Athletic foot and ankle injuries

Abstract

Nearly 10 years have passed since the Clinics in Sports Medicine published an issue that focused on foot and ankle injuries (Volume 13, Number 4, 1994). As many of this issue’s contributing authors comment in their opening paragraphs, the prevalence of athletic injuries of the ankle and foot is very high. More than 20,000 sports-related injuries of the ankle occur every day; even the small percentage that do not return to sport constitutes a large number of people. More complex injuries such as ankle fracture dislocation can be successfully treated until healed, but the athlete’s return to sport is a more daunting task than putting an office worker back on the job. There have been advances over the past 10 years in the recognition and treatment of sports injuries of the adult foot and ankle; many of these are presented in this issue. However, before going forward with what is new and improved, it is important to know that some of the old knowledge and principles are still valid. The human anatomy of the foot and ankle and our understanding of the physiology of the functional mechanics of the foot and ankle are not that different. The same is true of surgical anatomy. My opinion is the same as that of Dr. Phillip Kwong, the guest editor of volume 13, number 4, who stated: ‘‘Successful treatment of the [foot and ankle] injuries depends on accurate data, sound clinical judgment, anatomic treatment and early functional rehabilitation.’’ The authors of this issue were instructed to aim their message at general orthopedists and other physicians who treat athletes and to keep references focused on classic or current sources. Because it is impossible to cover all topics exhaustively without creating a large textbook, I selected several highly relevant topics concerning acute, chronic, and recurrent injuries of the foot and ankle in