Management of Syndesmosis Injury: A Narrative Review

The syndesmosis is an important fibrous joint that plays a crucial role in normal ankle weight-bearing and movements. Syndesmosis injuries include disruption of one or more of the ligaments comprising the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis and are commonly associated with ankle fractures. The treatment of grade 1 syndesmosis injury should be conservative, such as immobilization for one to three weeks followed by gradual return to activity. For the treatment of grade 2 syndesmosis injury, if it was stable enough, the patients still could be managed with conservative therapies. But majority of them strongly favor surgical treatment. For the treatment of grade 3 syndesmosis injury, it should treat with surgical reconstruction. If syndesmosis injury is associated with ankle fractures, surgical reduction, fixation, and reconstruction are usually required. Common surgical treatment methods include syndesmosis screws, composed of either metallic or bioabsorbable material; fibula intramedullary nails; and dynamic button-suture fixation, TightRope or ZipTight. Each method has advantages and disadvantages which must be considered while determining which treatment will provide the best outcomes depending on the patient's needs. Continued exploration of new materials, devices, and methods for surgical fixation is necessary for advancement in this field.