Home / Treatments / Ankle: arthroscopy & ligaments
The sprain that "never healed properly" is real — and treatable. Assessing it in time prevents years of repeated twists.
The ankle sprain is sport's most common injury — and its most underestimated one. Most heal well with proper functional treatment, but a significant number of people develop chronic instability: repeated twists on minimal provocation, a feeling of giving way, persistent pain, or no confidence on uneven ground. Behind it there may be incompetent ligaments and, quite often, associated injuries inside the joint that went unnoticed. Ankle microinstability, explained →
Ankle arthroscopy works through millimetre incisions with a high-definition camera, treating the inside of the joint with minimal tissue damage. When instability is the problem, anatomic ligament repair restores tension to your own ligaments with small anchors; both techniques are frequently combined in the same operation. Surgery takes place at IMED Elche or IMED Alicante hospitals, usually as a day case or short stay.
Protection in a splint or boot, swelling control and early protected motion depending on the procedure.
Progressive weight-bearing in the boot; physiotherapy begins: motion, strength and basic proprioception.
Normal gait, advanced strength and specific proprioception; progressive running once criteria are met.
Change of direction, sport-specific drills and return to sport by objective stability and strength criteria.
Acute sprains almost never do. Surgery is considered after repeated sprains with correct rehab when instability persists, or when there are associated injuries (osteochondral fragments, impingement).
Anatomic repair of the lateral ligaments (Broström-type) with small anchors — minimally invasive open or arthroscopically assisted, treating intra-articular injuries at the same time. Selected cases need augmentation or graft.
Damage to the cartilage and bone of the talar dome, often after sprains, causing deep pain and sometimes catching. Treated conservatively or arthroscopically depending on size and location.
As a guide: a few weeks of protection, progressive loading, and return to sport between 3 and 6 months depending on the procedure and the objective criteria achieved.
A specific examination and an in-clinic ultrasound scan point to the problem at the first visit.
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