Lateral ankle ligament injury is the most common ligament injury in the extremities. Rich experience about Chinese traditional medicine has been accumulated in treating this injury. Currently, surgical treatment has also made great progress. In order to improve the diagnosis and treatment of the lateral ankle ligament injury, especially in the primary care institutions, the Society of Orthopaedics of the Chinese Association of Integrative Medicine developed the present expert consensus. Literatures in this field were retrieved and reviewed. Expert questionnaire was made according to the WHO Handbook for Guideline Development and modified Delphi method. The feedback rate was 100%. Based on the above mentioned results, a preliminary draft of the Expert Consensus was formed. After several rounds of content, the final draft was determined through face-to-face discussion of the experts in two conferences. In the opinion of Chinese medicine, ankle sprain belongs to the category of "injury of the tissues" . The stasis of Qi, blood and meridians are its main pathogenesis. The principle of treatment emphasizes the following aspects, i.e., the importance of both tissues and bones, the consideration of both internal and external status, the difference between acute and chronic condition, the combination of prevention and treatment, and the appropriateness of exercises and rest. The interventions include external and oral application of traditional Chinese medicine, manipulation which aims to reduction, etc. The diagnosis in Western medicine is based on history of trauma, local clinical findings, physical examination and imaging tests. Stress radiographs and MRI of the ankle joints are recommended preoperatively. For acute patients, conservative treatment is often used. For patients with mechanical ankle instability and a course of disease more than 3-6 months, surgical treatment is recommended. Stricter and longer rehabilitation training is recommended for patients with functional ankle instability. Surgical procedures include ligament repair and reconstruction; however, the choice remains controversial.
外踝韧带损伤的中西医结合治疗专家共识
