ABSTRACT
Ankle injuries are among the most common treated by orthopaedic surgeons and may involve either bony or ligamentous structures, or both. The side under tension fails first, resulting in recognized fracture patterns, with several proposed classifications. The three most commonly used are the Danis-Weber, Lauge-Hansen, and AO Foundation/Orthopaedic Trauma Association (AO/OTA) classifications. The AO/OTA classification is essentially an extension of the Weber into 44 A for infrasyndesmotic, 44 B for trans-syndesmotic and 44 C for suprasyndesmotic. The key feature in assessment of ankle injuries is the determination of stability, defined as the ability withstand physiological stresses without displacement. The most commonly used classification system is the American Medical Association Standard Nomenclature System: Another system to classify acute injuries is to grade them according to whether the ankle is stable or unstable, as determined by the anterior drawer and talar tilt tests.
