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Ventral impingement

Soccer ankle – jamming of the ankle joint

Impingement of the upper ankle joint causes load-dependent pain and a blockage in the range of motion. The range of motion of the affected foot is sometimes significantly restricted in ventral impingement. Especially climbing stairs is perceived as painful. Constant micro-injuries are the main cause of upper ankle joint (OSG) impingement. People who play certain sports, such as soccer, are in the main risk group. The condition is therefore also known as Soccer Ankle or Footballer’s Ankle.

Find out on our website how upper ankle impingement occurs and how we can help you at the Orthopädie Zentrum München Ost with complaints caused by ventral impingement. Make an appointment directly with our specialists at OZMO if you have an ankle impingement.

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Table of Contents:

What is ventral impingement?

Symptoms of ventral impingement
Causes of ventral impingement

Diagnostics for complaints caused by ventral impingement
Treatment for overload of the ankle joint
Make your appointment for ventral impingement at OZMO.

What is ventral impingement?

Ventral impingement is the term used to describe an entrapment of the ankle joint in which bony outgrowths develop on the tibia or ankle bone, making it difficult to move smoothly as a blockage. If left untreated, these conditions intensify and cause soft tissue entrapment, resulting in pain during movement and, in the long term, completely blocking movement. Damage to the tissue and the joint is thus the result, which is prevented by early treatment of ventral impingement.

Symptoms of ventral impingement

When upper ankle impingement causes symptoms, they are pain that begins insidiously and later becomes more frequent with exertion. At the same time, over time, more intense blockages appear, reducing the range of motion of the ankle joint. For example, lifting the foot while climbing stairs with a ventral impingement can become painful or the end of the rolling motion can cause pain with each step.

Causes of ventral impingement

In the case of constantly recurring injuries in the area of the tibia and the anterior ankle joint, so-called osteophytes develop as bony outgrowths. These are bone protrusions in the form of serrations or cusps. A shallow thickening of the bone structure may also develop. Inevitably, over time, the upper ankle or soft tissues become entrapped, which is manifested by the typical pain on movement. The cause is usually determined in the anamnesis to be a sporting activity such as soccer or a heavy strain on the feet in everyday work. Thus, micro-injuries of the tibia occur more frequently, which initially do not require treatment, but in the aggregate and in the long term can be recognized as the cause of ventral impingement.

Diagnostics for complaints caused by ventral impingement

Ventral impingement is caused by bony changes called osteophytes, which are not visible from the outside. Accordingly, in the diagnosis for ankle impingement, the experienced orthopedic specialist will, after taking a detailed history, perform the clinical examination with range of motion exercises, but also with imaging techniques. This reveals the specific location and number of changes in the bone of the upper ankle joint in order to initiate the appropriate treatment.

Imaging techniques that can elucidate ventral impingement primarily include an x-ray examination and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). X-ray can show the bony changes, while MRI gives a clear picture to the condition of the soft tissues. These include bone-cartilage injuries as osteochondral lesions, bone edema (fluid retention), or the condition of the joint capsule at the ankle.

At the Orthopaedic Center Munich East (OZMO), three specialists in orthopaedics and trauma surgery are available to assist you if you suspect ventral impingement and take all diagnostic routes individually directly in our practice for you. In most cases, Dr. med. Meinhard Balensiefen as our specialist for hand and foot surgery is the right contact person for you. However, he is supported by his competent colleagues in case of special requirements or in differential diagnostics, especially in complex cases, in order to always offer you the best possible treatment.

Treatment for overload of the ankle joint

After the diagnosis in our Orthopaedic Center Munich East (OZMO), we accompany you during the individually appropriate treatment to reduce the overload of the ankle joint and to optimally treat the ventral impingement. In most cases, therapy begins with minimally invasive surgery to remove the bony changes associated with ventral impingement. This takes the form of arthroscopy of the upper ankle joint. If soft tissue entrapments are present, these can also be removed during surgical treatment.

This is followed by follow-up care, the treatment of which depends on the stages present, for example cartilage damage. Classical therapies then usually follow in the form of physiotherapy, manual therapy or physical measures. Electrotherapy may also be advised in individual cases. Our orthopedic specialist from Team OZMO will personally discuss the treatment options that are right for you and initiate the optimal measures for your recovery from ventral impingement.

Make your appointment for ventral impingement at OZMO.

Do you experience discomfort with movement and weight bearing that is similar to the symptoms associated with ventral impingement as a jam at the upper ankle? Do you play soccer or any other sport that can cause micro-injuries to the shin? Then make an appointment promptly at the Orthopädie Zentrum München Ost (OZMO) so that our specialists can determine your diagnosis or rule it out through differential diagnostics to determine the correct diagnosis.

Schedule your appointment with our practice team to avoid late complications for upper ankle conditions and injuries and maintain your mobility through skilled treatment. We are at your disposal from the diagnosis to the treatment of a ventral impingement.

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