All about the Syndesmosis Ligament and Syndesmosis Injuries
The syndesmosis ligament in the ankle supports you every time you stand or move. It doesn’t matter how strong or healthy it is; it won’t be noticed. It’s difficult to ignore a syndesmosis-related injury.
Most ankle sprains or fractures do not affect the syndesmosis. It can be more difficult to diagnose and heal faster than other ankle injuries.
There are a few syndesmosis joints in your spine. This article, however, is focused on ankle syndesmosis. Let’s look at the anatomy and learn what to do if you injure your ankle.
What’s the syndesmosis ligament?
The syndesmosis, a fibrous joint held together by ligaments, is located near the ankle joint. It is located between the tibia, shinbone, distal fibula or outside leg bone. It’s also known as distal tibiofibular syndesmosis.
It consists of multiple ligaments. These are the primary ones:
- anterior inferior tibiofibular ligament
- posterior inferior tibiofibular ligament
- interosseous ligament
- transverse tibiofibular ligament
The syndesmosis ligament is a shock absorber that provides stability and support to your ankle. Its primary function is to align the fibula (tibia) and prevent them from spreading too much.
What are some of the most common injuries to syndesmosis?
Unless you are an athlete, syndesmosis injuries don’t seem to be very common. Syndesmosis injuries account for only 1 to 18% of all ankle sprains. However, the incidence is 12–32 percent among athletes.
The following scenario is likely to occur in the event of a syndesmosis-related injury:
- You have your foot planted.
- The internal rotation of the leg is called “The Leg Rotates Inside”.
- External rotation of the Talus is possible. This bone is located in the lower half of the ankle joint above the heel bone.
These circumstances could cause the ligament to be torn, leading to the fibula and tibia separating.
It’s a high-ankle sprain that occurs when you injure the ligaments of the syndesmosis. The extent of the tear will determine the severity of the sprain.
This type of injury is often caused by a great deal of force and can cause injuries to other ligaments or tendons. One or more fractures can cause a syndesmosis sprain.
What are the signs and symptoms of a syndesmosis-related injury?
Syndesmosis injuries aren’t as likely to bruise or swell as other ankle sprains. This could make it appear that you are not seriously hurt. Other symptoms are likely, including:
- Touching the skin with tenderness
- Pain above the ankle, which may radiate up the leg
- Walking causes pain to increase
- Pain when you rotate your foot or flex it
- trouble raising your calf
- Inability to place your entire weight on your ankle
The severity of an injury can affect the symptoms.
What are the causes of these injuries?
It can injure your ankle by tripping on a toy in your living area. It is possible to injure the syndesmosis depending on how it happened. Syndesmosis injuries are caused by high-energy force and a sudden twisting motion.
This is especially common in sports that involve cleats. These can force the ankle to rotate outward while the foot remains in place. This is also possible in sports that involve an injury to the ankle.
Sports such as: are often used to injure the syndesmosis.
- Football
- Rugby
- downhill skiing
Professional hockey is the most common sport for syndesmosis injuries among athletes.
How can it be diagnosed?
It is difficult to diagnose syndesmosis ligament injuries. A doctor must know the exact cause of the injury to determine what to look for.
A physical exam may prove painful or uncomfortable if the syndesmosis has been injured. To determine if you can bend, rotate and bear weight, your doctor will try to squeeze and manipulate your foot and leg.
An X-ray may be required after a physical exam. This will determine if you have broken bones.
Sometimes, an X-ray may not be enough to determine the extent of a syndesmosis injury. Additional imaging studies such as CT scans and MRIs are available to detect tears in ligaments and tendons.
How can these injuries be treated?
The first steps after an ankle injury are rest, ice and compression (RICE)
The specific injuries will need to be treated. The recovery time for a syndesmosis strain can be twice that of other ankle sprains. Severe syndesmotic injuries could lead to degenerative arthritis and chronic instability if left untreated.