Conclusion:
Although valuable in the clinical evaluation of ankle instability, stress radiographs are not an independent predictor of conditions associated with ankle instability.
