footballer's ankle

An ankle joint in which spiky outgrowths (osteophytes) of bone develop. Footballers commonly suffer from this complaint because they are prone to overstretching the soft tissue in the ankle as they make lunging tackles. The overstretching causes the edges of bones that make up the ankle to rub against each other, stimulating the growth of the spikes. This happens particularly at the front of the shin bone (tibia), which knocks against the main ankle bone (the talus). Although the spikes are not malignant, they may break off, damaging soft tissues, causing pain, and reducing flexibility of the joint. When this happens, surgery may be required to remove them from the joint.

An impingement exostosis around the ankle joint, which commonly occurs in footballers and others who repeatedly overstretch the ligaments and joint capsule of the ankle. Overstretching causes the edges of the bones that make up the ankle to knock against each other. This happens particularly to the front of the tibia, which knocks against the upper talus (anklebone) causing spikes of bone to develop and, if large, break off. Symptoms of footballer's ankle include pain at the front of the ankle and loss of ankle flexibility. X-rays reveal the small fragments of bone (osteophytes) and, unlike osteoarthritris, the joint space is well maintained. Surgery is sometimes required to remove the osteophytes.