Chronic Lateral Ankle Instability: The Broström Procedure

Ankle sprains are a common diagnosis in young active populations such as the population on active duty in the military. However, despite the high number of ankle sprains that occur each year, the diagnosis of chronic lateral ankle instability is relatively uncommon. The majority of patients with instability of the ankle after an injury to the lateral ligaments return to normal activities after a period of nonoperative treatment. One of the most successful surgical strategies for patients that fail nonoperative treatment is the procedure originally described by Broström. This article describes the approach to a patient with lateral ankle instability including a detailed description of the Broström procedure with the Gould modification. The long-term (mean, 26.3-year follow-up) surgical results of the Brostrom procedure in an active duty military population will also be presented.