OBJECTIVETo evaluate the arthroscopic diagnosis and treatment of the chronic ankle pain after injury.

METHODSFrom April 1999 to June 2008, 39 patients with posttraumatic chronic ankle pain were treated. The mean duration between the initial injury and treatment was 18 months (2 months to 11 years). There were 15 males and 24 females with a mean age of 32 years (15 to 58 years). All the patients were treated with arthroscopic debridement. The preoperative and postoperative ankle functions were evaluated by the AOFAS (the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society) Clinical Rating System for the ankle-hindfoot.

RESULTSTwenty-six patients had osteochondral lesions. Impingement syndrome in ankle was observed in 21 patients. The impingement tissue included synovial hypertrophy in 3 patients, ligament injury in 10 patients (7 patients had anterior talofibular ligament injury and 3 patients had anteroinferior tibiofibular ligament injury), meniscoid tissue in 6 patients, pathological labrum in 3 patients. All the patients were followed up with an average of (14.2+/-8.4) months (ranged from 5 to 36 months). The AOFAS scores increased significantly from pre-operative (59.7+/-16.9) to post-operative (68.8+/-21.2), and it was obvious in relieving pain, which was pre-operative (22.8+/-10.0) and post-operative (29.5+/-12.1).

CONCLUSIONArthroscopy can be used to diagnose the cause of chronic ankle pain after injury. Furthermore, arthroscopic debridement was useful to relieve the pain and improve the joint function, and it is appropriate for patients who had no fractures and dislocations.