A Study to Diagnose Ligament Injuries of Talo-crural Joint by Plain X-rays

The ankle joint is one of the most frequently injured joints. The ankle injuries usually occur in the plantar flexed position of the foot. The lateral ligament is injured more often when compared to the medial. A sprained ankle results due to tear of the anterior talofibular and calcaneofibular ligaments when the foot is twisted in lateral direction. In forcible eversion of the foot the deltoid ligament may be torn. At times the deltoid ligament pulls the medial malleolus thereby causing avulsion fracture of the malleolus. Potts fracture occurs when the foot is caught in a hole in the ground and the foot is forcibly everted. In this condition, at first there is an oblique fracture involving the shaft and lateral malleolus of the fibula. The strong eversion pull on the deltoid ligament causes a transverse fracture of the medial malleolus as well. If the tibia is carried anteriorly, the posterior margin of the distal end of the tibia is also broken, thereby producing a trimalleolar fracture. Although in our country the advancement in medicine is progressing greatly, the sophisticated imaging modalities like MRI and CT are still out of reach especially in the rural areas. Therefore although X-Rays have been the ideal imaging modality to identify fractures, in ligament sprain the injuries need to be evaluated so as to provide adequate treatment. So this study uses plain X-rays of the ankle to diagnose the abnormalities resulting from injuries to the ankle ligaments.