Nonsurgical treatment of lateral ligament injury of the ankle joint.

Between 1986 and 1989, 40 patients with acute lateral ligament injury of the ankle joint were treated by immobilizing their affected feet in a plaster cast with a heel for 4 weeks, followed by a brace for the next 2 months. The average follow-up time was 29 months. Ninety-eight percent of the patients were rated as having satisfactory functional results. Stress radiographs at the latest follow-up showed good stability even in ankles that were severely unstable at injury. Posttreatment stress radiographs taken periodically showed that stability was maintained 6 months after treatment.