Chronic ankle pain in soldiers: the role of ankle arthroscopy and soft tissue excision

We describe 13 cases of soft tissue impingement in the ankle by localized synovial proliferation and scar tissue. A number of papers have described symptomatic improvement in sportsmen who have undergone resection of this tissue. We report the results of this procedure in Army personnel. Of the 13 patients, 8 had excellent or good results, while 5 had poor results. Two of the latter subsequently revealed another significant problem and were then excluded, thus 8 out of 11 patients had an excellent or good result. We therefore believe that this procedure is useful in the management of chronic ankle pain in Army personnel.