Stress radiography.

Although stress radiography has proven helpful in the past with regards to our understanding of mechanisms of injury and subsequent treatment, difficulty persists in defining consistent criteria for stress radiography of the foot and ankle. Until these have been clearly determined or proven, their validity and applicability in helping the physician arrive at a treatment decision may be questioned. It seems that a careful history, physical examination, and critical interpretation of routine radiographs may be most effective. Stress radiographs may be indicated in the elite athlete as a gauge for the severity of injury and rehabilitation course or in preoperative planning for ankle reconstruction when subtalar instability is a consideration.