Dr. Silverman has a deep understanding of all the ligaments in your ankle and how to best care for them upon injury, and in today’s blog, he wants to shine a spotlight on these soft tissues so that you can get a better understanding of the ligaments at play in your ankle. There are three main groups of ankle ligaments that we’ll take a closer look at below.

Medial Ankle Ligaments

Your medial ankle ligaments, also known as your deltoid ligaments, are housed on the inner side of your ankle. They begin at the medial malleolus (the end of the tibia where the bump forms on the inside of your ankle). They stretch out and connect your talus, calcaneus and navicular bones.

There are four main medial ligaments, and they tend to be a bit stronger than your lateral ankle ligaments, meaning it’s typically more challenging to injure these ligaments, but when it happens, damage takes a little longer to heal. Those four medial ligaments are:

• Anterior tibiotalar ligament (ATTL)
• Posterior tibiotalar ligament (PTTL)
• Tibiocalcaneal ligament (TCL)
• Tibionavicular ligament (TNL)

Lateral Ankle Ligaments

Your lateral ankle ligaments are on the opposite side of your medial ligaments, on the outside of your ankle. They begin at the end of the lateral malleolus (the end of the tibia where the bump forms on the outside of your ankle), and they connect your talus and calcaneus bones. These are the ligaments you injure during a standard inversion ankle sprain. There are three lateral ankle ligaments:

• Anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL)
• Calcaneofibular ligament (CFL)
• Posterior talofibular ligament (PTFL)

The anterior talofibular ligament is the most commonly injured ligament during an inversion ankle sprain.

Syndesmotic Ankle Ligaments

The third set of ligaments are known as the syndesmotic ankle ligaments. They connect your tibia and fibula bones with the goal of maintaining proper alignment and avoiding excessive movement between the two bones. There are five main syndesmotic ankle ligaments, which include:

• Anterior inferior tibiofibular ligament (AITFL)
• Posterior inferior tibiofibular ligament (PITFL)
• Inferior transverse ligament (ITL)
• Transverse tibiofibular ligament (TTFL)
• Interosseous ligament (IOL)

If you’ve dealing with an injury to any of these ligaments, we can help! Untreated ankle ligament damage can lead to prolonged ankle instability and weakness, making it uncomfortable to walk and increasing your risk of subsequent ankle sprains. Let us help you get back to moving comfortably and with full confidence in your ankle!

For more information about ankle ligament injuries or treatment options, connect with Dr. Silverman today!

The post An Anatomical Look At The Ligaments In Your Ankle appeared first on Lance Silverman, MD - Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Surgeon.